The national holiday of 15 March to bring important changes to Hungary

The national holiday of 15th March is not expected to significantly impact store opening hours over the weekend, but many shops will remain closed on Friday in observance of the holiday.

On the 15th of March, Hungary celebrates the birth of modern parliamentary governance and the beginning of the 1848-1849 Revolution for Independence, which is a historic event that sought to overthrow the Habsburg rule. Consequently, this Friday will see the closure of shops in honour of the National Holiday. Nevertheless, aside from grocery stores, numerous other retail outlets and shipping centres will also be closed on the 15th of March.

Even online delivery may close on this day. For instance, Kifli has posted an update on their website in which they state that they will not be able to serve customers on Friday due to the national holiday. However, they have increased capacity and additional time slots available for customers to shop in advance or place orders for Saturday according to Pénzcentrum.

Here is a list of stores that have announced their closure for the National Holiday:

• Aldi
• Auchan
• Tesco
• CBA & Príma
• Lidl
• Penny

However, all of these stores will reopen on the weekend.

Public transport changes due to national holiday

In addition to shop opening hours, public transport services will also undergo changes and adjusted routes during the National Holiday. According to the Budapest Transport Centre (BKK) on Friday:

• Trams 47 and 49 will not operate on their Pest sections, running only between their terminus in South Buda and Batthyány Square
• Trams 2B, 2 and 23 will follow a shortened route, operating from their outer terminus to the Kossuth Lajos Square (Széchenyi Square) stop
• Bus No. 15 will run a reduced route between Gyöngyösi Street and Kossuth Lajos Square throughout Friday’s service hours. Bus no.9 and Trolleybus No. 72 will operate along Andrássy Avenue and Grand Boulevard instead of Bajcsy-Zilinszky Street.
• Buses No. 5, 7E, 8E, 110, 112 and 133E will operate only between their Pest terminals and Blaha Lujza Square from 7.30 a.m. to 11.30 p.m. From the Buda terminals, the buses will only operate to the Szent Gellért Square – Műegyetem stop (Buses 5 and 8E), Móricz Zsigmond Square (buses 110 and 112) and Döbrentei Square (buses 7, 133E) during these hours. Additionally, metro M4 will have increased frequency during this period.
• Bus 107 will operate between Szent Gellért Square and Infopark-Budapart from morning until closing time.
• Trolleybus 83 will follow a shortened route from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., running between Népliget and Szabó Ervin Square.
• Buses 105 and 210B will run on Bajcsy-Zilinszky Street from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. instead of Andrássy Street with no stops between Bajcsy-Zilinszky Street and Oktogon.
• The 100E airport express buses will run a reduced route between Kálvin Square and Liszt Ferenc Airport 2 and will not pass through Kálvin Square between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., during which they will be available at Szabó Ervin Square.

Train schedule changes

According to the MÁV Group, it is advisable to check and plan your travel arrangements, including ticket purchases, in advance through ticket machines, online platforms like Elvira or the MÁV app due to anticipated high passenger traffic on the National Holiday and throughout the extended weekend. Additionally, expect modifications to Volánbusz and HÉV services during the extended weekend.

Read also:

• March 15 – Orbán cabinet: the left had attacked Hungary and its national sovereignty frequently – HERE
• Hungary celebrates the 25th anniversary of its accession to NATO – HERE