Budapest Airport Shopping: Best Buys Before Boarding

what to buy at budapest airport

Budapest Airport has a wide range of shops, restaurants and services for travellers to enjoy before their flight. The airport's retail hub offers everything from luxury fashion and accessories to local delicacies and souvenirs. With outlets like Heinemann Duty Free, Hungaricum, and Szamos, passengers can purchase an array of goods, including cosmetics, toys, wine, and traditional Hungarian treats such as paprika and marzipan. For those looking to indulge in some last-minute shopping, the airport also houses well-known brands like Hugo Boss, Swarovski, and WHSmith. Whether you're seeking gifts, culinary delights, or simply a cosy spot to relax, Budapest Airport has something for everyone.

Characteristics Values
Shops WHSmith, Relay, Rituals, POKET Books, Playersroom, Sunglass Center, Szamos, Spar Supermarket, Optic World, OBSENTUM, Living Toys, Freywille, Swarovski, Michal Negrin, Herend, Hugo Boss, and more
Products Books, newspapers, magazines, jewellery, cosmetics, toys, sunglasses, souvenirs, porcelain, clothing, food, wine, cigarettes, tobacco, local culinary specialties, fashion accessories, leather goods, alcohol, confectionery, etc.
Services Exchange offices, car rentals, ATMs, tourist information counters, public transport counter, restaurants, cafes, bookshops, etc.
Opening Hours SkyCourt: 03:30-23:00; Terminal 2A: 04:30-21:00; Terminal 2B: 04:30-22:45; Pier 1: 04:30-21:00; Obsentum: 04:30-21:45; Rituals: 04:30-21:45

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Local delicacies like paprika, salami, marzipan, and wine

Paprika

Hungarian souvenirs are often associated with paprika, which comes in various shapes and forms, including dried, powdered, ground, and even liquidized versions. At Budapest Airport, you can find Kalocsa's famous powdered paprika in colourful textile bags packed with a hand-painted wooden spoon and a recipe for Hungarian goulash soup in multiple languages. Spicy paprika powder is also available at Heinemann Duty-Free.

Salami

Budapest Airport offers a variety of Hungarian salami, including the popular téliszalámi ("winter salami") encrusted in white mould. The Szalamibolt shop in the heart of Budapest is a great place to try if you're looking for a delicious snack or savoury souvenirs. They offer Hungarian salami, ham, jams, and excellent bagels with salami, prosciutto, or salmon.

Marzipan

Szamos, the local confectionery, offers a wide range of colourful marzipan treats at Budapest Airport. While some people find their marzipan uninteresting due to the absence of bitter almond oil, others appreciate the fresh texture and unique customisations, such as kneading in a drop of bitter almond oil.

Wine

Budapest Airport's duty-free shops offer a high-quality selection of Hungarian wines, including sweet-scented Tokaji wine, dry whites from Etyeki Kúria, reds from Vylyan Vineyards, bubblies from Sauska, and sweet Tokaji from Patricius Winery. The late-harvest Tokaj sweet wine is one of the most popular choices at the airport. Kakas rosé and Ördög red wine are also easy-to-drink entry-level wines with intriguing legends behind their names.

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Luxury fashion and accessories

Budapest Airport has a wide range of luxury fashion and accessories for travellers to choose from. The Heinemann Duty Free shop, located in the SkyCourt, Pier 1, and Terminals A and B, offers exclusive brand products at attractive prices. Here, you can find cosmetics manufactured by the largest perfume houses, premium category accessories, and toys. The Heinemann Sunglasses Multibrand Shop offers the latest trends in sunglasses from premium brands worldwide.

For luxury fashion, the Hugo Boss store at the airport provides a fun shopping experience with a range of high-end garments. If you're looking for unique and creative gifts, OBSENTUM at SkyCourt is a luxury brand that offers niche beauty and fashion trends. To elevate your travel experience, Optic World, Hungary's biggest domestic optical chain, offers a wide selection of glasses, lenses, sunglasses, and contact lenses.

Playersroom, located at Terminal 2A and SkyCourt, is your go-to destination for luxurious fashion and sports brands at great prices. If you're looking for accessories, the Sunglass Center offers popular brands such as Polaroid, Ray-Ban, Disney, and Hello Kitty. For those with a sweet tooth, the Szamos confectionery offers hand-made bonbons, gift boxes, and famous marzipan delicacies.

Additionally, Budapest Airport has a variety of other options, including jewellery stores like Freywille, Swarovski, and Michal Negrin, offering stylish pieces by global premium brands. WHSmith, located at SkyCourt and Terminal 2B, provides key travel essentials and local favourites, including books, travel tech, and food and drinks. Lastly, Relay, a renowned bookstore, offers a wide variety of newspapers and magazines in multiple languages, along with a selection of books.

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Hungarian souvenirs

Handicrafts

Hungary is known for its rich tradition of handicrafts, and you can find a variety of unique handmade items to bring home as souvenirs. This includes beautiful hand-painted eggs, a traditional Hungarian craft often featuring intricate designs and vibrant colours. These eggs are sold as ornaments or in egg cartons, allowing you to use them as decorations all year round. You can also find handcrafted textiles such as folk costumes, blouses, shawls, and tablecloths featuring intricate patterns and vibrant colours. Hungarian dolls dressed in traditional costumes or elegant ball gowns are another popular choice, with hand-painted porcelain faces and intricate hand-stitched beading and embroidery.

