10 Truly Off-Beat Places in Budapest

I'm addicted to hidden spaces. One of my vices (or virtues, depending on who you ask) is trying to get into a place I usually can't access or somewhere people need to learn about. Often, when I come across "Hidden Budapest" guides or "Off Beat Budapest," I get a list of things that might only appear at the back of the guidebooks. Sadly, there's not much of a market for these hidden, secret parts of the city. When I get asked to write articles on the city, it's usually the top bars or what to do in three days, and the usual. I am not knocking the usual suspects–these sites are iconic for a reason–but I guess it's that old adage of "abnormal pleasures kill the desire for normal ones," to quote a line I heard in an Anais Nin biopic. So, if you love the weird and wonderful like me, here are some of my favourite hidden spots in Budapest.

The Kőbánya Cellars

It was a viciously hot summer day when we visited this network of cellars in Kőbánya, the suburbs of Budapest, where you're only likely to cross on the airport bus. We stood outside the enormous gates that led into the ground, and a cold air blew out, inviting us into the much-desired cold. These cellars are often called "the city below the city," as the limestone was carved out of the ground to build the Hungarian capital's most iconic buildings, like the Hungarian Parliament Building and the Chain Bridge, leaving a warren of tunnels with cathedral-like proportions behind that span approximately 35 kilometres. In fact, the name of the neighbourhood, Kőbánya, literally means "stone quarry" or "stone mine" in Hungarian. The disused mines, which have a year-round temperature of around 10C, were used as cellars when Kőbánya flourished with vineyards, but that golden age ended with the Phylloxera infestation. Kőbánya switched from grape to grain, becoming the city's hub for beer-making (and still is today).

As we explored the cellars, we found remnants of their more recent past, as they were also used as bunkers in World War II, where damp chambers with rusty ventilation systems in cramped rooms still linger and hint at the endurance needed for survival. Today, the cellars are divided up between the Dreher Brewery and other private companies, but you can visit the part owned by the local council, which is probably the largest section. This part of the cellars is often rented to Hollywood for movies, but running and cycling races are also held in these labyrinthine passages. The lower levels are also flooded with groundwater, making them ideal for divers to explore the submerged mine. We caught a peek of the stairs plunging into the crystal clear water that led to the drowned layers you wouldn't be able to visit without an advanced diving licence and equipment. If you want to stay on dry land, you can see them with Budapest Scenes, but note that the tours are in Hungarian.

Epreskert 

I've always been fascinated with Epreskert, as I stumbled across this fenced garden with haunting statues as I wandered around the side streets jutting off Andrássy Avenue and Kodály Körönd. Epreskert means "Strawberry" or "Mulberry Garden" in Hungarian, as it used to house numerous mulberry trees planted in the 17th century to support a local silk factory as its silk worms only consumed mulberry leaves. When the factory closed, the abandoned tree-covered property was bought by the wealthy and eccentric sculptor Alajos Stóbel in the 19th century, who established a commune of artists. They constructed the buildings, workshops, and studios on the site and even transported a medieval church gate and a baroque calvary brick by brick to the site. Today, it belongs to the Hungarian University of Fine Arts and is home to students studying sculpture or fresco restoration. If you access this normally closed garden (although you can also catch a glimpse of the statues through the fence bars) and look closer at the statues, you'll notice hints of their modernity in the details, like a nude taking a selfie or the uncanny likeness of a recent Hungarian President, János Áder.

One part that's hidden away in one of the buildings was a transcendent experience for me. There is a room covered from head to toe in frescoes, where those studying art restoration are training to copy historic frescoes in different styles on the walls as part of their training. From recreations of Pompeiian murals to Biblical scenes inspired by Byzantine and Renaissance art, the walls are clad in replicas of old masters removed every six months, and the process begins again. I visited Epreskert twice with Imagine Budapest, who did a theatrical tour of the garden as well as another tour focusing on hidden sacred spaces and chapels (both tours in Hungarian).

Gellért's Secret Tunnels and Forgotten Spring 

There are 80 geothermal springs in Budapest and several thermal baths, with the Gellért Bath being one of Budapest's most famous spots for a soak. But did you know there's an underground world running from one thermal bath to another? As I wandered alongside Gellért Hill, I spotted doors on the side of the rockface and wondered where they led. I discovered that tunnels connecting these thermal baths to the thermal water sources under Gellért Hill between the Gellért Bath and the Rudas Baths. You could theoretically go from one bath to another via this underground tunnel.

I wrote a piece years ago on the Molnár János Cave, a thermal water cave under Rózsadomb (Rose Hill), and interviewed a cave diver who was part of the exploration. As we talked about caves, he told me about the Ősforrás. The Ősforrás, the "Ancient Spring," which resides 9 meters below the fountain at the front of the Gellért Hotel, is where the Gellért Baths used to source their minerally dense water much closer to home. In fact, before the baths were built, it was just a muddy lake that had been praised for its healing properties since the Middle Ages. But approaching this spring today feels like descending into Dante's Inferno, as unlike most subterranean spaces, the air is hot and humid here. As you go down the brick-clad steps heading towards the Ősforrás, the air is hot and clammy, rather like a sauna, and if you have glasses, expect them to get fogged up. At the base, you'll see the mineral water covered with a film of crystals as the cavernous room shakes every time a tram rattles above. Imagine Budapest running regular tours to both the tunnels and the spring.

The Kelenföld Power Station

I got lucky when I first moved to Budapest, and now appreciate that this is a bit of a lottery to get into, as the tours that run here are rare. This is why so many urbexers try to find a way in when security is not looking to visit the beautiful places control room at the heart of this power station in the XI District. The power station dates back to 1913, but the iconic control room is Art Deco, with a glass ceiling resembling a steampunk fantasy. The rest of the power stations still supply the district with electricity, so it's understandable why security is tight here and is usually closed to visitors. However, you can spot it in a few movies or music videos occasionally (the most recent being Jungkook’s “Standing Next to You”. I got in when the power station did tours back in 2014, but sometimes there are open days with the Erőművek Éjszakája (The Night of the Power Stations) in October (but spots go quickly), and Hosszúlépés has done tours recently.

