Main shopping areas are located to south of Vorosmarty ter in central Pest, in particular in and around pedestrianized Vaci utca and Petofi Sandor utca, which have the biggest concentration of glamorous and expensive shops. The main streets radiating out from the centre - Bajcsy-Zsilinszky, Andrassy and Rakoczi ut - are other major shopping focuses, as are the two ring boulevards, the Great Boulevard (especially from Margit Bridge to Blaha Lujza ter) and the Kiskorut, while the small streets inside the Nagykorut are also worth exploring.

Modern shopping malls , combining major shopping centres with entertainment facilities under one roof, have now spread right across the city - though with prices high by Hungarian standards, it's a mystery how they survive. Two of the closest to the centre are the Mammut by Moszkva ter, which has recently doubled in size with the opening of Mammut II, and WestEnd, by Nyugati Station. Further out are Duna Plaza, XIII, Vaci ut 178 (Gyongyos utca metro), and Polus Center, XV, Szentmihalyi ut 131 (special buses run from Keleti Station).

Budapest has three flea markets : Petofi Csarnok (Sat & Sun 7am-2pm) in the Varosliget, which has expanded fast and is probably the best in town; the expensive Ecseri piac at XIX, Nagykorosi utca 156 (Mon-Fri 7am-4pm, Sat 7am-noon; take bus #54 from Boraros ter in Pest near the Petofi bridge), where sellers are aware of the money to be made from rich foreign tourists, but where there also are bargains to be found, either early on a Saturday or at closing time; and the newcomer on the flea market scene, the Nowak piac at Dozsa Gy. utca 1-3, behind Keleti Station (head up Verseny utca), which has excellent bargains and shady characters, although it is still weak in the snack department.

The most popular souvenirs to bring home are wine, porcelain, foodstuffs (such as paprika, salami and goose liver) and CDs. The emergence of a thriving wine industry is reflected in the number of new wine shops in the city. The Budapest Wine Society at I, Batthyany utca 59, near Moszkva ter, has a good selection and the English-speaking staff know their wines (Mon-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat 10am-6pm, free wine tastings on Sat afternoons; tel 1/202-2569). Another good outlet is La Boutique des Vins at V, Jozsef Attila utca 12, near Deak ter (Mon-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat 10am-3pm; tel 1/317-5919). Outlets for the main porcelain makers are Haas & Czjzek, at VI, Bajcsy-Zsilinszky ut 23, opposite the Arany Janos metro station, which stocks all the main brands, or the shops of the producers, such as Herend at V, Jozsef nador ter 11, or Zsolnay at V, Kigyo utca 4. For rock, pop and jazz records and CDs (including bootlegs), try DOB Records, VII, Dob utca 71, Indiego in the courtyard at VIII, Krudy Gyula utca 7 or Lemezkucko, VI, Kiraly utca 67. The best place for folk CDs is the shop in the Fono concert hall (Tues-Sat 10am-11pm). For classical music, try Hungaroton at V, Vorosmarty ter 1, Fotex Records at V, Szervita ter 2, or the Amadeus CD shop by the Danube behind the Inter-Continental Hotel . The friendly Rozsavolgyi at V, Szervita ter 5, has an excellent selection of classical music, with pop and folk downstairs, plus sheet music. The best selection of second-hand classical records is at Concerto Records, VII, Dob utca 31 (Mon-Fri noon-7pm, Sun noon-4pm).

Budapest's Antiques Row is Falk Miksa utca, at the Pest end of the Margit Bridge. Shops in the Var are almost exclusively given over to providing foreign tourists with folksy souvenirs , embroidered tablecloths, hussar pots, fancy bottles of Tokaji wine and so forth. Another good source of presents are the market halls in Pest: the spectacular Great Market Hall (Nagycsarnok), or smaller ones on Hold utca (behind the American Embassy) and on Rakoczi ter. Other interesting shops include Hephaistos, at V, Molnar utca 27, which sells beautiful wrought iron items, from candle holders to bookshelves; Lekvarium, VII, Dohany utca 39, which has a range of locally made and unusual jams and preserves, as well as delicious elderflower syrup; and the puppet shop in the courtyard at V, Haris koz 2, which has marvellous glove puppets.