The Hungarian capital is home to Time Out Market Budapest, the culinary and cultural hub that brings the best of the city together under one roof. Located within the historic Corvin Palace on Blaha Lujza tér, Time Out Market Budapest comprises 11 top-class dining outlets, three bars and five event spaces, for some 540 seated guests. Find out more!
This Saturday, May 30, Budapest hosts the Champions League final for the first time, a showcase occasion with Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain in the starring roles.
Thousands of football followers will be descending on the Hungarian capital from all over the world – as a global event, this is up there with the World Cup and Olympic Games. No wonder Budapest is planning a huge four-day party around the occasion, all the way from Thursday May 28 to Sunday May 31!
Not only that, but given the game’s early kick-off at 6pm, fans will have the Saturday night ahead of them once the trophy has been presented and the confetti swept away. Here’s where to find the fan zones, party in town and chill in the spa afterwards.
Puskás Aréna
Named after Hungary's most famous footballer, illuminated red and green on big-match nights, the national stadium stands as an iconic monument to a previous era in Budapest, when it was built by and for the people (nép) as the Népstadion in the early 1950s. Architect Károly Dávid created a distinctive façade faithfully copied more than half a century later by György Skardelli. His Puskás Aréna, which opened in 2019, co-hosted the Euro 2020 tournament in which Hungary starred. Capacity is 67,000.
The special aspect of today's arena is that while it was created as a completely new building, it refers back to its predecessor in several ways. As well as the characteristic concrete columns, it has kept the tower which once served as the entrance for VIPs and the Communist leadership. it now contains the Puskás Museum, closed until mid-June.
For major occasions, a family-friendly village operates for ticket-holders by the tower, near the statue park, another hangover from the 1950s. The venue is a short walk from Keleti station, and has its own Puskás Ferenc Stadion stop on the red M2 metro line and on main tram 1 route. For a pre-match drink in timeless Hungarian surroundings, head for the Tücsök Sörkert (Stefánia út 29), an old-school terrace bar.
Don’t leave it too late to get to the stadium though – there’s a show just before kick-off by legendary Las Vegas band the Killers (Mr Brightside, Somebody Told Me) on the Puskás Aréna stage.
Fan zones
A successful initiative during Euro 2020 and for the Europa League final in 2023, the main fan zone operates between May 28-31 on Heroes’ Square, a ten-minute walk from the stadium. Admission is free.
Festivities begin on Thursday at 10.30am, with 2007 Champions League winner Cafu and city mayor Gergely Karácsony presenting the trophy. Entertainment then centres around DJ sets, football games, live music, fan quizzes and giveaways. You can also have your picture taken with the trophy and Cafu will be taking part in the FedEx immersive football experience to test fans' skills in shooting, passing and saving shots. Prizes include entry to a raffle for match tickets on Saturday, the draw made at noon on the day of the final.
The highlight on the first night, Thursday, is an opening concert on the Main Stage starring DJ/producer Mr Vasovski and popular Hungarian band Carson Coma. The show starts at 9pm.
The Friday night headline slot is filled by UK’s dance-pop producers Sigala, still known for his 2015 hit, Easy Love. Look out, too, for the youth showcase presented by the Homeless Football Foundation at 5pm on the Champions Pitch.
In the build-up to the match on Saturday, from 10am, street performers, stilt-walkers, football freestylers and face-painters will be wandering through the crowd at random as the atmosphere rises until kick-off at the stadium nearby at 6pm.
Sunday morning starts at a leisurely pace with walking football at 10am, the weekend’s events culminating in thank you parties for all the volunteers.
See here for a map and full four-day schedule. Heroes’ Square is shown as Hősök tere on the metro map, with its own station on yellow line M1.
Fans of each club have their own separate meeting points. Arsenal supporters will be gathering at City Park (Városliget) behind Heroes’ Square, a free and non-ticketed fan zone open from 8am on Saturday, DJs, live entertainment and special guests appearing from 10am. Visitors can take advantage of free bag drops – the fan zone will be operating post-match – as well as charging stations and accessible toilets.
The exact location is just behind the House of Music Hungary (Magyar Zene Háza), nearest trolleybus stop Olof Palme sétány on the 70 route, although it’s only a short walk from Heroes’ Square and to the stadium. Look out for the giant trophy installation on the lake at City Park. See here for more details.
Up to 14,000 PSG fans will be meeting at MTK Sportpark, just across Kerepesi út from the stadium. Open from 8am, it welcomes supporters of the Rouge et Bleu with gaming areas, DJ sets, giant screens and special appearances by revered legends such as Blaise Matuidi and Javier Pastore. The march to the start begins at 3pm but the fan zone will stay open from after the game until 2am for celebrations or commiserations. See here for more details.
A shuttle bus will be running from Budapest Airport to the PSG meeting point. There will also be a PSG truck at Városháza park in the centre of town.
Food & dining
Being in Budapest gives visitors the perfect opportunity to sample Hungarian cuisine – not only goulash (gulyás) but chicken paprikash (csirkepaprikás), fish soup (halászlé) and, during this heatwave, cold fruit soup (gyümölcsleves). See here for the best restaurants in Budapest, here for the best Hungarian ones, here for the best breakfast spots, street food and here for the best burgers.
Two metro stops from the stadium at Blaha Lujza tér, Time Out Market Budapest offers 11 types of cuisine, including Hungarian, Taiwanese and Vietnamese, plus a full range of Hungarian wine.
Bars & nightlife
Fans will want to sample Budapest’s legendary nightlife, its ruin bars, football pubs and rooftop hangouts. Expect the popular party hubs around Kazinczy utca and Király utca to be mobbed, particularly Szimpla Kert and Instant-Fogas.
For something a bit special, there’s a post-Champions League party being headlined by US rapper Travis Scott, way down on Csepel island at Barba Negra (Szállító utca 3, 1211 Budapest). Doors open from 5pm, with Hungarian acts Pogány Induló and Beton.Hofi coming on around midnight before the main act at 1am. More details (in Hungarian, the schedule easy to work out) here. Tickets (Ft 50,870/€143) available here.
The club can be reached by public transport – it’s close to the Szabadkikötő stop on the H7 suburban HÉV line to Csepel from Boráros tér (last service there 11.47pm, first service back from 4.47am, standard tickets and passes valid).
Transport & attractions
Those holding match tickets can travel free around Budapest between Friday, May 29 and Sunday, May 31 on all four metro lines, tram line 1, the Champions Express bus service from Budapest airport to the two fan meeting points (see above, Fan zones) and on the regular airport routes 100E and 200E. See here for more details, also here general transport information and here for the transport network website. Download the BudapestGO app through that link for all tickets and schedules.
If you’ve had a late night, a soak in the spa the next day is a relaxing relief – see here for the best baths in town. If you've got time to explore the city, Budapest is full of great attractions and things to do.
Budapest is a relatively safe city but there is casual street crime – keep your valuables hidden when travelling on crowded trams and beware of unauthorised taxis waiting outside stations and popular nightspots. For a regular taxi, contact Bolt.
It can get very hot in the afternoon here – stay in the shade as much as possible, keep your hed covered and drink plenty of water. Across town, there are free drinking fountains (just type it into Google Maps for Budapest) with more found in several metro stations. For emergencies, dial 112 or 104 for an ambulance.