Are you going to celebrate Christmas in Budapest with Hungarian friends?

More and more people set out to look for the ideal Christmas presents in shops or in the markets.
If you're looking for a unique Hungarian gift and want to get away from the all alike shops visit the Budapest Christmas Fair at Vörösmarty Square.

Hotels in Budapest
Opening hours at Christmas
Public Transport during the holiday
Hungarian Christmas traditions
Weather around Christmas at Budapest

Programs at Christmas in Budapest

Christmas Cruise & Dinner on the Danube Go for a Christmas Dinner & Cruise on the Danube and admire the wonderful panorama of Pest and Buda on the riverbanks. While contemplating the vista you can relish fine food from the buffet dinner, and live music (only during the cruise starting at 19.00). Details: You will be welcomed on board of an air-conditioned ship, which will take you on a one-and-a-half-hour-long cruise with an excellent warm buffet-dinner. In the romantic candlelight atmosphere you can enjoy the wonderful view of the city swimming in lights. After dinner you can also admire the panorama from the open upper deck of the ship. Guiding is not included in the program. Time, Meeting Place: Christmas Cruise with Dinner & Live Music starts at 19.00 on 25th December, meeting is at the ticket office of the Duna Palota (Danube Palace) at 5., Zrínyi utca, V. district. at 13.30 the latest. See map. Christmas Cruise with Dinner: starts at 22.00, meeting place Price: 49.61 €/12900 HUF/adult, 41.90 €/10900 HUF/student Reserve your Tickets and Read More Details About the Christmas cruise in Budapest: Payment in Euro Payment in HUF Menu of the Chritmas Cruise: Aperitif Champagne or Peach Pálinka or Orange Juice Cold entries Curd Cheese Cream seasoned Hungarian style" Goose Greaves Cream Soup Traditional Goulash Soup with Loin Cubes Warm main course Grilled Chicken Breast served with Cheese Sauce Tokaj style" Hungarian Letcho with Vienna sausage Grilled Sausage with Mini Stuffed Cabbage Vegetarian Vegetable - Lasagna Garnishes Stewed Rice Buttered Parsley Potatoes Salads Dinner Greek Rustic Salad with Feta Cheese Potato Salad with Onions and Light Mayonnaise Noodle Salad with Rosemary Fresh Green Salads with different kinds of Dressings Desserts Variety of Mini Desserts Variety of Mini Strudels with Cinnamon-Vanilla Sauce Fruit basket Season and Exotic Fruits Drinks: 1 glass of red or white wine + 1 bottle of water (0,33) or soft drink Christmas Concert in the Danube Palace The Christmas Chamber Concert in the splendid neobaroque Duna Palota (Danube Palace) will get you in the festive mood. The Danube Chamber Orchestra compiled the 2 x 45-minute concert programe specially for Christmas Day. Date of the Christmas Concert: 20.00, 25th December 2009. Tickets: 34.25 €/8900 HUF/adult, 8000 HUF/30.8 €/student. Book your ticket for the Christmas Chamber concert in Euro. TIP #1: SAVE 11 € by booking the Chistmas Chamber Concert together with a Dinner & Cruise. TIP #2: Book a ticket at discount price for a spectacular Hungarian Folk performance, together with the night cruise starting at 22.00. You pay less for the two programs than you would if you bought them separately. This way you not only have great program for a full evening but you pay less if you book the a Concert/Folk performance + Dinner & Cruise as a package. After the concert/folk programe the friendly, foreign-language speaking hostesses accompany you from the concert venue (Danube Palace or Vigadó hall) to the cruise ship. It takes about 4-5 minutes to get there by walk. The 19.00 cruise ends at 20.30, the 22.00 crusie lasts till 23.30 and the hostesses can call you a taxi to take you back to your hotel. Read our account of the Danube cruise and see the photos we took.

Where to Stay During Christmas in Budapest?

Christmas Fair at Vörösmarty Square

Opening Hours at Christmas in Budapest

Shops are open for the Bronze, Silver and Gold Sundays on the three weekends before Christmas.

Shops close around early afternoon on 24th December and open only on 27th December. Some larger shopping malls might stay open until early evening on 24th December.

On Christmas Day and Boxing Day all shops, supermarkets are closed in Budapest. Many shops do not open between Christmas and New Year's Eve.
Life gets back to normal after 1st January.

Restaurants are also closed on Christmas Eve (24th Decemeber), but some of them open on 25th-26th December.

Opening Hours During Christmas in Budapest.

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Public Transport at Christmas in Budapest

Public transport vehicles run until around 15.00-16.00. After 16.00 night services carry passangers.

On 25th-26th December vehicles run according to holiday schedule.

Between 27th and 1st January vehicles run less frequently than they do on usual weekdays. It's also holiday at schools, all public transport vehicles run according to schedules valid on school holidays.

You'll find exact information on public transport schedules around Christmas and New Year's Day on this page.

Romantic Christmas Feeling in Váci utca

Andrássy Avenue is another great street for Christmas strolling

Some Hungarian Christmas Traditions

At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ in Hungary. The main celebration takes place on Christmas Eve (it's Szenteste in Hungarian, meaning Holy Night).

Familiy members get together in the afternoon on 24th December and decorate the Christmas tree. Grandparents or elder brothers and sisiters look after the little ones, so they won't see their presents placed under the tree.

The fragrant fir is adorned with colourful paper decorations and a special Hungarian Christmas candy (szaloncukor) wrapped in shinny coloured papers.

Housewives cook traditional Hungarian Chrismas dishes in the kitchen. We usually have fish soup, stuffed cabbage, pastry rolls stuffed with poppy seed, walnut or chestnut stuffings (it's called bejgli in Hungarian). Try our Authentic Hungarian Christmas Recipes!

Family members exchange gifts in the evening on 24th December while listening to tradtitional Christmas songs.

In Hungary baby Jesus brings the presents, not Santa. We celebrate the arrival of Santa on 6th December, St. Nicholas Day.

At midnight people go to the midnight mass. Organ music and pine scent fill the air in churches where people sing together classical Christmas songs. Even non-religious people attend this mass beacuse of its festive and uplifting atmosphere.

On the following two days relatives and friends visit it each other at their homes, have traditional Christmas dishes and desserts and enjoy each other's company.

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Weather around Christmas in Budapest

When I was a little kid thick snow covered the streets around Christmas. The first snowflakes fell usually at the end of November. The temperatures were around zero or below.

Today it is hard to tell what will be the weather like around Christmas. Due to global warming we have not see any snow in Budapest in the past couple of years during the holiday.

Some snow might fall in the northern Hungary and in the hills. The weather around Christmas is sometimes rather mild and dull, with some rain, and it's crispy and sunny with crystal blue sky at times. I prefer the latter, though I long for white Christmas every year.

Find out more about Budapest Weather.

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Programs at Christmas in Budapest

Gala Concert of the 100-member Gypsy Orchestra

30th December, 18.00, Budapest Congress Centre

The world famous 100-member Gypsy Orchestra performs a concert, they'll play both classical and traditional folk music.

The whole city calms down for a couple of days. You can hear only the sound of Christmas concerts and Advent songs in Budapest's churches.

After the hectic shopping it's a real relaxation to listen to the organ works and contemplate about the meaning of Advent and Christmas. I recommend the Lights of Christmas Festival in Matthias Church in Castle District .

Merry Christmas in Budapest!

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