Budapest City Guide - Nightlife

New clubs and discos are constantly sprouting up all over Budapest especially around VII Liszt Ferenc tér and IX Ráday utca. The bars offer something for everybody (from sleazy sex bars to calm cafes) and there is plenty of space to experiment. Many bars are open until dawn, although most close at around 0400. Borozós are cheap wine cellars, where it is rare to see women, especially unaccompanied. Sörözős are beer houses that will also serve good and moderately priced food. The minimum drinking age is 18 years.

The best sources of nightlife listings are The Budapest Sun (website: www.budapestsun.com), PestiEst (website: www.est.hu), Exit (website: www.exit.hu), and Pesti Műsor (website: www.pestimusor.hu); only the first is in English.

Bars: Karma, VI Liszt Ferenc tér 11, draws the crowds with its buzzing bar area at the front and cozy corners to the rear, while Negro, II Szent Istvar tér, is the place for cocktails. Szimpla Kert, Kazinczy utca 14, is a fun and funky squat-style venue with a great beer garden in the warmer months, and Trafó Bár Tangó, IX Liliom utca 41, in the basement of Trafó House of Contemporary Arts, attracts an artistic crowd and regularly features DJs. Paris, Texas, IX Ráday utca 22, is known for its pool tables, strong cocktails, and pizza deliveries from the restaurant next door.

Clubs: Fat Mo's, V Nyáry Pál utca 11 (website: www.fatmo.hu), is always busy and the dancefloor is usually filled, during and after the live jazz concerts. Sark, VII Klauzál tér 14, is popular with the alternative/student crowd and has regular clubbing events in the basement, and nearby Fészek Club, VII Kertész utca 36 (website: www.feszek-muveszklub.hu), resembling a bordello with its cushioned booths and small stage, is jammed with revellers between 0200 and 0600. Angyal Bar, VII Kazincy utca 2, is the gay club in Budapest, specialising in good old-fashioned high-NRG dance remixes. A38 Hajó, XI Mügyetem rakpart (website: www.a38.hu) is a trendy floating club over the summer months, but it's better known as a live music venue.

Live Music: Kultiplex, IX Kinizsi utca 28, is a major venue for lesser known bands and is often full to overflowing. The Old Man's Music Pub, VII Akácfa utca 13, although crowded, is one of the city's most fun night-time hotspots, with live music from 2100 to 2300. A38 Hajó, XI Mügyetem rakpart, once a Ukrainian stone-carrier barge, now plays host to a plethora of live acts. Wigram Rock, XI Fehérvári út 202, is a centre for rock, blues, and heavy metal, while Jazz Garden, V Veres Pálné utca 44A, focuses its attention on jazz. The Petofi Csarnok, in Városliget (website: www.petoficsarnok.hu), and Budapest Sportaréna, XIV Stefánia út 2, are the two favourite venues for international stars.