The Great Market Hall is Budapest’s largest and most spectacular indoor market, a cathedral of commerce housed in a stunning neo-Gothic building designed by Samu Pecz and opened in 1897. Its soaring iron framework, colorful Zsolnay ceramic roof tiles, and cavernous interior create a magnificent setting for the hundreds of stalls selling everything from glistening strings of paprika and foie gras to hand-embroidered tablecloths and carved wooden toys.

The ground floor is a sensory feast where Hungarian farmers and vendors display their finest products: towers of vibrant peppers, wheels of aged cheese, thick slabs of szalonna (cured bacon), and bottles of locally produced wine and palinka. The upper floor houses food stalls where visitors can sample quintessential Hungarian dishes like langos (deep-fried flatbread topped with sour cream and cheese) and hearty goulash, alongside souvenir shops selling traditional crafts. The basement level contains a supermarket and fish market that few tourists discover.

Pro tip: Skip the tourist-priced food stalls on the upper level and instead shop like the locals on the ground floor. Buy some freshly sliced Hungarian salami, a wedge of smoked cheese, and a crusty roll for an impromptu picnic along the Danube embankment, just steps from the market’s front entrance.