4 Best Performing Arts Venues in Budapest, Hungary

Toldi is arguably Budapest's most unique arthouse cinema, with something for everyone. Open since 1932, it screens major releases and indie picks, often in their original language with Hungarian subtitles. It's also home to major international film festivals and regular revival showcases. The interiors are suitably moody, like something out of a David Lynch movie, with a hip lobby bar that's a hub for local activists and artists. And 'round midnight, when the projectors switch off, its underground space transforms into one of the city's coolest clubs, alternating between booming electronic music and pop-friendly dance nights until the wee hours.

A stunning Art Nouveau theater built in the 1890s and screening films since 1917, this grand building is just as beautiful inside as it is out. Frequent festivals feature world cinema and they regularly screen the latest English-language releases—but keep in mind, the actual audio-visual equipment doesn't compare to major multiplexes. Nevertheless, this might be the most aesthetically impressive movie theater you will ever visit, especially if you're seated on the balcony level. Come early and have a coffee and cake at the romantic café upstairs.

Cirko-Gejzir is officially "Europe's smallest cinema"---a nonprofit movie theater that's largely a showcase for both local and regional art house films. It's worth visiting, not only for the novelty of its tiny rooms, but for the eclectic selection of movies screened here, everything from Hollywood crossover hits to regular showings of Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr's eight-hour epic, Sátántangó. Take note that most foreign films are only screened with Hungarian subtitles.

The Művész Mozi ("artist's cinema") is one of the most popular in town. Its understated building has a cute little lobby decked out with worn-out chairs and a fish tank that has been there since the dawn of time. You'll find new releases as well as European and international indie productions and, unlike multiplex theaters, movies are often shown in the original language with Hungarian subtitles. Five stately old theater spaces, each named after an important figure in film history, accommodate a total of up to 500 people. Its video shop, in the back to the left, has an extensive collection of art, indie, and popular film DVDs (but only a few offer English subtitles or dubbing).