Shops are closed today and tomorrow in Hungary! Here are the exceptions

Pentecost is a national holiday in Hungary, so most shops are closed today and tomorrow. We collected the exceptions and some other useful facts you should know about the national holiday.

Almost all shops close: here are the exceptions

According to Telex, on Sunday, several shops and retail chains are closed in Hungary due to the Pentecost celebrations. The long list of companies includes Aldi, Auchan, CBA, Coop, Lidl, Penny, Príma, Reál, Spar, and Tesco.

However, some stores will remain open even during the long weekend. Bars, tobacco shops and small stores run by their owners, round-the-clock retailers, fuel stations with their shops, news stands, florists, restaurants, clubs, and pharmacies on duty will remain open even on 19 and 20 May.

Furthermore, trains will commute following their holiday schedule on Sunday. On 20 May, they will carry passengers according to their Sunday timetable. As a result, if you booked a Hungarian hotel for the long weekend, you can get there by train. Based on szallas.hu, the Pentecost long weekend is almost as popular among holidaymakers as Easter in Hungary.

Good news: Budapest Danube embankments open for pedestrians again

Today and tomorrow, you can have an undisturbed walking tour on Budapest’s magnificent Pest side Danube embankment. Cars will be prohibited from using the section between the Margaret Bridge and the Elizabeth Bridge.

Below, you may find a map of the car-free zone in Budapest this weekend. Cars will be allowed to enter the green zone only from Tuesday dawn. Waste removal will continue even on Sunday and Monday.

Hundreds of thousands of Hungarians traditionally celebrate Pentecost in Csíksomlyó, Transylvania, Romania. Many members of the Hungarian community living in Romania go on a pilgrimage there, but hundreds of thousands of Hungarians living in Hungary, the Carpathian Basin and all over the world join them to celebrate.

That is how the Roman Catholic church’s birthday transforms into something unique and entirely Hungarian: a huge and spectacular gathering of more than a million Hungarians. Get a glimpse of how many people were yesterday in Csíksomlyó in the video below, and more will come tomorrow:

Here are two more photos: