whereâ€™s the party inâ€¦ budapest

words by Adrian Courage

For live music with a difference

The Artemovsk 38 ship was brought to Budapest from the Ukraine and converted into one of the city’s top music venues. The eclectic concert schedule takes in everything from gypsy jazz bands to foreign metal acts and the cream of electronica. Pretty much anything goes onboard the A38, so check the website to find out what’s on when you’re in town. If the music isn’t up your street on any given night, the ship also offers two bars above decks, a jazz restaurant and breathtaking views of Budapest.

A38 Ship Pázmány Péter sétány (at the Buda side of Petöfi Bridge) +36 1 464 3940, www.a38.hu

For a drink with the locals

Hungary is very much a wine country, and wine belongs in cellars. The Egri Borozó is just one of many bars and clubs situated in the bowels of downtown buildings, but this one stands out from the rest thanks to the famous Eger wines it serves and the noisy, lively crowd of 20-somethings who come to drink them. Even if the clay jugs of cheap plonk won’t set the world alight, they’ll take you back to the days before sommeliers took the fun out of knocking back glass after glass in a friendly, smoky pub. You’ll soon see why the marauding Turkish armies were terrified by talk of the heroic defenders of Eger castle taking their strength from the blood of bulls. After a couple of jugs of Bull’s Blood, anything is possible.

Egri Borozó Bajcsi-Zsilinszky út 72, +36 1 302 1724

For the essential Budapest

Budapest excels at turning old into new. Szimpla Kert, a bar in the former Jewish quarter, pioneered the mismatched, bric-a-brac look and has sparked a wave of similar outdoor bars and art projects that capture the creative spirit of Budapest. Opportunist young bar owners have taken derelict buildings, saved them from the wrecking ball and filled them with rickety furniture now enjoying a second wind. The Szimpla Kert garden was enclosed in a covered greenhouse a couple of years ago, making it the ultimate starting – or finishing – point for any night out, even when it’s raining. There’s not a better pub with a cooler clientele anywhere in Hungary.

Szimpla Kert Kazinczy utca 14, +36 1 321 5880, www.szimpla.hu

For clubbers

For club beats and dancing till dawn, it’s well worth heading a little further out of town to one of Budapest’s biggest, weekend-only clubs. Dokk on Shipyard Island (Hajógyári Sziget, which in summer hosts Sziget Festival, Europe’s largest music festival) is where you’ll find the beautiful people all year round. As the weather warms up, the southern part of the island becomes outdoor party heaven as the hottest clubs, bars and restaurants move to the leafy suburbs.