West End City Center, Budapest

What to buy here: Rubik’s Cube.

Although you are probably familiar with these colorful puzzles, it may surprise you to learn that the original inventor was Hungarian. Erno Rubik, a sculptor and professor of architecture, invented this game in 1974 while working at the Academy of Applied Arts and Crafts in Budapest. Today, it is the world’s best selling toy with over 350 million cubes sold worldwide. This six sided cube has a different color on every side and a pivoting mechanism which allows each side to turn independent of the others. With over 43 quintillion possible permutations, solving this puzzle and lining up all the colors will keep even the most seasoned puzzle solver occupied. You can buy Rubik’s cube at any number of toy stores around the city, a number of which are located in the large West End Shopping Center.

Located in the heart of Nyugati Square, and next to the old train station, the shopping center houses many different toy stores. On the ground floor, Bambini Jatek (“Children’s Toys”) is well worth visiting if you are traveling with young children, or are a child at heart yourself.

The store is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00am-9:00pm and Sunday from 10:00am-8:00pm.