Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Left
Libri, a well-known bookshop
Centre & Right
Souvenirs on sale
Shopping Tips
!
Credit Cards
$
Small Change
books, the best store is
Bestsellers, while for
second-hand books in
English and Hungarian,
try Red Bus Bookstore.
(
Antiques
Credit cards are now
accepted in most places.
A sign on the door
usually indicates if a
shop takes credit cards
or not. Sometimes, how-
ever, shops refuse to
accept them even when
they display the requisite
sign. As a norm, you will
have to spend a certain
minimum amount to be
able to pay by credit card.
Try to keep smaller
notes handy, as tellers do
not like having to give you
change. You will receive
a rather dour look if you
hand over a Ft10,000
note in a small store.
There is no shortage
of antiques shops in the
city. Try the Flea Market
in Városliget
(see p51)
or
Ecseri Market for all
sorts of rarities, Moró
Antik for 18th-century
weapons and BÁV for art
and jewellery.
%
Specialist Shops
Although large
department stores are
slowly invading Hungary,
Budapest is still the kind
of place where small, spe-
cialist shops predominate.
@
VAT Refunds
Non-EU residents are
entitled to a VAT refund
on all goods bought in
Hungary, though your
purchase in any one store
must exceed Ft25,000.
After buying what you
need, ask for a Fiscal
Receipt and VAT Reclaim
Form, which act as
export and tax refund doc-
uments. You can present
these at a tax refund
ofice at the airport or a
land border, along with
the goods purchased, to
collect your VAT refund.
A service charge of
around 10 per cent is
deducted when the refund
amount is calculated.
£
Baskets and Bags
^
Porcelain
)
Souvenirs
There are two major
manufacturers of porce-
lain in Hungary, Herend
and Zsolnay. You will see
the coloured Zsolnay tiles
on many of Budapest's
buildings. There is a
range of porcelain shops
in town, with a concentra-
tion around the northern
side of Váci utca. Don't
expect any bargains.
While porcelain and
antiques make great sou-
venirs, try the Folkart
Centrum shops for handi-
crafts and folk costumes.
It's also worth visiting
Central Market Hall's
(see p50)
upper level.
Directory
Crystal
• Goda: No 9, Váci
utca; 318 46 30
• Thonet House: No 11,
Váci utca
Bookshops
• Bestsellers: V, Októ-
ber 6 utca 11;
312 12 95
• Red Bus Bookstore:
V, Semmelweis utca
14; 337 74 53
Antiques
• BÁV: V. Bécsi utca 1;
318 44 03
• Moró Antik: V, Falk
Miksa u. 13; 311 08 14
Souvenirs
• Folkart Centrum: V,
Váci utca 58; 318 46 97
&
Crystal
Though not as famous
as the Czech Republic for
crystal, Budapest is still a
good place to shop for it
You'll ind shops selling
crystal on Váci utca includ-
ing Goda, which has been
dealing in ine Bohemian
crystal for decades, and
Thonet House, which
sells Swarovski crystal. A
famous Hungarian brand
is Ajka cystal.
*
Books
When entering a
supermarket, make sure
that you pick up a basket
on entering. Failure to do
so will put you under
suspicion as a pros-
pective thief. You don't
receive carrier bags for
your purchases as a
matter of course in
Budapest - they must be
paid for separately.
Budapest must have
more bookshops than
any other city in Europe.
For new English-language
For more on Budapest's shops and markets
see pp50-51.
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