The Great Market Hall
Budapest's largest covered market, with an iron frame and coloured tile roof.
Christo — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fred Romero from Paris, France — CC BY 2.0 · Random photos 1989 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Random photos 1989 — CC BY-SA 4.0
A square at the Pest end of Liberty Bridge, one of the main meeting points in Budapest: the Central Market Hall, a metro station, trams and a major bridge all converge here. The building that dominates it is the Great Market Hall, Budapest's largest and best-known covered market, built at the end of the nineteenth century with an iron frame and a roof of coloured tiles. The name Fővám means main customs house and points to the site's original function: goods arriving by river were unloaded and cleared here, and the market was built on the same spot for a practical reason. The metro station beneath is among Budapest's newest, and its exposed concrete design has won architectural prizes — worth looking at even if you are not travelling. The neighbouring university of economics and its buildings from the same period complete the scene. Practical point: the square is free and always open. The market hall keeps its own hours and closes on Sundays. The square is very crowded by day, and the visit is minutes on a walk along the Danube.
Budapest's largest covered market, with an iron frame and coloured tile roof.
The exposed concrete design beneath the square rewards a look.
The site's commercial function has continued for over a century.
Pest end of Liberty Bridge, Budapest
Yes, and it is among Budapest's best-known sights. The ground floor is food, meat, vegetables and dried paprika, and the upper floor is small eateries, crafts and tourist goods. Go in the morning to see it as a real market; by the afternoon it becomes purely touristic. It closes on Sundays.
Walk north along the Danube towards the Chain Bridge and the Parliament, or cross Liberty Bridge to the Buda side for the Gellért baths and Gellért Hill. The square is a good starting point in either direction.
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