You decided to visit Budapest and you are now eating iff from your car or you are a foreigner wondering if there are shops opened on Sunday in Budapest. Stores are opening hours article of the fascinating capital of Hungary to follow. Let’s dive in!
About Budapest Shopping Environment
Today where street shopping is very popular Budapest is a beautiful city where people can find most of the things that they seek to shop in the market. By visiting local markets, middle ages bazaars, and up to present day malls, stores and boutiques one can find almost anything. This however must be reminded that Hungry has laws on opening of stores on Sundays.
General Store Opening Hours
On weekdays (Monday to Saturday), most shops in Budapest are open between 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. But, generally, shops are shut or open with restrictions especially on Sundays.
Exceptions to the Rule
While the majority of stores are closed on Sundays, there are some exceptions:
1. Subcategories: Souvenir Shops and Tourist Areas
Seasonal shops like the souvenir shops which are normally found in the tourism circuits will open on Sundays. If you are walking around Váci Street or visiting the Castle District, you will be able to enjoy several souvenir shops when you visit.
2. Certain types of stores such as convenience stores as well as gas stations.
Grocery stores, convenience stores or shopping marts and even service stations are known to operate during late hours of the night or Sundays. In case you need some grocery or any other necessity on Sunday, these options will be a savior for you. However, don’t expect a diverse range of products as it may likely be fewer compared to supermarkets with larger areas.
3. Shopping Centers
Besides, some large shopping centers in Budapest including Westend City Center, Arena Plaza, and Mammut opened on Sundays. They typically operate from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sundays. Primarily, these centers have many stores, such as fashion stores, electronics, and entertainment stores.
Planning Ahead
Since you would not always have the luxury of shopping at any one shopping hub for any length of time you need to organize your shopping for activities appropriately to optimize on your visit to Budapest. Here are a few tips:
As for the latter, it’s better to inquire about the exact hours of the stores you want to visit, e.g., it may not be located in the tourist district or in the shopping mall.
For the targeted shopping, it would be better to go shopping in the weekdays because there are a lot of options to choose from.
It would be wise to descriptively consider other markets like the Great Market Hall (Nagycsarnok). While most stalls most probably shut down during the Sunday, still, tường is one of the best places for Hungarian delicious food and perhaps cultural exploration.
In case you are somehow stuck in budapest for the short time and you are in position of not being able to go shopping very often, you should try and find some spare time during saturday to shop.
Public Holidays in Budapest
Other than Sunday, other important day that one should ensure they take note of while shopping are public holidays. Most of them, even the giant shopping centers, are either closed or are open for only a few hours, on public holidays. Essential things to know about Rwanda are: Christmas, New Year, East Monday, and May 1st (Labour Day).
Final Thoughts
Most stores in Budapest are closed on Sundays with some exceptions as souvenir shops, convenience stores, and gas stations, and shopping centers. Familiarizing yourself with the local shopping environment and timing your trip is the key to having a really nice shopping experience. Please also spare some time for the more laid back shops and markets in order to taste some of Hungary.
