Hungary offers many options for finding good deals for shopping. The number of shops in Hungarian cities has increased greatly since the 90's as they have appeared in every corner of the city shopping malls and new boutiques.

Opening hours of shops

Grocery stores are open Monday to Friday from 18.00 to 06.00 Saturdays from 67.00 to 13.00. Other kinds of stores, such as textiles, are open Monday to Friday from 10.00 to 18.00 and Saturdays from 10.00 to 13.00.

Large supermarkets have longer opening hours and stay open on Sundays. Some, like Tesco are open 24 hours.

All shops are closed on holidays.

How to pay

The large shops accept credit cards, especially in Budapet. In small shops and markets, one has to pay cash.

VAT is included. There is the option of reimbursement for purchases of more than 50,000 guilders (about 200 euros) from people living outside the European Union. One need to ask the store about the necessary documentation to be returned. A good site for such reimbursement in the agency IBUSZ at the Ferihegy Airport. Do this right after the check, but before going through security.

One thing we must bear in mind is that you get the forms of certificates by the customs within 90 days of purchase, and that you must mail the forms within 183 days after the date of certification of exports in the form of a refund request.

Tips

In Hungary, tips are more entrenched than in other European countries and it is common that even professionals such as doctors expect a tip for their work.

In some restaurants, tips are already included in the price of the service. If the restaurant does not include this concept, the rule is to leave a tip between 10% and 15% of the total bill.

useful sections of the website

Practical life and expatriation in Hungary

Hungarian currency

Retail and distribution in Hungary