Budapest is many things. A party town. A historic town. A town of many, many electric scooters. One thing that it is not known for, however, is being a vintage shopping town. I aim to change that reputation. Budapest has the goods.

ORANGE GROVE CHARITY SHOP

Known to locals as ‘Narancsliget Adományközpont,’ this tiny little store may not seem like much upon on first inspection, but scratch a little deeper and you’ll come upon the single largest treasure trove of vintage clothing, curios and boots you’re going to find just about anywhere. The women that run this shop do so as volunteers, and do an excellent job at maintaining order amongst the chaos. The first storey of the shop is all curated jackets, jeans and various books. While awesome, it is down in the basement that things get truly interesting. Take the door down the very, very steep stairs and you’ll enter a subterranean wonderland of fashion stretching as far back as the 1940’s. We spent a solid hour exploring the items stashed away down there, nervously eyeing the bags and bags and bags of untouched fashion that had been donated to the store. I don’t envy the person whom has the job of sorting through it all - would take a lifetime. Then again, maybe I do - just imagine the amazing gems hidden away in there. We came upon some really awesome jackets in the basement, and were shocked by how cheap they were - almost nothing in the store goes for more than 10 euros a piece. An absolute steal.

Address: Budapest, Síp u. 17, 1075

Website: https://www.facebook.com/Narancsliget.Adomanykozpont/

Hours: Monday - Thursday: 9 am - 4 pm.

Retrock Designer Vintage Store

From one extreme to another. Pairing well with the general lack of curation at the Orange Grove Vintage Store, Retrock, locate din the 7th district, is anything but - the items here are heavily curated, well-chosen, and very, very cool. There’s a strong Americana vibe to the items here, expect Carhartt, dickies and soft t-shirts with forgotten bands, national parks and vintage iconography. I was truly in love with this place - the items on sale for mens are pretty awesome, and the pricing for clothing here is fairly competitive, especially given how curated the range is. For women’s clothing, Retrock has plenty to keep you occupied - with a full section of dresses, jackets and jeans upstairs. Easily a place you could lost in - just bring your wallet. They also do some first-hand fashion, all of which seems to have been designed and made by local designers. Though i didn’t try any on, they looked fairly on point, so I’m behind it.

Address: Budapest, Anker köz 2-4, 1061

Website: http://retrock.com/

Hours: Monday - Saturday: 11 am - 9 pm. Sunday: 11 am - 8 pm.

Antifactory Vintage Shop

The smallest shop on the list, Antifactory is hidden away down one of the many stunning side streets that litter Budapest’s inner city. Antifactory has a strong focus on athletic and leisurewear, but also has some amazing vintage wranglers hidden away. The collection of vintage Hungarian windbreakers is a sight to behold, they come in the most dazzling array of colours that may trigger seizures, but are very cool. Though Antifactory has a smaller selection than some of the other shops on the list, the beautifully curated clothes on offer more than make up for this.

Address: Budapest, Paulay Ede u. 43, 1061

Website: https://www.facebook.com/antifactory/

Hours: Monday - Saturday: 12 pm - 7 pm. Sunday: closed.

LUDOVIKA

A cash only spot that does some really good womens clothing. While I didn’t buy anything here (being male) Ludovika is a hotspot for dresses, jeans and chinos. The woman who runs this joint is down-to-earth and will definitely give you honest feedback about what looks good versus what does not. I like that. At any rate, I saw some of the coolest denim jackets in here, and I strongly wish they had all been big enough to fit me. Definitely stop by for anything cool, trendy and well-priced.

Address: Budapest, Rumbach Sebestyén u. 15, 1075

Website: https://www.facebook.com/ludovikashop/

Hours: Monday - Friday 12 pm - 8 pm. Saturday: 12 pm - 7 pm. Sunday: 1 pm - 6 pm.

Szputnyik shop D20

A short walk from Antifactory, Szptnyik is a home for second hand, factory second and some vintage fashion gems. This one is definitely a spot to pick up some decent jeans, chords or dickies - they have heaps on offer, and a fairly generous selection of band t-shirts. Carlie picked up a pair of jeans here that look awesome, and I was sorely tempted by a Smiths t-shirt. The prices are pretty good, and you can fully expect to walk away with something unique. The guys that work here are awesome and will definitely help you choose something. Don’t miss the selection of sunglasses to your left as you walk in - pretty rad.

Address: Budapest, Dohány u. 20, 1074

Website: https://www.facebook.com/szputnyikshop/

Hours: Monday - Saturday: 10 am - 8 pm. Sunday: 10 am - 6 pm.