Entertainment in Budapest

There are a lot of alternative and mainstream party place, clubs and inns throughout Budapest, but there are some districts and streets which have become the centre of these popular clubs and restaurants. Party time in Budapest usually starts after 11 pm, clubs and discos are fairly empty before this time. However cafes are crowded in the early afternnon as well.

Lunch and Cruise and Dinner and Cruise programs

If you want to discover the unique view of Budapest from the Danube, we offer you two great sightseeing boat cruise with lunch and dinner.
The Cruise & Lunch program is a one and half hour sightseeing daytime cruise on an air conditioned ship. The meeting point is at Duna Palota (Danube Palace), the cruise is from 14:00 till 15:30 with a delicious warm buffet-dinner that is prepared by Klöter Gregor-Grex Hungary’s one and only Gault Millau rated chef. The price is 30.40 EUR with lunch, but you can reserve this cruise without lunch but only with drinks for 13.80 EUR.
The Cruise & Dinner program is also a one and half hour sightseeing late evening time cruise on an air conditioned ship. Discover the exceptional lights of Budapest reflected on the surface of Danube with a romantic atmosphere, and a romantic candlelight dinner. The perfect mood is guaranteed by a salon music performed by three artist of the Kodály Zoltán Awarded Rajkó Folk Orchestra. The meeting point is at Duna Palota (Danube Palace), the cruise is from 19:00 till 20:30 with a delicious warm buffet-dinner that is prepared by Klöter Gregor-Grex Hungary’s one and only Gault Millau rated chef. The price is 37.30 EUR with lunch, but you can reserve this cruise without dinner but only with drinks for 16.20 EUR.
You can book these cruise programs online at our partner's website:
Dinner & Cruise and Lunch & Cruise online reservation

The Broadway of Pest

You can find the so-called Broadway of Pest in Nagymező utca, between Király utca and Mozsár utca in the sixth district. In the last century the most colorful and fizziest part of the nightlife of Budapest has shown up here. Citizens from Budapest have been going out here since the beginning of the previous century. Its history began in the end of the 19th century when due to the economic boom this part of the city first became a red-light district, but later on it was rather the center of theatres and clubs, first named after the Paris quarter the Montmartre of Pest, then the Broadway of Pest. The grand avenue-project made this zone possible to start to develop and be alive. The first and most famous club was the Orfeum in 1884. Out of this grew up the Operetta Theatre in 1922, then the revue style found home in Moulin Rouge as well. Arizona, the most famous hall, was here in front of Moulin Rouge. One of the region’s curiosity is the Mai Manó Ház, which was basically a photographer’s studio, but nowadays it is the centre of Hungarian photographers and gives place to periodic exhibitions. Its Sunshine Studio was renovated in its basic status and can be visited with tickets. In the other part of the street there is Museum Ernst, where mostly contemporary art exhibitions are kept. The pursuit which aims to make this region the centre of light entertainment gives more cultural and entertainment feeling to this part of the street. You can reach Nagymező utca by walking two minutes from Oktogon (4-6 tram station, M1 metro).

And now here is a list of clubs to party:

The Broadway of Pest – Theatres

Theatres here are almost next to one another presenting various styles for the audience.

• Tivoli Theatre 6th district, Budapest, Nagymező u. 8.
• Radnóti Theatre 6th district, Budapest, Nagymező u. 11.
• Budapest Operetta Theatre 6th district, Budapest, Nagymező u. 17.
• Thália Theatre 6th district, Budapest, Nagymező u. 22-24.
• Stage Mikroszkóp 6th district, Budapest, Nagymező u. 22-24.

