We hope no one is planning to stay inside an air-conditioned room during the hot summer evenings in Budapest. In case you don’t know where to go, here are our favourite open-air venues to enjoy (or at least survive in an enjoyable way) the heat wave.
Pontoon Budapest
From acoustic concerts to jam sessions and authentic gypsy music, Pontoon provides diverse musical experiences every night and day, all summer long, with the best DJs and live concerts all in favour of an audience open to new cultural impressions. Everyone will fell for the spectacular panorama over Chain Bridge, the Danube, and Buda, and the exceptional atmosphere this place provides as an oasis in the heart of the city. Who wouldn’t want to enjoy refreshing summer drinks, quality food and the best DJ sets or their favourite band’s acoustic concert in such an environment? This is how Pontoon brings seaside fun into a city centre, without a sea.
1051 Budapest, Antall József rakpart 1.
Raqpart
On the other side of the stone lions of Chain Bridge, but still in Pest, there lies Raqpart, the urban joint of day & night-time meet-ups. The waterfront venue hosts a colourful selection of late night events, ranging from the live, sometimes acoustic, concerts of well-known Hungarian musicians, popular party series such as Rock the City, Spanish tuned blowouts, and weekend jamborees with the coolest DJs in town. Besides an awful lot of beverages (both non-alcoholic and alcoholic), Raqpart is ready to sate your appetite with burgers, snacks, desserts, mains like fish & chips, and salads. After filling your belly with these good bites and gulping down a few tasty cocktails, dance the night away at this laid-back lakeside gem of Budapest.
1051 Budapest, Jane Haining rakpart
Kertem
Located among the tall trees of City Park, families and their four-legged friends dominate Kertem during the day, while lemonade glasses turn into beer bottles as the sun goes down, with colourful lights shining above our heads and music concerts playing in the background. If you get hungry between two glasses of wine and soda, order a large Balkan burger at the counter, a perfect treat for long night talks. Get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and enjoy the eclectic vibes of Kertem that combines the ruin pub atmosphere with the laid-back ambience of holiday resorts around Lake Balaton.
1146 Budapest, Olof Palme sétány 1.
Akvárium Klub
If you’ve ever frequented Deák tér, Akvárium Klub probably caught your attention with its vast urban terrace that, besides live music concerts, hosts a tropical day-time party series called Sun & Soda in the very heart of the city. For true beach vibes, the open-air venue transforms into a green oasis once a month, on the Sun & Soda days, with artificial grass surfaces, colourful parasols, mini swimming pools, comfy sun beds and plants everywhere. In July, Guy J & Henry Saiz will make sure everyone’s having a good time from 13 PM to 22 PM. For more info, visit fb/sunandsodaofficial.
1051 Budapest, Erzsébet tér 12.
Kobuci
Occupying the courtyard of Zichy Castle in District III, Kobuci is much more than a lovely outdoor venue with nicely smelling street food bites and a wide range of refreshing drinks: the garden attracts hundreds of people with its unique set of music programs every day. June saw the Óbuda world music week, but don’t worry if you missed it, July will also bring ear-pleasing jams including the concerts of Quimby, hiperkarma, Braindogs, Ölveti Blues Band, and Swing á la Django, just to name a few. The well liked open-air venue is easily accessible from the city centre with bus number 9, or taking tram 1 from Árpád híd.
1033 Budapest, Fő tér 1.
Zsiráf
Zsiráf awaits you with intimate evening lights, vivid coloured tables and chairs, and cooled beverages on Eiffel tér, on the right side of Nyugati railway station. During summer evenings, live music concerts and football streams on a large screen draw locals and visitors alike to Zsiráf (its name literally translates to giraffe in English), bringing life into the square each day. In fact, the popular program series Lépcső Akusztik (Stairs Acoustic) welcomes well-known Hungarian musicians, who entertain the relaxing audience with summer jams. Book a table to make sure you’ll have a comfy seat, or bring a blanket and find a free spot on the grass.
1062 Budapest, Teréz körút 53.
Kabin
Established on Népsziget (the Danube riverside in Districts IV and XIII) in 2017, Kabin is a fairly new addition to the coolest outdoor venues of Budapest: the immediate vicinity of nature, refreshing drinks, the laid-back beach ambience, breath-taking sunsets, yoga sessions, and day-time parties are what make Kabin a one-of-a-kind riverside hangout. Located in a 10 minutes walking distance from Újpest-Városkapu metro station, the kid and animal-friendly Kabin offers grill dishes prepared on site, besides its occasional movie nights and live music concerts that are just the cherry on top.
1138 Budapest, Népsziget
Dürer kert
The history of this outdoor venue dates back to the 19th century, when the Benedictine sisters of Sacre Coeur established a school in the very same building of today’s Dürer kert, which was turned into a college during the socialist era, and eventually was given to ELTE after 1989. The former gym, chapel and lecture hall now functions as an iconic club of Budapest, representing a diverse hub of rock, indie, hip hop, and electronic music. The indoor spaces host a wide range of programs that are complete with a beer garden in the summer, giving home to cultural, literary, and music events.
1146 Budapest, Ajtósi Dürer sor 19-21.
Piazza Budapest
After a seemingly endless winter break, the city’s favourite downtown terrace spot has opened its doors again on 1 May, awaiting Budapest locals with a re-imagined theme and a brand new name, decided by a public vote. Situated on Március 15. tér, just a stone’s throw away from the mighty Danube, Piazza Budapest, now the biggest open-air Italian restaurant in the city, lets you experience “la vita é bella” vibes without having to book a plane ticket to Italy, through scrumptious oven-baked pizzas, artisanal gelatos, and refreshing aperitifs, all of them to be enjoyed in the company of your friends, with silky grass beneath your feet.
1056 Budapest, Március 15. tér 2.
Figaró kert
As a little green oasis in the heart of Budapest, surrounded by blocks of flats in District XIII, Figaró is a popular hangout spot, open from April to October. In the evenings, a nice selection of craft beers, fine wines, and award-winning pálinka brands attract people from diverse backgrounds to the garden, whereas you may start the day with coffee and breakfast specials in the morning, or drop by for a cooling lemonade and a giant juicy burger in the afternoon. The whole experience wouldn’t be complete without the calming babble of the fountain placed right in the middle of the garden.
1137 Budapest, Katona József u. és Borbély u. sarka
Grund
In the heart of District VIII, in Nagytemplom utca situated behind Corvin Pláza, you’ll see a huge wooden door that leads to a playground, numerous food stalls, a ruin pub with cute little hideouts and a spacious – once open – hall in the middle, and of course, a large courtyard. The versatile venue offers epic happy hour deals, and gives home to outdoor screenings (including sports live streams), food markets, and other events. Drop by any day, the good vibes and good people of Grund (named after the iconic scene in the world-known novel by Hungarian writer Ferenc Molnár) won’t fail to impress you.
1082 Budapest, Nagytemplom utca 30.