Easter chaos in Hungary: 90% of shops to close, public transport changes

Hungarian media wrote that only a select few shops will remain open in Hungary during the Easter celebrations. Good Friday on 29th March, Easter Sunday on 31st March, and Easter Monday on 1st April are public holidays throughout Hungary.

Not all shops to close during Easter

As per Pénzcentrum, the Hungarian Parliament made Good Friday a public holiday in 2017, resulting in the closure of major stores, supermarket chains and malls this Friday. The same closures apply to Easter Sunday and Easter Monday. However, on 30th March (Saturday), all shops and malls will reopen as usual in Hungary. Stores across Hungary will welcome customers according to their regular schedule on Thursday and Saturday, but on Friday, Sunday and Monday, they will remain closed. This closure applies to major retailers such as Aldi, Auchan, Lidl, Metro, Penny, Tesco and Spar in Hungary.

However, there are some exceptions. A handful of CBA, Coop and Reál supermarkets will remain open during the upcoming public holiday. Since their opening hours vary, you should check with the nearest store to confirm if they will be open on Friday, Sunday and Monday. Generally, supermarkets in larger cities tend to be open even during public holidays.

Photo: FB/Penny

Additionally, since petrol stations will operate during the Easter festivities, their affiliated supermarket chains will also serve customers. This means you can purchase goods at Spar outlets in OMV and Lukoil petrol stations, Fresh Corners at MOL stations and mini Tesco stores at Shell stations.

Photo: facebook.com/Budapestvasarcsarnokai

In addition, in Budapest and other big Hungarian cities, 24-hour supermarket chains like Roni and Manna may also welcome customers during the Easter holidays.

Changes to BKK services this week

According to infostart.hu, from 28th March to 5th April, the Centre for Budapest Transport (BKK) will operate services according to the school holiday schedule. On 29th March, 31st March and 1st April, they will follow the public holiday timetable. On 30th March and 6th April, BKK’s Saturday timetable will be valid, while on 7th April, they will operate according to the Sunday schedule.

Tram and bus on Budapest’s Blaha Lujza Square. Photo: facebook.com/bkkbudapest

The upcoming clock change in Hungary will occur on 31st March at 2 a.m., transitioning to daylight saving time. According to the BKK statement, between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., BKK displays will not be operational.

Read also:

• Here’s how to travel in Hungary on a budget during Easter 2024 – Read more HERE
• Discover Lake Balaton’s Easter extravaganza with 50+ amazing events – Details in THIS article