Discovering District VII: Your ultimate guide to Budapest's Jewish Quarter

What is it? Opened in 1859, Budapest’s Great Synagogue is Europe’s largest place of Jewish worship and the second biggest in the world, whose design influenced many others worldwide. The beautiful Moorish building looks mosque-like from the outside and is strangely reminiscent of a Christian church within. Unusually, it houses an organ, once played by gentiles, including Franz Liszt.

Why we love it The stunning architecture and interior decor are worth the entrance fee alone, but a visit also includes the Hungarian Jewish Museum & Archives and the Holocaust Tree of Life Memorial.

Time Out tip: Excellent guided tours and the informative Hungarian Jewish Museum offer historical background on the synagogue and the district itself, which thrives today, leaving behind the horrors that occurred here in the mid-20th century..

Address: Dohány utca 2, 1074 Budapest

Opening hours: Summer Mon-Thur, Sun 10am-8pm, Fri 10am-4pm. Spring/autumn Mon-Thur, Sun 10am-6pm, Fri 10am-4pm. Winter Mon-Thur, Sun 10am-4pm, Fri 10am-2pm

Expect to pay: Ft 13,000 (€32.50). 6-12s 5,000 (€12.50)

What is it? Numerous firewalls around Pest, particularly in District VII, have been decorated with murals, some related to Hungarian history or culture. These echo many aspects of the country’s past, its inventions and creativity such as Rubik’s Cube, its role in World War II and heroism in the 1956 Uprising, and its recent achievements, such as award-winning scientist Katalin Karikó, instrumental in the development of a coronavirus vaccine. 

Why we love it For an alternative sightseeing tour, with special walks available, Budapest’s murals offer the visitor an insight into areas of Hungary’s heritage they might not have known about, and take them to streets they may not have walked down otherwise.

Time Out tip: The huge representation of the famous match between Hungary and England in 1953 at Wembley, overlooking a car park in Rumbach Sebestyén utca.

Address: Various locations, most notably along and around Rumbach Sebestyén utca, 1075 Budapest

What is it? This is Budapest’s original ruin bar, the one that set the tone for so many others to follow, adorning a vast, dilapidated building, its open courtyard and labyrinth of rooms, with eclectic furniture, edgy artwork and fairy lights. A regular agenda of DJs and live acts is programmed, and it tends to be the spot for foreign partygoers. 

Why we love it It’s still an essential Budapest experience (but perhaps not for Hungarians trying to avoid tourists). If you've never visited the city, the Szimpla will blow your mind – just be prepared to pay a little more for your drinks. 

Time Out tip: Treat your hangover to a gentle Sunday morning at the Szimpla market, in which artisanal producers set up around the main courtyard amid bearable live jazz.

Address: Kazinczy utca 14, 1075 Budapest

Opening hours: Mon-Fri 3pm-4am, Sat noon-4am, Sun 9am-4am

Expect to pay: While admission is generally free, you'll be paying around Ft 2,000 (€5) a beer – cheap compared to London, pricy for Budapest

What is it? A spacious glass-roof, bare-brick restaurant serving a moreish hybrid of Israeli-Mediterranean food and totally on-point cocktails, right in the ruin-bar quarter. Tuck into Moroccan lamb soup amid an urban buzz of iive music and cosmopolitan chatter.

Why we love it If dining in a huge open-plan courtyard peppered with plants is your thing, head to Mazel Tov. Opt for the falafel burger in a sweet potato bun or the chicken shawarma. Oh, and don’t scrimp on the selection of fresh, zingy dips and salads either – we say go for anything with beetroot and aubergine. 

Time Out tip: Look out for who's playing live every evening, the jazzy schedule posted on the restaurant website

Address: Akácfa utca 47, 1073 Budapest

Opening hours: Mon, Fri-Sun 9.30am-midnight, Tue-Thur noon-midnight

Expect to pay: Merguez sausage platter Ft 6,400 (€16). Classic shakshuka Ft 4,390 (€11)

What is it? When the entire drinking fraternity of England's Home Counties has upped sticks and decamped to the ruin bars of Budapest round the corner, you may take solace here at the Kisüzem, amid its offbeat yet down-to-earth ambience. Local bohemians, film industry travellers and clued-up tourists mix at this Jewish Quarter staple.

Why we love it Kisüzem doesn't look like anything special but it is. There's no sign on the door saying 'No Idiots', yet, as if by magic, creative types and local boozehounds gather around the bar counter, perching themselves on the window sills for a smoke. Kisüzem also takes its whiskies and rums seriously and has separate drinks lists for each. Its playlist and kitchen are excellent, too.

Time Out tip: Noon opening means the Little Workshop can offer enticing lunchtime deals on food while the wall art is changed fairly regularly, allowing the Kisüzem to host yet another exhibition opening.

Address: Kis Diófa utca 2, 1077 Budapest

Opening hours: Mon-Wed, Sun noon-1am, Thur-Sat noon-2am

Expect to pay: With prices this reasonable, you can sink lagoons of Slovak Zlatý Bažant and still have change at the end of the night. A hefty main course at lunchtime will set you back around Ft 4,000 (€10)

What is it? Design shop, café, concept store and gallery Printa stocks funky souvenirs from its remarkable Budapest collection: shirts, posters, tote bags and maps depicting city streets, bridges and landmarks.

