Oh Budapest, you little whimsical corner of the world! I love you.
Summer is in full bloom, and I'm in close proximity to the world's best city: Budapest.
Am I biased? For sure. But I've lived in a few countries and whenever I land at home (which seems to keep happening, over and over again) - I have this immense love washing over me. God, I love this place!
AI imagines summer in Budapest like this (and I only love asking AI how it imagines things):
I have very specific interests: underground coffee house cultures, ruined pubs (independent, local businesses beating Starbucks and the biggest chains) street art and Art Nouveau buildings side-by-side. Seemingly opposing forces: the beautiful Jewish quarter is for example right next to the party district - eclecticism that's completely ordinary for the locals but might be surprising for tourists. I tend to fall for long, light, quirky buildings, big cities and constant vibing; whimsical imperfection. Budapest just happened to be very strong at all these. It is, however - and to be fair - weak at things I don't really care about (as a non-cycler: the bike roads look rather dangerous, the city can easily get dirty, overwhelming, suffocating and lacks sufficient green areas - or rather; doesn't have enough of them to accommodate 1,5-2 million people). Budapest is not sleek like Munich, nor safe like small towns. Yet, it can undoubtedly be relaxing with its ruling thermal bath culture. (Which, actually, is not at all a favourite thing of mine, but it's there, and popular amongst tourists and the less stormy locals of the city - so I shall mention them too.) Budapest's underground culture, if I had to draw a parallel, is the closest to Dublin's vibration. I might write about my favourite Dublin bookstores one day too.;)
Here are Budapest's ruined pubs - in AI's interpretation:
And the thermal baths. (AI was obviously inspired by Széchenyi Thermal Bath):
Today is, however, not an ode to the city, but a ranking of its best English bookstores - from a local's perspective - a local who reads in English.:)
The two runner-ups I must mention that didn't make my top list are:
Dani's English Bookshop: With probably the poshest - though not the best - location, this castle-bound closet bookstore has an excellent collection of secondhand English books, and although I am not interested in rare editions, nor history, its thematised shelves (classics, travel books, philosophy, psychology - just to mention a few) could certainly satisfy many kinds of readers. The bookseller guy - Dani, I presume - is nice and might have some encouraging words about your choice of book. The little place is close to perfection albeit grossly overpriced, easily selling low-quality and fragile (though not rare!) books for 3500 Ft (around €10 / $10 / £8), books that you might be able to find much cheaper - in some cases for less than a Euro - if you know where to go.
The pricey nature of the store is undoubtedly aimed at tourists (a clear consequence of the location) and possibly to help the survival of the business, but it still might feel like daylight robbery. Some of those books wouldn't survive ten minutes in my backpack and their contents are often anyway in the public domain.
Oddly enough, I couldn't find any socials connected to the place, so all I can do is share the address: Budapest, Országház u. 18, 1014
The second runner-up is LibroShop Bookstore (previously known as Oxford Bookshop) downtown. It's a pretty solid bookshop but nothing special (it was rather a disappointment if I'm being honest - I expected more). It was a good candidate in all aspects, but this post has places that are great... I do know, however, that just because it wasn't my cup of tea, it could be someone else's, so do go and check it out if you've got the time.
Find them here: https://librotrade.hu/informacio/konyvesboltunk/konyvesboltunk
And now.... let's see our winners: the top 5!
#5 The Museum Shop of the Hungarian National Gallery
Best for: Art Books
Okay, this one is very specific, but museum shops tend to have such oddly specific books that I cannot not adore them. The setting of this store is also special as you might stroll alongside medieval carvings while shopping.
find them here: https://en.mng.hu/
#4 Írók Boltja
Best for: Hungarian Literature in English, Literary Fiction & High Literature, and Bookish Gifts from Hungary
Írók Boltja (Writers' Bookstore - in English) is an independent bookstore, possibly the most famous one on this list with a main focus on books in Hungarian (alongside gifts) but has a pretty impressive second floor (or rather: a loft) too that is dedicated solely to other languages - but mainly: English. They sell mainly literary fiction (high fiction), so this place isn't necessarily the best choice to visit if you are a reader of fantasy, romance, horror or YA. Still, Írók Boltja might be worth your time if you want to find bookish gifts that are Hungary-specific or were made by local bookish creators.
