Budapest boasts some of the nicest architecture in Europe, and with fancy buildings, come fancy people who drive fancy cars. I’ve been in love with Budapest since I was a kid, and my enthusiasm for cars just multiplied that effect. I regularly go around the city, roam the streets, indulge in the beautiful buildings, and most importantly, look for cool cars. Below I share my top locations, cars I found there, and some extra details too.
Some context about Budapest first. Most locations are beautiful hangout spots too, so you might wanna grab a takeout or a drink beforehand, to make the experience even better. And
I’d like to get over the only downside of Budapest in the context of carspotting. In my experience, hypercars are basically nonexistent here. After all, it's Eastern Europe. There is a LaFerrari, but it's tucked away in a garage and can be seen once in a blue moon. You’ll most likely see sportscars or supercars, but plenty of those. The best days to go out are obviously Friday nights and the weekend, but you never know, one of my best spotting days was Valentine's, which was a Tuesday that year.
The overall best location for carspotting in Budapest, is the Széchenyi Square, in front of the
Four Seasons Hotel. There are two main reasons for this. First being the wide range of expensive cars going around here on a daily basis. Seriously, this is THE spot. There is a curb-island where you can see bike meets too, basically any day of the week. Second being the location. The square is basically a huge roundabout with a small park in the middle. On one side you face the hotel, and the small straight where many cars fly by. On the other side, you can witness what is in my opinion the most beautiful sight in Budapest, the Danube, the
Chain Bridge, the Buda Castle, everything. This is basically the beating heart of the city. Be warned though, there are spotters here 24/7, literally. But if you choose to sit in the middle of the park, you can avoid them entirely. This way you can see both sides at the same time, and even have a picnic while spotting :). For cheaper options, there is both a Starbucks and a corner store 5 minutes away, but as it's the city centre, there are plenty of more pricey cafes, especially in the Four Seasons itself. The only small drawback to this place is that the garage of the hotel is locked most times, but that's understandable given the amount of spotters there. But there are other hotels such as the Marriott and Intercontinental close by.
These usually don't have as many cool cars, but you’ll pass them anyway on your way to the corner store.
As an honorable mention, I'd like to quickly talk about Várkert Bazár, which is a beautiful but surprisingly underrated location. It lies on the opposite side of the Danube from the Four Seasons, maybe a 15 minute walk away. You'll see fewer cars here, but the breathtaking scenery makes up for it. My favourite activity here is to grab a drink from a store, sit on the wall, and look at the cars driving below. The annual afterparty of the Hungarian Grand Prix is held here too, so F1 week is particularly packed here, with cars, parties, and people.
The second best location is basically an area which consists of multiple locations. The main area is the Deák Square, which is two streets above Széchenyi Square, so a 5 minute walk.
It's one of the busiest, most beloved squares in Budapest, with the Budapest Eye, and plenty of clubs, restaurants, cafes, etc. It's a hot spot for night life, and for cars too. The main point of interest here is Kempinski hotel, and the Al Habtoor Palace next to it. Both are prestigious hotels of Budapest, you can see sportscars in front of them regularly. But the main treat lies below. The garage of Kempinski is almost always open. I snuck down multiple times and no one has ever stopped me. There is a luxury car detailing service down there so this garage is almost always stacked.
Little sidenote, I know dealerships dont count as spots but there is a Ferrari dealership 5 minutes from here. It's right next to the Basilica, which is also definitely worth checking out if you are visiting. And while you are walking to the next spot, make sure to go down Fashion Street, it's right behind Kempinski. The next location in this area is StarPark Budapest on Szervita Square, which is right next to Deák Square. The best thing about this garage is that it has an elevator on the street that takes you down, so it's a free entry. It's an expensive parking garage with plenty of private spots too. There is always a Ferrari 599 on level -3, and in one of the private garages hides a Revuelto.
Apart from these spots, I would make sure to visit Heroes Square. It's nice in itself, but Budapest has a very active car meet life, and if you are lucky, you might just catch one. They are usually held on Friday or Saturday nights. Beware of the cops though, they are usually not so fond of meets in the city centre.
Those are the best spots to look for cars in Budapest, but l'd definitely do some sightseeing while spotting ;) And make sure to visit other locations too! The cars below were spotted by me in the most random places you can imagine. Go around and explore, every aspect of Budapest is worth it.
