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Budapest Nightlife

Budapest has a grand history in music, ranging from operas to folk songs. Today, however, you’re just as likely to find techno clubs or live rock music: new clubs and music venues are constantly sprouting up all over Budapest especially around VII Liszt Ferenc tér and IX Ráday utca. Borozós are cheap wine cellars, where it is rare to see women, especially unaccompanied. Sörözös are beer houses that also serve good and moderately priced food.

The best sources for nightlife and cultural listings is The Budapest Sun (www.budapestsun.com),. You can buy tickets for most cultural and sporting events from TEX Ticket Express, I Déli pályaudvar, VI Andrássy út 18, and other locations, or order online at www.tex.hu.

Bars in Budapest

Karma

Karma draws the crowds with its buzzing bar area at the front and cosy corners to the rear. A bit of a relaxed place with the possibility to eat is Bar Karma on Liszt Ferenc térnear Oktogon in Budapest. With an Indian-style décor and great background music, Karma is a top bar to head for a classy cocktail in Budapest.

VI Liszt Ferenc tér 11
Tel: (01) 413 6764.
Website: www.karmabudapest.com

Paris, Texas

One of the first nightlife spots to have opened on the now-buzzing Ráday utca, Paris, Texas is known for its pool tables, strong cocktails, and pizza deliveries from the restaurant next door. The walls are lined with old photographs, providing a window into the local culture of the 1910s and 1920s. In the summer there is limited outdoor seating.

IX Ráday utca 22
Tel: (01) 218 0570.

Trafó Bár Tangó

Also known as Mappa Club, Trafó Bár Tangó, in the basement of the Trafó House of Contemporary Arts, attracts an artistic crowd and regularly features DJs. The interior of this 21st-century urban venue was recently refurbished to great visual effect, complete with hi-tech lighting and multi-wall projection.

IX Liliom utca 41
Tel: (01) 456 2049.
Websites: www.trafo.hu; http://mappaclub.com

Clubs in Budapest

Gödör Club

This perennially popular, democratically run institution in the heart of the city offers up a wide range of musical styles, free wireless and nights that range from rock concerts to salsa nights.

Erzsébet Tér
Tel: (20) 201 3868.
Website: www.godorklub.hu

Merlin

This friendly and accessible place is popular for the sheer variety of club nights it hosts – you’ll find everything from minimal techno to mainstream pop. There’s a big cultural menu earlier on in the evening, from theatre to live music, but as evening turns into night, the place usually just gets more and more fun.

Gerlóczy utca 4
Tel: (01) 328 7204.
Website: www.merlinbudapest.org

Rio

The biggest outdoor entertainment complex in Budapest is also the place to head for a cool night out. It’s no intimate club this – thousands of trendy young Hungarians crowd in nightly under the club’s palm trees to hear big name international DJs.

Szent Gellert tér1
Tel: (30) 297 2158.
Website: www.rio.hu

Live Music in Budapest

A38 Hajó

A38 Hajó is a trendy floating club over the summer months, but it's better known as a live music venue. Once a Ukrainian stone-carrier barge, it now plays host to a plethora of live acts and has rightly been called one of Europe’s coolest music spaces.

XI Mügyetem rakpart
Tel: (01) 464 3940.
Website: www.a38.hu

Old Man's Music Pub

The Old Man's Music Pub, although crowded, is one of the city's most fun night-time hotspots, with live music local (and sometimes international) music from 2100 to 2300, and a DJ taking over after that.

VII Akácfa utca 13
Tel: (01) 322 7645.
Website: www.oldmansmusicpub.com

Culture in Budapest

Bartók Memorial House

Friday evening chamber concerts, given by Hungary's best musicians, are performed in Bartók Memorial House, the former residence of the great composer and now a museum in his honour. In the early 20th century, Béla Bartók (1881-1945) and Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967) scoured the country to capture its vanishing folk songs. Their work has enriched today's vibrant Hungarian music scene.

II Csalán utca 29
Tel: (01) 394 2100.
Website: www.bartokmuseum.hu

Katona József Szinház

Katona József Szinház is reputed to show the best Hungarian theatre.

V Petöfi Sándor utca 6
Tel: (01) 318 6599.
Website: http://katona.szinhaz.hu

Nemzeti Szinhaz

The Nemzeti Szinhaz (National Theatre) is the city's largest centre for theatre. It stages mainly domestic and international musicals and dramas.

XI Bajor Gizi Park 1
Tel: (01) 476 6868.
Website: www.nemzetiszinhaz.hu

Palace of Arts

The Palace of Arts is Budapest's latest cultural centre. It features two concert venues: the Bartók National Concert Hall seats 1,700 while the smaller Festival Theatre has a capacity of 452.

IX Komor Marcell utca 1
Tel: (01) 555 3300.
Website: www.mupa.hu

Trafó House of Contemporary Arts

Fans of modern dance can catch performances at the Trafó House of Contemporary Arts.

IX Liliom utca 41
Tel: (01) 456 2040.
Website: www.trafo.hu

Zeneakadémia

Zeneakadémia is Hungary's most attractive music venue and also houses the Ferenc (Franz) Liszt Music Academy - tickets are difficult to get, with most events being sold out many days in advance.

VI Liszt Ferenc tér 8
Tel: (01) 462 4600.
Website: www.zeneakademia.hu

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