We visited the Cat Café in Budapest

The Cat Café in Budapest was the plan that my daughters were most excited about during our trip to Hungary. So, on our first day in Budapest, we decided to visit it. I am going to tell you about our experience visiting the Cat Café in Budapest, but first, let me give you some background information about these coffee shops.

The Budapest Cat Café at a glance

• What it is: a café with about 15 cats (Maine Coons and rescues) across 3 floors.
• Where: Révay Street 3, next to St. Stephen's Basilica.
• Hours: every day, 10:00–21:00.
• Entry: free - you only pay for what you order (a bit pricier than a regular café).
• Age: from 10 years only.
• Booking: not needed.
• Our take: clean and pleasant, but the cats tend to be stressed. For us, not really worth it.

Origin of Cat Cafés

The history of cat cafés dates back to the 1990s in Taipei, Taiwan, where the first cat café, called Cat Flower Garden, opened in 1998. The café’s owner, Shirley Law, allowed customers to interact with the cats while enjoying their drinks. The idea became very popular in Taiwan and spread to other parts of Asia. Today, it is easy to find such cafés in many cities around the world.

Cat cafés often collaborate with animal shelters and charities to help cats find a temporary home in the café, sometimes resulting in the kittens being adopted by customers.

Budapest Cat Café

We went around 15:00 without a reservation. At the entrance, they gave us a sheet with the instructions to follow inside the café, they have them in English and Hungarian.

We looked for a place to sit. It was almost full, so we waited to sit in an area we liked. The Cat Café in Budapest has three floors: the ground floor, where the entrance is located (in my opinion, the best and the most spacious); the first floor, where the bathrooms are located and where there are also some cats; and the third floor, where I thought the customers looking for something quieter were.

Here you can watch the reel of our visit to the Cat Café.

At the Budapest Cat Café, there are approximately 15 cats. Some are of the Maine Coon breed, which, in case you don’t know, is considered the largest of all cat breeds. They also have some rescued cats.

What to drink at the Cat Café in Budapest?

On the menu, you will find a large selection of coffees, lemonades, and even pálinka. There is also a wide variety of cakes and some hot sandwiches. We ordered a Dobos cake, a typical Hungarian cake, a lemonade, and a cappuccino. The prices are not excessively high, but they are a bit higher than those in any other coffee shop in Budapest.

Budapest Cat Café rules

• Use hand sanitizer before touching the cats.
• Do not pick up the cats or disturb them while they are sleeping.
• Do not feed them or let them eat your food.
• You can take pictures, but without flash.
• Maintain a calm demeanor for the sake of the cats and the other customers.

Store

The Budapest Cat Café also has a small shop inside. A display case with a wide variety of feline-inspired products: mugs, stickers, bracelets, and magnets are some of the items you can find.

My opinion

Well, just as my daughters were super excited to go to the Cat Café, my expectations were very low. I was expecting a small, smelly, and not very clean place. I must say that the place surprised me a lot. Despite the fact that there were so many cats, the café was very clean, spacious, and bright, and I found it very pleasant to be there having a drink.

Regarding the cats, most of them were sleeping, and as stated in the rules, cats that are sleeping should not be disturbed. So, the poor two or three kittens that were awake were chased by everyone—both children and adults—to play with them or take a picture.

The cats were not very sociable. When we tried to touch them, they attempted to scratch us, and I totally understand—it must be super overwhelming for an animal to endure that level of stress every day.

In my opinion, the Cat Café in Budapest is the kind of café that has become trendy due to Instagram, but it’s really not worth visiting.

As an alternative, we found the Budapest Cat Museum, a place for cat lovers where you can also interact with cats. We couldn’t go because they don’t allow children under six years old to enter. I called to ask if they could make an exception, but they told me that they were very strict with the rules for the sake of the animals and the other visitors.This response made me understand that it was a much more cat-friendly place than the Cat Café, although we were still very sad not to be able to visit it.

To visit the Budapest Cat Museum you need to make a reservation and you can do it on this link. Tickets cost: 10,50 € for adults (13-64 years old), 9,45 € for children (6-12 years old) and adults over 65 years old.

Location, opening hours and prices of the Budapest Cat Café

The Cat Café, or Budapest Cat Café, is located in the city center at Révay Street 3 and is open every day from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Entry to the Budapest Cat Café is free; you only pay for what you consume. Above, I have included a picture with the menu and prices.

Important: the Cat Café currently doesn't allow children under 10, so keep that in mind if you're travelling with younger kids.