7 reasons to prove Budapest is the new Berlin

Hvg.hu shared the report of oyster.com which says 2016 might as well be the year of Budapest, for people began to notice that all the characteristics of Berlin can be found in the Hungarian capital as well.

1. The ruin bars

Similarly to the post-Wall Berlin, Hungary’s troublesome past is creatively presented in the atmosphere of the ruin bars. Graffiti, lights, candles and retro computers decorate the walls and ceiling, whereas, instead of sofas, bathtubs can offer you some rest. Impromptu markets are also common, just as “a general acceptance that anything goes”.

2. Traces of communism can still be seen

Budapest, like Berlin, was under the control of communists after World War II, right until the rebellion of 1989. However, the cityscape is defined by the past to a certain extent. Museums, statues, restaurants and antique shops remind people of the once communist control. The House of Terror Museum, for example depicts the era rather truthfully.

3. Thriving contemporary arts

Contemporary artists decorate the walls of the previously mentioned ruin bars and cafés, but apart from them, there are galleries showing contemporary artworks which are worth visiting. Oyster names Vintage, INDA Galeria, Kisterem and the Ernst Museum as such places.

4. Coffee = life

Hungarians have always been coffee lovers, that is easy to see by the number of traditional coffee houses. But the new wave of drinking coffee reached Hungary just as well. This resulted in the opening of My Little Melbourne, Tamp & Pull, Madal and Alibi, for example; places that are similar to the ones in Shoreditch, Greenpoint and Kreuzberg.