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Christmas and New Year’s Eve Survival Kit for Budapest!
OPENING HOURS
Dec. 24th, Saturday
SHOPS:
Shops are closing around noon.
Shopping Malls are open 10am-2pm.
Some seven-eleven shops will be open all night long.
MUSEUMS:
Museums, galleries, tourist attractions, banks and post offices are also closing early afternoon.
National Gallery is open 10am-2pm.
BATHS:
Szechenyi, Gellert, Lukacs, Rudas baths are open 6am-2pm. Kiraly bath is open from 9am-2pm.
MISC.
Zoo is open 9am-1pm.
Opera: 11am Nutcracker
CHURCHES:
Churches are open all day long. Main service is at midnight.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Metro, buses, trams will operate as it was Sunday, till 4pm, then night buses will run.
No Chirstmas tram for today.
CHRISTMAS HABITS:
Dec.24th is a private, family holiday in Hungary, we don't go to parties. Kids are kept busy outside home, while parents or grandparents are decorating Christmas trees on the holy night. Christmas tree is bought by angels, gifts are bought by baby Jesus. Children enter the room only when tiny bells ring and they sing Christmas songs, then open their gifts.
Religious families go to the Midnight mass
CHRISTMAS MENU:
The menu for lunch is something really light. One of the most typical is poppy seed bread pudding. We usually eat fish with mashed potatoes and beigli at Christmas night (This is a rolled up crust with lots of poppy seed or walnut filling. Yummy..!)
GOOD TO KNOW:
Streets are getting very quiet for the rest of the day
Dec. 25th, Sunday
SHOPS:
Shops are closed.
Shopping Malls are open for movies only. Shops in the malls are closed.
Some seven-eleven shops will be open all day long.
MUSEUMS:
Museums, galleries, tourist attractions, banks and post offices are all closed.
National Gallery is open 10am-6pm.
BATHS:
Szechenyi and Gellert Baths are open 10am-6pm. The rest are closed.
MISC.
Zoo is open 9am-3pm.
Opera: 11am- Nutcracker. 7pm- La Boheme
CHURCHES:
Churches are open all day long. Main service is at 10am or 11am.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Metro,buses and trams will operate according to their Sunday schedule.
CHRISTMAS HABITS:
Family members often travelling to another city or village to visit each other or spending this day at home with playing games, watching TV.
CHRISTMAS MENU:
Fish soup (carp or catfish) with noodles and stuffed cabbage (sour cabbage) with minced pork. Beigli for dessert is essential
GOOD TO KNOW:
Streets are still quiet.
Bars operate from afternoon.
Fast food restaurants are closed.
Jegbüfé café at Ferenciek tere with delicious strudels was open last year.
Dec.26th Monday
SHOPS:
Shops are closed.
Shopping Malls are open for movies. Shops in the malls are closed.
Some seven-eleven shops are open.
MUSEUMS:
Museums, galleries, tourist attractions, banks and post offices are all closed.
Museum of Fine Art is open 10am-6pm.
National Gallery is closed.
BATHS:
Szechenyi, Gellert, Lukacs, Rudas baths are open 6am-8pm. Kiraly bath is open from 9am-8pm
MISC.
Zoo is open 9am-3pm.
Opera: 6pm- Nutcracker
CHURCHES:
Churches are open all day long.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTAION
Metro, buses and trams will operate as it was Sunday
CHRISTMAS HABITS:
Family members often travelling to another city or village to visit each other or spending this day at home with playing games, watching TV.
CHRISTMAS MENU:
Fish soup (carp or catfish) with noodles and stuffed cabbage (sour cabbage) with minced pork. Beigli for dessert is essential
GOOD TO KNOW:
Streets are busier than during the previous two days.
Dec.27th-30th
Most shops, bars, restaurants, theatre, opera, sightseeing tours and tourist attractions operate as normal. House of Terror is closed. All baths are open.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Metro, buses and trams will operate as it was school holidays (intervals of 10-20 min)
Dec 31st
SHOPS:
Shops are open.
Shopping Malls are open 10am-2pm. Shops in the malls are partly closed.
