Hungary

Work

Business hours

With rare exceptions, the opening hours, or nyitvatartás, of any concern are posted on the front door; nyitva means 'open' and zárva 'closed'.

Grocery stores and supermarkets open from about 7am to 6pm or 7pm on Monday to Friday, and department stores generally from 10am to 6pm. Most shops stay open until 8pm on Thursday, but on Saturday they usually close at 1pm. That's changing, however, and some food shops even open for several hours now on Sunday. Many private retail shops close early on Friday and throughout most of August.

Restaurant opening hours vary tremendously across the country but are essentially from 10am or 11am to 11pm or midnight daily. Bars are equally variable but are usually open from 11am to midnight Sunday to Thursday and until 1am or 2am on Friday and Saturday. Nightclubs usually open from 4pm to 2am Sunday to Thursday and until 4am on Friday and Saturday.

Banking hours change from institution to location but banks usually operate from 7.45am to 5pm or 6pm Monday, 7.45am to 4pm or 5pm Tuesday to Thursday and from 7.45am to 4pm on Friday. The main post office in any town or city opens from 8am to 6pm weekdays, and until noon on Saturday. Branch offices close much earlier - usually at 4pm - and are almost never open on weekends.

Almost all towns and cities have at least one 'nonstop' - a convenience store, open round-the-clock (or very early/late), and selling basic food items, drinks and tobacco. Most of the hyper-supermarkets outside the big cities, such as Tesco, open on Sunday.