Central Market Hall (Vásárcsarnok) at the southern end of famous Váci utca is worth visiting to get the feel of hustle and bustle of Budapest's market halls. The building with colourful roof was constructed according to the plans of Szamu Pecz, although a group of French architects has actually won the design contest. The market was opened in 1867. Initially there was a system of canals under it allowing goods to be delivered right under the market.
Today the ground floor of the market is dominated by stalls selling vegetables, fruits, meat and bread. You will find a fish shop and a few supermarkets in the basement (including one selling exotic foods) while the first floor is flooded with stalls selling souvenirs and a number of simple eateries serving Hungarian sausages with mustard and bread which you can wash down with a cold beer or a shot of pálinka (Hungarian version of schnapps).
Budapest's central market hall is more interesting for tourists than pleasant for actual shoppers. Although it was near our Budapest apartment we avoided shopping at the central market and headed to less touristy markets instead. The sellers at the central market (perhaps due to the great numbers of tourists it gets) are utterly surly, even towards the locals. We had numerous experiences the sellers yelling at customers who dared to touch their peaches or even potatoes.
Location: Pest IX, Vámház körút 1-3. Open: Mon 6:00-17:00, Tue-Fri 6:00-18:00, Sat 6:00-14:00, Sun closed. Transport: tram 47, 49