St Stephen’s Basilica is the centre piece of Budapest’s Christmas Markets, with a magnificent Christmas tree and ice rink, but the festivities continue to Vörösmarty Square where you will find carol singers, traditional Hungarian dancing and folk music, as well as traditional stalls offering local specialities such as hot sausages and mulled wine.

St Stephen’s Basilica market offers a selection of quality, handmade products, food and drink, a diverse program of concerts, and folk performances. Budapest’s largest Christmas market is in the Vörösmarty Square- consisting of over 100 wooden huts, brightly decorated and offering an eclectic range of traditional Hungarian crafts and foods. For something more local, there is the Obuda Advent Fair, for a more local audience that gives you an authentic insight, that runs only on weekends but provides a great range of traditional crafts and live performances.

The market stalls offer an impressive range of traditional Hungarian crafts. Clothing items such as woven scarves and Hungarian embroidery depicting bright and intricate flowers are on offer. Homeware such as beautifully glazed, ceramic pots and cooking pots are for sale. Some stalls offer a range of ingredients and spices, including Hungary’s national spice, paprika, which makes an excellent souvenir.

No Christmas market is complete without delicious food and drink and Budapest’s Christmas market offers a range of festive delicacies. Mulled wine (forralt bor) and hot fruit punch are common festive beverages. Traditional foods include fried flat breads with sour cream and cheese (lángos), traditional goulasch (gulyás) often served in a hollowed-out bread bowl. Other dishes to try are Mangalica sausages, delicious sausages that come from a unique Hungarian pig breed. For something sweet, chimney cake (kürtőskalács) is a dessert made from oven-roasted sweet dough, often enjoyed with ice cream.