All posts tagged Budapest Christmas Market Vorosmarty Square

Christmas Fair at Vorosmarty Square Budapest

You can choose from many things to do in Budapest on 28 December.

Christmas in Budapest

Christmas in Budapest

If the weather is wet and cold we recommend a visit to one of the world famous thermal baths in the morning, then going on a sightseeing tour on the Danube, followed by a Hungarian Folk music concert for the evening.

Thermal Baths in Budapest on 28 December

Visiting at least one of the thermal baths of Budapest is a must, especially in a cold month like December.

Szechenyi Baths, Gellert Spa, Lukacs Baths, Rudas Baths  are open (with small variations) from 6 am to 10 pm.

Szechenyi Baths Budapest Winter - Miles Actually Photography

Szechenyi Baths Budapest Winter – Miles Actually Photography

Check-in for online reservations: 9 am – 6 pm.

Did you know that you can make your spa visit totally carefree by buying not only a fast track bath ticket but also booking other rentals and services in advance, as well?

It is definitely worth it, as there are almost always huge queues building up in Budapest’s baths even on weekdays.

Hungarian Folk Show in Budapest on 28 December

Hungary has rich folk traditions and folk dancing is still actively practiced nowadays in dance houses.

Hungarian Folk Show Budapest

Hungarian Folk Show Budapest

With award winning Hungarian Folk Dancers, beautiful Hungarian Folk Dresses and a Spectacular Dance Show, the Hungarian Folk Show is a must see event.

When the Folk Dance Show has ended, you go for a Danube city cruise with buffet dinner from 10 pm.

River Danube Cruises on 28 Dec in Budapest

Probably the best and most convenient way to admire the World Heritage UNESCO sites of the capital city on the two riverbanks is to go on a boat trip on river Danube.

The Danube day cruises (either sightseeing or lunch cruises) are available during the day or you can go in the evening and choose a good quality served or buffet meal on any Budapest Dinner Cruises or a late Night Cruise.

Budapest Boat Tour on Danube River

Budapest Boat Tour on Danube – Global Ranger

Castle District Tours on 28 December

The Castle District with the Royal Palace, Matthias Church and the Fishermen’s Bastion is a sight for everyone visiting Budapest.

You can book any kind of Buda Castle District Tour  starting from walking tours, Segway tours to Private tours.

Christmas Markets on 28 December

The holiday Christmas fairs offer cultural programs, a taste of Hungary’s culinary delights (strudels, artisan chocolates, goulash, gingerbread etc), hand-crafted products and a lot more.

Vorosmarty Square Christmas Market

Address: Vorosmarty Ter, District V

Opening hours on Dec 28: 10 am – 7 pm (handicraft shops), 10 am – 8 pm (food stalls)

Christmas Fair at Vorosmarty Square Budapest

Christmas Fair at Vorosmarty Square Budapest

St Stephen’s Basilica Christmas Market

Address: Szent Istvan Ter, in front of the Budapest Basilica building, District V

Opening hours on Dec 28: 10 am – 10 pm (food and handicraft stalls) with laser show every half an hour between 4.30 pm and 8 pm on the Basilica’s facade.

 

 

 

 

Vorosmarty Square Christmas Market is the most popular of the Xmas markets in the city of Budapest, with hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

Krampampuli at Budapest Christmas Market

Krampampuli at Budapest Christmas Market

See some of the photos of the 2012 Budapest Christmas Market here. It is downtown, beautiful, merry and special, a sensation indeed with its many concerts (on 2 stages), and about a hundred gift and food stalls. In 2012, the Christmas market will open on Nov 16. This is an early opening, before the Advent period, so the Xmas market will only reach its full beauty on the evening of November 30, 2012. This is the day when the Christmas city lights will be switched on by the mayor of Budapest, Istvan Tarlos (on Nov 30, 2012). The Budapest Christmas Market on Vorosmarty ter will be open until Dec 31, 2012. The market is open every day from 8 am to 8 pm, except for the Christmas holidays:

Opening hours of the 2012 Budapest Christmas Market, on Vorosmarty Square

  • November 16 – December 23: 8am – 8pm
  • December 24: 8am – 2pm
  • December 25: Closed
  • December 26: Closed
  • December 27 – 31: 8am -8pm (NOTE: only the food and drink stalls are open after the Christmas holiday)
  • Opening hours of the heated playhouse for kids: 2pm-6pm from Monday to Friday, 10am-1pm and 4pm-7pm on Saturday and Sunday from Nov 16 to Dec 23
Hungarian Foods at Budapest Xmas Fair

