The Culture Trip’s best picks for a vintage tour in Budapest

Budapest is the city where you will find all colours of the palette: it has an interesting history, amazing architecture, fun ruin pubs, a lot of tasteful vintage shops, and adventurous flea markets. The Culture Trip decided to give a tour around the latter two, by highlighting the most important fact about these shops and markets: doilies and flower-patterned skirts are in perfect harmony with the strangest and moodiest items from the communist period and with the latest contemporary designs.

Ecseri Market

Here: Nagykőrösi út 156

We’ve written about the Ecseri Market previously, as it is the biggest and most colourful flea market of all in Budapest (and maybe even in Hungary… let us know?). Since the market hall is huge, you will find a lot of sellers and treasures, mostly from long ago, or from the communist days. If you’re not looking to buy, or you feel that there’s too many to choose from, then just simply walk around, observe, or even talk to the sellers. We suggest visiting the market early to grab the best at a much cheaper price than later in the day. Bargaining is a must, though, and it’s also fun.

Retrock

Here: Anker köz 2-4

This is one of the best vintage shops in Budapest, as all the items on sale are well-selected. This is a sure bargain. They not only sell vintage designer pieces and bargain finds, but also think of the young, aspiring designers out in the world. At Retrock, you can buy limited-edition clothing by said designers, both for men and women.

Szputnyik

Here: Dohány utca 20

If you’re visiting the Dohány Street Synagogue, then you can even pop by Szputnyik. This shop represents Budapest so well since they sell vintage items (think about the Nouveau Art architecture) and modern pieces too (have you seen the Whale?). The motto of Szputnyik is that fashion is a means of self-expression, and they help you express yourself quite well. Both the vintage and modern items here are unique and quirky, but if you could not make the time to visit the store, then we have some good news for you: they have an online shop.

Antifactory

Here: Paulay Ede utca 43

The Culture Trip picked Antifactory for the reason that it gives off a very personal vibe. It’s described as a ‘home-style vintage store’, where the clothing and accessories are all hand-picked. The stuff is praiseworthy for their knowledge of the latest trends and what-goes-with-what, and they are happy to help you with styling tips. Rest assured that the items are so varied and diverse, that you will not find anyone dressing the same way as you do. Moreover, Antifactory hosts events from time to time.