Where to buy US-drugstore-type items (i.e. Shampoo) in Budapest?

They have stores.all over town selling makeup and drug store type items. You will see them every few blocks in such busy neighborhoods. Pharmacy items are sold in pharmacies with a big green cross on.the signs.

Pharmacy items are sold in pharmacies, but not shampoo or soap, or..... Not even in grocery stores as a rule (to which there are exceptions). You will want a DM Store. Here are the locations.

https://www.google.com/maps/search/Budapest+DM+Store/@47.5033869,19.0540585,15.51z?hl=en

For actual drugs and medicine you will have to go to a pharmacy (the green cross place). Nothing is over the counter. Here are the pharmacy locations in case you want to find one near where you are staying.
https://www.google.com/maps/search/Budapest+pharmacy/@47.5034068,19.0540585,15z/data=!3m1!4b1?hl=en

About a half dozen years ago i watched as an American tried to tell the pharmacist that he needed something for hemorrhoids. The pharmacist spoke no English so it came down to pointing and facial gestures. Amusing.

And to round it out you will need a grocery store: These are the Spar chaine stores.
Probably the most common.
https://www.google.com/maps/search/spar+grocery+store+near+Budapest,+Hungary/@47.5006495,19.0573441,16z/data=!3m1!4b1?hl=en

Forgot ATMs. Ignore the Euronet machines. Look for OTP and K&H and Erste and CIB https://www.google.com/maps/search/budapest+ATM/@47.5040937,19.0615431,17z?hl=en

First Class Health Care: FirstMed https://www.google.com/maps/place/FirstMed/@47.505709,19.0245109,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x4741dc1e0f49053f:0x6e268887e214a224!8m2!3d47.5076524!4d19.0287878?hl=en

Been there a number of times. Received first class service and even had a minor surgery performed on one occasion. Where you will have to go if you loose your prescriptions and need a new prescription to take to the pharmacy. Not cheap and not as much as the US

Perfect - thank you for all the great info. LOL re the Hemorrhoids story.

There is one of each on Andrassy ut and on Kiraly utca. The Kiraly utca locations generally have better prices. The larger Tesco might have shampoo, but Tesco is sort of an outsider. The Spar stores are more common and more "interesting". And they don't have shampoo or if they do it might be baby shampoo. The area you describe has two DMs so you wont have any problem. Prices are cheaper than the US.

Hi,

I would suggest going to Spar, the Austrian chain in Budapest and also the German stores ,"Penny Markt" and "Lidi" there. There are products like shampoo in these food stores.

I find that I can almost depend on finding a L'Occitane store in most sizable towns. There appear to be three in Budapest. Google it and your address. You should be able to purchase shampoo, lotions, soaps, wipes there - also in travel sizes. No toothpaste, though or pharmacy type items like band-aids.

L'Occitane? You and my wife ... geee!. Yes, they have stores in Budapest but they are more expensive than in the states and that's saying a lot. I know this because I have dragged my wife out of L'Occitane stores on three continents.

James, I know L'Occitane can be pricey, but there is something comforting in finding a product you know and need far from home - and those travel sizes are great. I was in France once one warm summer and did not expect my shoes - 2 pairs - to get so ripe. I could wash my clothes in the sink, but not the shoes. Enter the local L'Occitane with a familiar room freshener. It cured the shoes. It was not a travel size so I opted to carry the bottle home with me. Now, I am cheered when I see one of their stores. ;-)

As with the Mrs, I have no argument....

Hi All - I wanted to thank you for all the great feedback/ advice on this forum. We are back from our week in Budapest, and we had a FABULOUS time! What a fun & funky city!!! We enjoyed everything - the river cruise, the sights, the Szechenyi baths, the food (the grill plates!), the wines (so delicious!), an outdoor opera, the Ruin pubs - all impressive / fun.

We went to the wine festival at the Castle last Saturday, amazing wines & food & people watching.

Also, the DM and SPAR stores were perfect, exactly what we were looking for. We were staying right off of Kiraly u., which you are all right, it is the perfect location. We walked everywhere.

Thank you all - our trip was easy & we greatly enjoyed this vacation.

I am happy...

We are back from our week in Budapest, and we had a FABULOUS time!

Great to hear, glad you had such a fabulous time.

I love Budapest and consider it one of the gems of European cities. Give me Budapest over Paris every time!