Hungarian Foods at Budapest Xmas Fair

True, if you are a shopping mall fan, Vorosmarty Christmas Fair may not be your style, but if you like traditional lovely things, and authentic places, come and enjoy the Christmas market with us. Just bring a warm coat and some warm boots. What will you see in 2012 at the Christmas fair on Vorosmarty ter? Let us guide you through.
The Christmas festival in Budapest is one of the best things to do in the capital of Hungary in December, even if you are not much of a Christmas gift shopper. We promise.

Foods and Drinks at the Vorosmarty Square Christmas Market

If you like trying local foods and drinks, you will get some decently priced nice dishes and traditional Hungarian pastries from the vendors at the Christmas market. You can see how the pastries are made, smell the wonderful spices of mulled wine or krampampuli (festive flaming drink, sweet and spicy), as well as Hungarian fruit brandies, which will surely keep you warm in the cold December of Budapest.

What should you try?

Drinks: mulled wine, krampampuli flaming drink, Hungarian spirits (Palinka), and Hungarian herbal bitters (Unicum)

Street Foods: langos (round flat snack with toppings), roasted chestnut, d0dolle (potato dumplings), sausages

Desserts & Sweets: kurtoskalacs (Chimney cake, a cinnamon pastry ideal for walking and nimbling), beigli (a rolled pastry with nuts or poppy seed cream), szaloncukor (traditional Hungarian Christmas candy, often covered with chocolate and put on the Christmas tree to entice)

Drinking mulled wine, local spirits to keep you warm while sitting by the wooden benches, and listening to the live music (folk music and Christmas songs), or walking about the hundred wooden stalls and little Xmas houses is part of a pleasant Christmas trip in a city, which lives and breathes, even in cold winter time, Budapest.

Map of Vorosmarty Square Christmas Market 2012

The square is small and cosy, but to give you an idea about the Christmas market on Vorosmarty tér, we are sharing the map of the fair with you. You can click on the map to zoom in.

Budapest Christmas Market Map 2012

Budapest Christmas Market Map 2012 (click to enlarge)

Concerts at the Vorosmarty Square Christmas Market 2012

There are several concerts during Advent and Christmas in Budapest. Usually traditional music (classical and folk music), but you will definitely find more modern music in the city around Christmas time too: world music, hiphop, house, punk, metal, rock are always present in this cosmopolitan city with hundreds of clubs, bars, discos, etc. The other day we heard Edith Piaf sang by a Hungarian singer in a very nice rendition.

On Vorosmarty Square you will only hear folk music, world music or traditional Christmas songs from the dozens of Hungarian bands playing for free on the Christmas stage.

The bands playing at the fair will be enlisted in the annual Christmas programme put out on a board at the Christmas Market.

Kids love dancing to the lively folk music, which is really fun if you are visiting the Budapest Christmas Market with your children. (Of course some adults also join the dance troupe).

Gifts at the Vorosmarty Square Christmas Market 2012

Quality hand made crafts are abundant, whether you are looking for small gifts or unique high quality Christmas presents: jewellery, shoes, bags, mugs, plates, clothes, toys, etc. are all on the stalls. But how do we know that they are of good quality? Only vendors well rated by the Hungarian Folk Association can sell their goods and gifts on the Christmas market on Vorosmarty ter. No kitchy plastic souvenirs, no led lit cheap gifts, no lame wise cracks on T-shirts.

There is also a guest town selling its traditional and authentic goods at the Budapest Christmas market on Vorosmarty ter. The guest town in 2012 is Kalocsa, which is famous for its colorful and rich Hungarian embroidery, so you can buy gifts like traditional Hungarian tablecloths, kitchen towels, garments, etc. decorated with the folk motifs of Kalocsa. Kalocsa is also famous for its Hungarian paprika (the best Hungarian paprika comes from Szeged and Kalocsa).

Christmas Light Painting at the Vorosmarty Square Christmas Market 2012

The 14th Christmas Market on Vorosmarty Square will feature light painting: from November 30 till December 23, the facade of the Cafe Gerbeaud, a 19th century cafe and pastry shop on Vorosmarty Square, will be painted in the evenings with light rays.