The Csepel Bunkers 

Csepel is the largest island in the Danube, running 48 kilometres in length, but the northern part of the island falls within the boundaries of Budapest, making up the XXI District. In part enclosed by Budapest, you'll find an extensive industrial landscape characterised by the remnants of the Csepel Művek (Csepel Works). This gigantic factory had the ecosystem of a small town, with 28,000 employees in World War I and 15,000 employees in 1930. Although the brothers Manfréd and Berthold Weiss began business canning food in the 19th century, their industrial empire specialised in ammunition. Csepel became a hub for the production of military equipment and household devices—the former putting a target in its back during the wars. Although the infrastructure was at risk of destruction, it could be rebuilt, which is why the factory owners during World War II built several bunkers to protect its numerous employees from bomb and gas attacks. You can visit some of the former bunkers, like one preserved as a museum showing how people were set up for survival with air and water purification in sturdy concrete structures ready to take in workers during a raid. You can visit with Budapest Scenes, who do tours in Hungarian of the old bunker (sometimes multiple bunkers). I found it interesting to see how people lived in these crowded conditions, but since their tours often run in the evening, I also had fun trying to get out of the Csepel Művek late at night, which was an experience.

The Zaborszky Cellars in Budafok

Just across the river from the Csepel Művek lies the quaint neighbourhood of Budafok, a village till the mid-20th century when it joined the city of Budapest. Like Kőbánya, Budafok also has a network of cellars winding beneath the district (some sources say more than 100km if you add them up). However, most cellars are stand-alone and not interconnected like their Pest counterpart, which is why Kőbánya gets the title of the largest cellar network in the country. While Kőbánya focuses on beer, Budafok, being closer to the Etyek wine region, dedicates itself to wine and sparkling wine. There are several cellars, but the most striking is the Zaborszky Cellars, with chambers filled with 100-year-old carved oak barrels or an underground ethnographic museum with a row of reconstructed cellar facades representing the architectural diversity of Hungary's wine regions and cellar styles.

I got to don a wine cape and sip a few glasses as we went deep underground into this curious labyrinth, which adds to the fun. I'd also recommend the nearby Törley and Sauska sparkling wine cellars for a visit as well. On the first Saturday of the month, you can visit these cellars during the Budafok Wine Days, but tours are usually in Hungarian.

The Art Nouveau Jewish Cemetery on Kozma Street

It's worth taking the hour-long ride with the 28 tram from Blaha Lujza ter to this cemetery close to the airport. This semi-abandoned Jewish Cemetery is an architectural wonder, with art nouveau mausoleums peeking from behind crawling ivy and the forest that creeps in year by year (we spotted a deer on our visit). One of the highlights is the turquoise Schmidl family grave, designed by art nouveau architect Béla Lajta. Other mausoleums show hints of mosaic work inside or Zsolnay tiling but may have been tragically damaged by lack of care, vandalism, or theft.

The Water Reservoirs of Kőbánya and Gellért Hill

Although both spots have made it onto their list with their underground tunnels, their subterranean water reservoirs also merit a mention. The Kőbánya water reservoir dates back to the 19th century, with an aesthetically beautiful brick interior and dramatic columns and arches. This reservoir opens once a year in September to the public, and you can stroll through the drained reservoir. The first time they opened, I gave up trying to get in as the queue went on for miles, but now it's easier--just follow the Fővárosi Vízművek (the capital waterworks) on Facebook. You'll get to register for a slot (no queuing), and they usually run visits in September.

Up on Gellért Hill below the Philosopher's Garden, the 1970s water reservoir looks like a set left behind from a sci-fi film, with its forests of columns standing in fresh drinking water that refracts the light into a shade of blue. Getting in here is like winning the golden ticket when it opens to the public in the spring (again through the Fővárosi Vízművek site, but spots are more limited and often go in under 2 minutes), and while you can only enjoy it from a viewing window, it's still one of the city's hidden beauties.

Óbuda Gasworks

Towering over the Roman ruins of Aquincum, the turreted water towers of the Óbuda Gasworks evoke a scene from a fairy tale. Surrounding the water towers, you'll find abandoned industrial buildings from the former gas factory, with the nearby Graphisoft park occupying the rest with gentrified office buildings housing tech companies (kind of Budapest's mini Silicon Valley). There is also an interesting housing estate built for the employees of the gas works with art nouveau-style houses with shutters and flowers on the window sills. You can visit with a tour of Hosszúlépés.

The Caves Under Buda Castle

There's a reason why large buses are not permitted up at Buda Castle—the entire hill is made up of a porous network of caves once carved out by thermal water, and the weight of the buses could make things foundationally unstable. Today, you can visit these caves in different parts. You can go to the Labyrinth, which is a bit tacky, with a panoptikum of wax figures dressed in opera costumes and a smoke machine puffing into a dungeon where Vlad the Impaler was allegedly imprisoned. I prefer the part cared for by the Duna-Ipoly National Park, where you can see the parts of the caves used as a shelter during the war, bones found during the Ottoman occupation and natural formations in the rock. The castle complex is curious, with deep cellars going down multiple layers and then dipping into the caves. In medieval times, merchants hid goods in the caves to avoid paying taxes. Imagine Budapest running tours here.

If you're looking for some more inspiration of interesting things to do in Budapest, from street art to hunting tiny statues, check out this article from BudapestFlow on more alternative things to do in Budapest.