Moulin Rouge

Moulin Rouge is situated next to the Budapest Operetta Theatre. It was rebuilt in 2000 and operates as a club and event hall. A lot of parties are held here. For the actual program you can go here: Moulin Rouge Budapest

Instant

Instant ruin pub is an alternative party place which is also in the Broadway of Pest in the 6th district, Nagymező utca 38. It takes place in a typical tenement house with hanging corridors which was to be ruined down. The whole house is open for visitors. On the ground floor there are bars and boxes, in the cellars there are the dance floors. The music here is rather eclectic: electric, dnb, breakbeat. The atmosphere of the whole place has been created by young artists with a street-art feeling. Flats in the building that were once inhabited still contain those things that belonged to the former tenants. These things add a lot to the original style of the place. People having a good time in former living rooms, kitchens or in bathrooms make one feel as if they were in a private house party. Instant has lately become one of the most popular alternative places in Budapest, therefore at nights it is usually hard to find free tables there, and at weekends this becomes almost impossible.

B Seven Club

B Seven Club is a dance club with popular music. Its design is trendy-elegant. Address: 6th district, Budapest, Nagymező u. 46-48. For information and news check this: http://www.bseven.hu

Liszt Ferenc square

Liszt Ferenc tér is some minute walk from Oktogon (4-6 tram and M1 metro station). The square is surrounded by sophisticated, high level and elegant restaurants and cafes. As spring comes and the weather is warm, all these places open up their big terraces outside, giving the whole square a Mediterranean style. There is free WIFI available in all restaurants and cafes. Its main clubs are:

Barokko Club and Lounge

Barokko Club and Lounge (6th district, Budapest, Liszt Ferenc tér 5.) includes three floors with a cafe, a restaurant, and an event hall and party floor. The place itself is elegant with a retro feeling waiting for its guests with concerts and parties.

Menza Restaurant

Menza Restaurant (6th district, Budapest, Liszt Ferenc tér 5.) is a famous place among tourists with a fabulous cuisine. An elegant, trendy place with a retro feeling with real retro design and decoration from the 70s and the 80s. Prices are the same as the prices of other restaurants in the city.

Café Vian

Café Vian (6th district, Budapest, Liszt Ferenc tér 9.) with its French style makes you feel as if you were in Paris. On the walls there are paintings giving the whole cafe a cultural gallery style. It opens early, so it is a good decision to have your breakfast here.

Café Miro Grande

Café Miro Grande (6th district, Budapest, Liszt Ferenc tér 9.) is a classically elegant cafe with live jazz and Latino music at nights.

Incognito bar cafe

Incognito bar cafe (6th district, Budapest, Liszt Ferenc tér 3.) is the oldest cafe in Liszt Ferenc sq. Catering at the square started with opening this cafe. In the beginning there were dark walls and tables with candle light, then it was altered to a minimalist, trendy place with colorful walls. Decoration contains mostly original jazz LPs. There is a wide selections of special coffees.

Ráday street

Ráday utca goes between Kálvin tér and Ferenc körút, and along the street there are restaurants, cafes, confectioneries and galleries, and there is also the first and only Michelin-star restaurant of Budapest called Costes. The beginning of the street (next to Kálvin tér, can be reached with the M3 metro or with trams 47 or 49) is very teeming and lively, but as we are approaching Ferenc körút it all calms down. The street itself is less fancy than Liszt Ferenc tér, a lot more direct and also has a lot more cultural style.
The nature of Ráday kultucca (culture street) is not only made by the numerous galleries and contemporary event halls but also with the lots of cultural festivals held in Bakáts tér, which you can find at the end of the street (and where there are our apartments BAK1 and BAK2). For further information visit http://www.kultucca.hu/. There are open terraces as spring comes, giving it a real Mediterranean feeling. Most of the cafes give free WIFI access. Main places of Ráday street coming from Kálvin tér to Ferenc körút:

Costes Restaurant

Costes is the first Michelin-star restaurant of Budapest with a foreign star chef and star prices at the beginning of the street. (9th district, Budapest, Ráday utca 4.). A menu costs 20-30 thousand forints (~ 100 EUR). Its design is elegant-trendy with a minimalist wenge dominance.

Soul Café

Soul Café is situated at the beginning of the street as well. (9th district, Budapest, Ráday utca 11-13.) It operates both as restaurant and a cafe, but its main profile is the restaurant with a high level of service.