When will be the light painting show on Vorosmarty Square at the Budapest Christmas Market?

In a given period within the Christmas market, every day, after sunset, at the following hours:

  • 5pm on November 30 to December 23, 2012
  • 6pm on November 30 to December 23, 2012
  • 7pm on November 30 to December 23, 2012
  • 8pm on November 30 to December 23, 2012

Wifi at Budapest Christmas Market on Vorosmarty ter 2012

The Christmas fair on Vörösmarty tér is not only free, but there is free wifi too.

Prices at the Budapest Christmas Market 2012

Mulled wines go by mostly HUF 250 per dl, which is really cheap and nice. You can buy mulled wine in a plastic cup or in the official annual mug of the Budapest Christmas market (there is a small fee for the mug, in 2012 the price of the Budapest Christmas mug is HUF 600). The Christmas mug is a nice souvenir, you can choose from 2 colors and 3 designs in 2012. Mulled wine  is also sold in plastic cups, but it is so much better to take a mug around, isn’t it?

Budapest Christmas Market mug 2012

Budapest Christmas Market mug 2012

Szamos also sells mulled wine, which we liked a lot (their Szamos marzipan and mulled wine stall is at the corner of Vaci street, right of the Xmas stage).

Mulled wine Budapest Christmas market

Mulled wine Budapest Christmas market (Szamos mulled wine)

The Christmas fair on Vorosmarty ter is organised by the official Budapest Tourism office, its website is budapestinfo.hu:

Are you visiting the 2012 Budapest Christmas Market this winter?

Budapest Christmas Market 2012

Budapest Christmas Market 2012

Are you curious what it may be like? We have gathered some fresh videos of the 2012 Budapest Christmas markets as a teaser. The videos are user made and uploaded videos, but still enjoyable.

Videos of Budapest St Stephen Cathedral Christmas Market 2012

Light Painting on the walls of the St Istvan Cathedral (Karácsonyi fényjáték a Bazilikánál 2012):

Videos of Budapest Christmas Market on Vorosmarty Square

Laser lights projected on the building of Cafe Gerbeaud (the quality is not the greatest, but it gives a good feel for the atmosphere)

Christmas Concerts on Vorosmarty Square: all sorts of genres, mostly folk and world music but jazz, blues, swing, chanson, etc. are also on the menu

Madardal Folk Band Concert on Vorosmarty ter at the Budapest Christmas Market 2012

Tükezoo Concert on Vorosmarty Square Xmas Fair Budapest 2012

 

Christmas Lights in Budapest 2012 (the video was made on and around Vorosmarty Square, Vörösmarty tér, in downtown Budapest)

We have been walking around the Budapest Christmas Markets this year to take a look at the amazing gingerbread Christmas tree decorations, some of them with Hungarian folk motifs and a Hungarian twist. On a traditional Hungarian Christmas tree, you can always find some Christmas Candy, the Szaloncukor, and often see home made gingerbread Christmas tree ornaments, often made together with the kids. Or, bought at the Budapest Christmas Fair. Like these beauties.

You can see many of the Hungarian gingerbread Christmas tree decorations here: Hungarian Folk Motifs on Christmas decorations

Hungarian Folk Motifs on Christmas decorations

Hungarian Folk Motifs on Christmas gingerbread decorations

If you want to do some gingerbread decorations yourselves with the children, there is a playhouse in the middle of Vorosmarty Square at the Budapest Christmas market where you can join the locals to do some Xmas workshops, like decorating gingerbread hearts, bells, etc. The playhouse is open in the afternoons and at the weekends. Free to join.

These are some that we liked most. Please send in your photos of the gingerbread Christmas decorations you liked most to BudapestChristmas [at] gmail [dot] com.

 

This is a collection of videos made by tourists of their Budapest Christmas breaks. The videos speak for themselves and give you some ideas what you can do in a short or long Christmas break in Budapest, Hungary.

Budapest Christmas videos

Budapest Christmas videos

A young couple visiting Budapest in 2012 (Published on Dec 14, 2012)

Our trip to Budapest for Christmas 2012. Hungarian Parliament, Budapest Castle Hill, Budapest Christmas Tram, and more! Don’t miss the end for the Advent Building Mapping on Cafe Gerbeaud at the Christmas Market in Vorosmarty Ter.