Although they do not have a café, they understand the importance of sitting down with a good book and hence provide ample seating upstairs (conveniently right at the foreign language section). Also, Írók Boltja is the best place to shop for Hungarian literature in translation.
find them here:
#3 Book Rescue Carriages
Best for: Secondhand Books
If you like thrifting and aren't looking for anything specific but enjoy roaming around for potential treasures, Budapest's 'book carriages' are perfect for you. They are meant to save old, neglected books that don't usually cost more than one or two Euros. You can find them at quite a few locations around the city; let me list my three favourite ones:
-in front of Corvin Cinema: https://www.google.com/maps/place//data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x4741dc58109b458b:0x2645173ceb194c80?sa=X&ved=1t:8290&ictx=111
-at Allee Shopping Centre: https://maps.app.goo.gl/xtGfu9U9QtPQeNcb9
As they try to rescue secondhand books, you will not find here new releases, but they offer a wide variety of genres (from very cheap chapter books to very-hard-to-find classics, and yes, sci-fi, fantasy and romance too - whatever you might dream of). Just as with thrifting, you might find something incredibly rare.
They mainly sell Hungarian books but always have an English section too, alongside a few French, German and Italian books. (And who knows what else... you can never know...)
Although they rarely change location, keep in mind that due to their nature - being carriages - they might appear and disappear seemingly randomly.
find them here: https://konyvmentok.hu/
#2 Libra
Best for: Everything (Especially Language Learning & Ordering Books)
The winner of best price, best selection and most relaxed shop - although not the most picturesque one - is Libra. Libra is separated into two shops (their two locations are sprawling just across each other; on the two sides of a narrow, albeit very busy street - careful when crossing!). While on one side of the street they sell books in another languages, the other side is dedicated solely to English books with enormous shelves reaching up to the ceiling, heavy under anything and everything: English study materials, self-study language exam resources, English teaching materials, theoretical and philosophical books, board games, oddly specific books on oddly niche topics, thematised shelves of literary fiction, crime, YA, and even a section of discounted new releases. Besides that, if you might not find what you're looking for - but are staying in Budapest long enough, they might order it for you.
I may have accidentally bought a thriller book in their sale section - a book that may have messed up my night.:D
Libra also offers a 10% discount for students and teachers - so they are the one I usually shop at, not the winner of this ranking.;)
Overall, Libra is an AMAZING bookstore that needs more recognition.
And a few more pictures as I'm in awe of their selection - I only love oddly specific books.
Also! It's a dog-friendly space.:)
find this lovely-lovely place here: https://nyelvkonyvbolt.hu/en
#1 Bestsellers
Best for: Everything + vibes
Bestsellers is the winner of best vibes, a place that couldn't be more up-to-date, child-friendly, couldn't have a better location and has no right to have such oddly satisfying snugs (a lovely kids' corner, YA paradise, but also political, sociological and design-specific shelves alongside magazines and armchairs). Bestsellers is the shop where I always get stuck on bookish gifts - from bookish tarot cards to tote bags, notebooks and mugs.
Bestsellers sells its products on the pricier side, but being the independent business they are, I must forgive them for that. They are an absolute must for English readers when visiting Budapest.
find them here: https://bestsellers.hu/
The good side of bookshops is that they are welcoming in all seasons - they are eternal, after all. Is there anyone else feeling a tiny bit more secure in the world thanks to that?
Anyway, this was all for today. Enjoy your time in Budapest! Go, read, self-reflect.
Hugs from the Fearless Frock.:)
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