Fotocella Kávézó

Fotocella Café (9th district, Budapest, Ráday utca 17.) is a nice cultural cafe where you can find different contemporary photo exhibitions all year long. During the summer it has a comfortable nice terrace as well. The raspberry-flavored wheat beer is really delicious. It opens in the early morning, so it is a good place to have breakfast in.

If Café

If Café (9th district, Budapest, Ráday utca 19.) is a real jazz cafe. There are free live jazz concerts almost every night. Its design contains colorful paintings.

Paris, Texas Kávéház

Paris, Texas Kávéház (9th district, Budapest, Ráday utca 22.) was the first cafe of the street, opened in 1993. Its design is rather old-fashioned from the old peacetime with a lot of old black and white pictures.

Claro Bisztró

Claro Bisztró (9th district, Budapest, Ráday utca 35.) is a Latin style cafe in the street. At lunchtime you can find here a fine three-course menu for about 780 forints (~ 3 EUR).

Jaffa Cafe

Jaffa Cafe (IX. district Budapest, Ráday utca 39.) is a real cafe with retro style near Bakáts tér and also near our apartments. The big orange wallpapers give its basic design which is substituted by the special pieces of furniture so the authentic retro style is guaranteed.

Erlin Klub Cafe

Erlin Cafe and Gallery (9th district, Budapest, Ráday utca 49.) can be found on the corner of Bakáts tér and mostly gives place to contemporary painters. Menu is available at noon for about 780 forints (~ 3 EUR).

Eckermann Cafe

Eckermann Cafe(9th district, Budapest, Ráday utca 58.) is one of the main cafes of this part of the street, and is situated close to Ferenc körút and to our apartments at Bakáts tér. Eckermann Cafe along with Goethe Institute moved from Andrássy út to Ráday utca. It is a real literary-cultural cafe with a lot of magazines and newspapers, live concerts and exhibitions. Its design is bright and elegantly classical. It is very popular among foreign people living here. It is a recommended place to have your breakfast here.

Óbuda Island

Óbuda Island is famous for the festival which has been held since 1990 in every August. Óbuda Island not only waits its visitors in the summer, but it also offers fancy dance parties throughout the year at its clubs close Árpád Bridge. In the clubs famous, popular DJs mix house, trance, nu-disco, and R&B style music. You can reach the island by public transport, it’s a five-minute-walk through H-Bridge from the Árpád Bridge station of Szentendrei HÉV, or from the Szentlélek tér station of Tram 1. Do not enter through K-Bridge as it leads you to Sziget Fesztivál. If you come by car you also have to cross H-Bridge, where you can park in an observed area.

Sziget Festival

Sziget Festival is the biggest musical festival in Middle-Eastern Europe and is visited by a lot of tourists. The Festival is held at the northern part of Óbuda Island. It offers a wide variety of music year by year including rock, jazz, popular music, minimal electro and so on. During the festival – in a limited number – there are camping resorts. If you are not much into camping and prefer clean and comfortable resorts we kindly offer one of our apartments. This way you can relax and prepare for the following day’s party time at a comfortable place for a really reasonable price. Center Apartments Budapest does not cost more than the usual during the Festival, you can book resorts at normal season prices. Find here the programs of the Festival: Sziget fesztivál Budapest

How to get to Sziget Festival by public transport?
You can get to Óbuda Island by HÉV. Its station is situated on the Buda side opposite the Houses of Parliament, at Batthyányi tér. You have to get off HÉV at Filatorigát station and then follow the crowd going through K-Bridge. From BAK1 and BAK2 apartments you have to take tram 4 or 6 and get off at Margit-híd, from ASB, PET1 and PET2 apartments you can reach the HÉV by Metro2.

Clubs on Óbuda Island

The best clubs of the Island:

• Bed Beach
• Dokk Beach and Dokk Club
• Dokkoló
• Coronita Music Club
• Studio Club
• Pink! Club