Porcelain and Ceramics

Hungarian porcelain and ceramics are renowned for their beauty and craftsmanship. Herend, a Hungarian porcelain manufacturer, creates exquisite hand-painted porcelain items adorned with intricate patterns and vibrant colours. Common choices include figurines, dishes, and decorative pieces. Zsolnay porcelain is another notable brand, known for its unique iridescent glaze. You can find decorative pieces, vases, or tiles showcasing distinct Zsolnay craftsmanship.

Food and Drink

There are several delicious Hungarian treats you can bring home as souvenirs. Szamos, a renowned Hungarian confectionery, offers marzipan candies shaped like fruits or other designs that are both delicious and visually appealing. Stühmer, a well-known Hungarian chocolatier, offers a wide range of chocolates and confections, including pralines, truffles, and chocolate bars. You can also find unique candies such as Hungarian-made Negro "throat sweeper" candy, which comes in flavours like honey, menthol, and extra-strong eucalyptus menthol. For wine lovers, a bottle of Hungarian wine, such as Tokaji (sweet wine) or Bull's Blood (red wine), would make a delightful souvenir.

Books and Games

If you're looking for a more educational or entertaining souvenir, consider purchasing a book related to Budapest or Hungary, such as a cookbook of Hungarian recipes or a novel set in Budapest. You can also find Hungarian playing cards, Magyar Kártya, which feature unique designs and traditional Hungarian artwork. The famous Rubik's Cube, invented by Hungarian architect Ernő Rubik, is another fun and nostalgic souvenir option.

In addition to these ideas, you can also explore various shops at Budapest Airport to find unique souvenirs. The airport offers a range of options, including jewellery, fashion accessories, cosmetics, toys, and books.

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Books and magazines

Budapest Airport has a range of bookshops and newsagents, including Relay and WHSmith. Relay stores stock a wide variety of newspapers and magazines in several languages, as well as books. WHSmith, located airside at SkyCourt and Terminal 2B, also offers a range of books, alongside travel essentials and local favourites.

If you're looking for something to read in English, you'll find a good selection of books at the airport. For Hungarian-language books, you may want to check out POKET Books, a non-profit literacy programme run by young theatre-makers. Their motto is: "POKET is not just a book, but also the symbol of a community that looks out for each other".

In addition to books, magazines, and newspapers, you can also find the latest news at the MasterCard lounge, located in SkyCourt on the airside second floor. Here, you can surf the internet with free WiFi, read various newspapers and magazines, and enjoy a quiet space to relax.

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Toys

Budapest Airport has a wide range of shops to explore, including those selling toys. If you are travelling with children, you may want to visit Living Toys, located at Terminal 2A. Here, you can find a great variety of toys to surprise your children and keep them entertained. Be prepared to spend quite a bit of money, however, as this shop also stocks gifts and souvenirs.

Heinemann Duty Free, located at SkyCourt, Pier 1, and Terminals A and B, also stocks toys. Alongside fashion accessories, cosmetics, and food, you can find unique toys for children.

If you are looking for more traditional and modern souvenirs, you can visit Memories of Hungary in SkyCourt. This shop offers a wide range of creative and unique gifts to commemorate your trip to Hungary.

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Frequently asked questions

There are several shops at Budapest Airport that sell Hungarian souvenirs. At Heinemann Duty-Free, you can find Kalocsa’s famous powdered paprika in colourful textile bags, along with a hand-painted wooden spoon and a recipe for Hungarian goulash soup in multiple languages. You can also find Magyar-made bangers, including fiery red links seasoned with powdered paprika and téliszalámi (“winter salami”). Other souvenirs include the sweet and spicy paprika treats, which come in dried, powdered, ground, and liquidised versions. If you're looking for something less perishable, you can find unique and creative gifts at Memories of Hungary in SkyCourt.

There are several food items you can buy at Budapest Airport, many of which are local delicacies. At Heinemann Duty-Free, you can find winter salami, spicy paprika powder, sweet-scented wine, and colourful marzipan. At the Hungaricum wine and fine food store, you can find a variety of wines, including fruity whites, pink-hued rosés, and tannin-rich reds. You can also find pálinka, a traditional Hungarian fruit brandy made from locally grown fruit, at various shops across the airport. If you have a sweet tooth, head to Szamos for hand-made bonbons, gift boxes, and famous marzipan delicacies, or try the chocolates from ChocoMe.

There are several non-food items you can buy at Budapest Airport, including fashion accessories, cosmetics, jewellery, toys, books, magazines, and newspapers. You can find fashion accessories and cosmetics at Heinemann Duty-Free, jewellery at Freywille, Swarovski, and Michal Negrin, and toys at Living Toys in Terminal 2A. For books, magazines, and newspapers in multiple languages, visit Relay or WHSmith in SkyCourt and Terminal 2B. You can also find sunglasses from premium brands at the Heinemann Sunglasses Multibrand Shop.

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