Why we like it A regular venue for workshops on screen printing and other techniques, Printa values environmental consciousness and sells plastic-free clothes, tote bags and other zero-waste items. It also showcases designer clothes and accessories, homeware, posters and notebooks. 

Time Out tip: Check out Printa's special edition T-shirts, kimonos and frameable prints.

Address: Rumbach Sebestyén utca 10, 1075 Budapest

Opening hours: Daily 10am-7pm

Expect to pay: Notebooks Ft 2,900-3,700 (€7.40-9.45). Women's T-shirts & tops Ft 15,000-58,000 (€38-148)

What is it? Austrian architect Otto Wagner, whose Stadtbahn stations still characterise Vienna, created this synagogue in 1872, in the same Moorish Revival style as the Great Synagogue at the end of the street on Dohány utca. A major renovation completed in 2021 now allows visitors to see its exquisitely patterned interior in its former glory.

Why we love it: The five-year-long renovation not only restored this tragic landmark – used to intern Jews in the 1940s before their deportation – but created a vibrant community centre and venue for showcasing culture.

Time Out tip: Keep a look out for details of concerts and exhibitions on the synagogue's Facebook page.

Address: Rumbach Sebestyén utca 13, 1074 Budapest

Opening hours: Mon-Thur & Sun 10am-6pm, Fri 10am-4pm

What is it? A colourful, plant-filled community lounge in the city centre. Dobrumba is the Buda sibling of Pingrumba, where Middle-Eastern, Mediterranean and North African cuisine is mixed with the same rumba atmosphere.

Why we love it Shareable meze and exciting main courses invite you to dine together. The menu draws inspiration from the Atlas to Ararat, with many vegetarian, meaty, vegan and gluten-free options. A diverse selection of natural wines, cocktails and coffees complement the bohemian, ever-lively interior. This is the place to sit down at any time – whether it's a casual lunch or a dinner with friends. Many say that you can also find the best hummus in the city here.

Time Out tip: Try the pomegranate chicken liver – its sweet and sour and rich flavours come with fresh pita bread. And for dessert, the tahini brownie shouldn’t be overlooked.

Address: Dob utca 5, 1074 Budapest

Opening hours: Mon-Sat noon-11.30pm, Sun noon-10pm

Expect to pay: Meze Ft 2,500-4,500 (€6.40-11.50), mains Ft 4,000-5,000 (€10-12.85), desserts Ft 2,000-3,000 (€5.15-7.70)

What is it? Integral to the Bermuda Triangle of alternative bars between Klauzál tér and Madách tér, but Fekete Kutya has earned its status thanks to regular and guest craft beers, in distinctly bohemian surroundings. If you feel at home at the nearby Kisüzem, pull up a chair.

Why we love it A huge mural on the back wall bravely attempts to depict the entire history of art. Fekete Kutya is that kind of place – strictly for the free-spirited and open-minded.

Time Out tip: In summer, try and grab one of the seats outside the bar and watch the street action on the corner of Dob and Kazinczy utca.

Address: Dob utca 31, 1074 Budapest

Opening hours: Mon-Tue 5pm-1am, Wed-Thur 5pm-2am, Fri-Sat 5pm-3am, Sun 5pm-midnight

Expect to pay: Beer around Ft 1,200-1,500 (€3-3.85)

What is it? Vintage fashion aficionados visiting Budapest should drop by Dóra Gyöngyösi’s lovely store. Ludovika sells ’70s and ’80s designer clothes, dresses with Hungarian matyó folk motifs, blouses, trousers, shoes and accessories. 

Why we love it The selection expresses a devotion to Asian couture, as reflected by the imports on the shelves alongside Dóra’s own pieces (look for the Ludovika label). Better prices than the high street, psychedelic tunes and late opening hours make this a great place for a treasure hunt.

Time Out tip: Across the street, the Blue Bird Roastery serves some of the best coffee in Budapest – open daily 9am-5.30pm

Address: Rumbach Sebestyén utca 15, 1075 Budapest

Opening hours: Mon-Sat noon-7pm, Sun 1pm-6pm

Expect to pay: Pricier than most vintage clothes stores in Budapest but you can still find a bargain top or accessory

What is it? Located in a decommissioned modernist power station, the Museum of Electrical Engineering has nine permanent exhibitions that guide guests through the history of electrification and electrical engineering. A specialist library on the premises is available for researchers.

Why we love it While on the surface a niche subject matter, the retro aspect of what's on display cannot fail to attract, while presenting an urban history of Budapest – how the city lit itself, powered and communicated back in the day.

Time Out tip: The courtyard is where many of Budapest's neon signs ended up. For Night of the Museums in June, usually around Midsummer's Eve, they are switched on as the public are treated to various hands-on demonstrations inside the museum.

Address: Kazinczy utca 21, 1075 Budapest

Opening hours: Tue-Sat 10am-5pm

Expect to pay: Ft 1,600 (€4)