Some seven-eleven shops will be open all day and all night long.
MUSEUMS:
Museums, galleries, tourist attractions, banks and post offices are open until early afternoon.
National Gallery is open 10am-2pm.
Museum of Etnography is open 10am-2pm.
Museum of Fine Arts operates only the temporary exhibition.
House of Terror is closed.
BATHS:
Szechenyi, Gellert, , Rudas baths are open 11am-8pm. Kiraly bath is open from 11am-8pm Lukacs Bath is closed.
MISC.
Zoo is open 9am-1pm.
Opera:5pm and 8.30pm- The Bat (J.Strauss)
CHURCHES:
Churches are open all day long. Main service varies from church to church.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
All night buses are operating. Cogwheel railway is operating too!
No Christmas tram today!
NEW YEAR’S EVE HABITS:
Streets are full with people before midnight. Street stalls on the streets of Budapest sell champagne, masks and noisy paper trumpets. Seniors are mainly watching TV or going to parties. We say “BUEK” (it means happy new year) at midnight and most of us sings the national anthem and greet each other.
NEW YEAR’S EVE MENU:
Having lentil or bean dishes on New Year’s Eve makes you wealthy. Pork is considered a symbol of progress and prosperity so Hungarians eat mainly roast pork Avoid fish as it will swim away with your fortune.
GOOD TO KNOW:
Streets are busy all day long. Peak time is 8pm-midnight.
Concerts and theatres have early evening performances and shows.
Restaurants, bars, clubs have extended opening hours and many have live bands playing.
There are lots of parties for New Year’s Eve, so you definitely won’t be bored!
There are plenty of programs to entertain you from free street parties to upscale balls and crazy clubs with local DJ's. Tickets varies from 2000-4900 HUF
The biggest public event of the year is “Üget?szilveszter” (don’t even try to pronounce) at Kincsem Park. A place to go for both trotting and flat racing. Avastly popular extraordinary trotting meeting that attracts all ages on the afternoon of New Year’s Eve.
FREE STREET PARTIES:
"VÖRÖSMARTY TER" - live bands from different countries will perform.
"NYUGATI TER" (M3 metro line, tram 6, 4)- Hungarian pop-rock bands will entertain you there.
"OKTOGON TER" (M1 metro line, tram 6.4) all night disco with Hungarian DJ-s.
Hint: Bring warm clothes! Buy champagne in the shops before arrival. (2.5€)
Jan.1st Sunday
SHOPS:
Shops are closed.
Shopping Malls are closed.
Some seven-eleven shops will be open all day and all night long.
MUSEUMS:
Museums are mainly closed.
Museum of Fine Arts operates only the temporary exhibition. 12am-6pm
BATHS:
Szechenyi, Gellert, Király, Rudas baths are open 11am-8pm. Lukacs Bath is closed.
MISC.
Opera:5pm and 8.30pm- The Bat (J.Strauss)
CHURCHES:
Churches are open all day long. Main service varies from church to church.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Metro,buses and trams will operate according to their Sunday schedule.
HABITS FOR TODAY
Not much is happening usually today! We mainly sleep or go to the baths.
MENU FOR TODAY:
Cabbage soup or hangover soup in the New Year morning. Roasted pig and cabbage is meant to bring good luck.
GOOD TO KNOW:
Streets are quiet.
Restaurants, bars, clubs have varied opening hours.
Recommended sightseeing activity in Budapest in case of freezing weather:
Glowing Christmas tram in Budapest.
Pest side Christmas tram N.2.runs every Mon, Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun. 5-9pm.
It.goes along the Danube Promenade from the Central Market to the Parliament.
Buda side Christmas tram N.19. is operated on the rest of the week same hours from Batthanyi Square to Gellert Hotel .
You need Day Card or single ticket. Mulled wine is highly recommended!!
Please note :Christmas tram doesn’t run 24th and 31st Dec.
Weather
Since Budapest has a continental climate, the only advice I can give is : expect low temperatures, dress for the weather! It starts to get dark at about 4.15pm.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Boldog Karácsonyt és Új Évet!
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