Coronavirus Archives - Budapest Guide

Hungary is now open to people with vaccination passports!

Posted on July 6, 2021November 30, 2022 by Budapest Guide

Are you living in an EU country? Have you received your vaccines and now you have a valid vaccination passport? If your answer to those questions is yes, then you are currently very welcome to visit Budapest.

Traveling within the EU has become quite a lot easier since July 1st, and the same is true for people who would like to visit Budapest. If you have a vaccination passport you are free to enter the country without any need of going into isolation. You can travel straight from the airport to your hotel and later walk the streets of Budapest, drink a coffee, sip a glass of Tokaj wine, and then eat a nice Goulash in a Budapest restaurant.

Since July 4th, Hungarians no longer need to wear a mask inside stores. There is no guarantee for how long these regulations will remain like this, but hopefully, the worst is over and tourism will return to normal within not so long.

What if I come with kids?

Adults with a vaccination passport can bring their kids along. Children under 18 years traveling with vaccinated adults do not need any further tests or vaccination in order to enter the country.

What if I don’t have a certificate?

If you have gone through COVID within the last 6 months and have official papers to confirm that, you are still allowed to enter the country with no need to be in quarantine.

If you don’t fit into any of the groups above, the best is probably to stay at home and get a vaccination!

Would you like to know even more?

You can find the official information about entering Hungary at http://www.police.hu/en/content/information-on-general-rules-of-border-crossing

The information might be a bit hard to understand, but if you read it through a couple of times, you should find all the answers you need!

Hungary is slowly opening again!

Posted on April 29, 2021April 29, 2021 by Budapest Guide

Hungary has been in strict lockdown since November, and for tourists, since April 2020. In other words, we have missed all tourists coming from abroad, and the tourist guides are working in grocery stores or being without work at home instead. But, there might be a ray of hope at the end of the tunnel!

Hungary is expected to reach 4,000,000 vaccinated people this week (that means, 4 million people who has received at least one vaccine). The government has promised that things will easen up once the number reaches 4 million, meaning that cinemas will be allowed to open once again, theaters can run their performances, and restaurants will be allowed to open up once again.

A week ago, restaurants were allowed to open their terraces, but once Hungary reaches 4 million vaccinated people, they will be allowed to use the inside space as well.

Will a vaccination passport be required?

The messages haven’t been entirely clear yet about whether or not a vaccination passport will be required to visit the restaurants, go to cinema, and to enjoy a play in a theater. The government has mentioned that the activities should only be opened for those with a proof of vaccination, but many fear that this will be “racism”, especially those who believe that Covid is part of a play for Bill Gates to become even richer.

No matter what, Hungary is slowly opening, and most likely, tourists from abroad will be allowed to enter the country more freely this summer.

If you plan on visiting Budapest this summer, we do recommend that you get a vaccination. Without a vaccination, you might be foreced to do lots of tests upon arrival, quarantine and more… and you might experience that you will not be allowed to visit restaurants and more. In other words, you will have a way more pleasant stay and arrival if you have a proof of vaccination in your pocket!

We for sure hope that life will turn back to normal as quickly as possible! We look forward to seeing all of you in Budapest as quickly as possible!

New rules for entering Hungary (valid from July 15th)

Posted on July 13, 2020July 13, 2020 by Budapest Guide

We had a little break from the coronavirus topics in the newspapers for some week, but now they are returning once again. Due to the raising number of cases worldwide, and also in Europe, Hungary has decided to alter the rules and regulations related to who can enter Hungary.

Based on the new rules, valid from July 15th in 2020, the world is divided into three zones.

The Green Zone

EU countries not mentioned in the yellow zone.

People from these countries can freely enter and enjoy their summer in Budapest and in Hungary. There is no need to enter a quarantine after arrival.

The Yellow Zone

UK, US, Serbia, Romania, Sweden, Portugal, Bulgaria, Norway, Russia, China and Japan.

For people from these nations to come to Hungary, they will need to have two tests made within the last five days to confirm that they are well. If not, they will have to enter a 14-day quarantine upon arrival to Budapest.

The Red Zone

Albania, Bosnia, Belarus, Kosovo, North-Macedonia, Moldovia, Montenegro, Ukraine, and all other countries of the world not mentioned elsewhere in the other zones.

People from these countries are not allowed to enter Hungary at all.

Make sure to stay up to date before coming to Budapest, because things change very quickly!

Budapest is opening again!

Posted on June 3, 2020June 3, 2020 by Budapest Guide

Budapest is opening to tourists once again. As a result, you can once again enjoy a boat trip on the Danube, and you can once again visit all your favorite restaurants in Budapest.

This is good news for everyone who would like to come and visit Budapest in the coming week and months. We have recently received news from many restaurants, and they are all telling us that they are opening once again. They are following all rules and regulations, meaning that waiters’ were masks and gloves (often), and they have also made changes in order for the guests to keep the distance needed.

If you want to enjoy a boat trip on the Danube with food, that can also be fixed. Are you looking for an airport transfer, we are already doing that. So, if you need a taxi driver to pick you up at Budapest airport and drive you to the hotel, just let us know.

Not everyone is welcome to Budapest

Before you come to Budapest, make sure to check the regulations when it comes to arriving at Budapest from your country. If you live in Slovakia, Austria, Slovenia, or in the Czech Republic, you can easily visit Budapest, and you do not even need to go into a 14-day quarantine upon arrival.

But, if you live in Sweden and want to come to Budapest, or maybe somewhere else, a quarantine is what you can expect, and that will ruin your holiday. In other words, make sure to check whether or not you are allowed to visit Budapest before you come.

If you have any comments or questions or need help to find out about what regulations are valid for you, write a comment!

Pictures from Budapest during the coronavirus!

Posted on April 1, 2020April 1, 2020 by Budapest Guide

Hungary is in nationwide quarantine. People can go for a walk, but they need to keep a 2m distance to other people. They can go to work and they can purchase groceries and medicines. But, with most people staying inside all day, and no tourists in Budapest, the streets are almost empty.

We visited some of the most popular tourist locations in Budapest to see what they look like during the coronavirus quarantine. Here you can see the pictures we made during our little excursion.

Coronavirus pictures from Budapest

Szechenyi Budapest — The Szechenyi thermal bath is closed.

Andrassy Budapest — The Andrassy út in Budapest

The Fishermen's bastion in Budapest — The Fishermen’s bastion in Budapest

Gellert hill Budapest — Beautiful spring colors in Budapest

The view is still amazing at the Gellert Hill

We hope these images will cheer you up! We hope for the coronavirus to disappear as quickly as possible, and once again make it possible to visit Budapest!

If you want to get the latest news about the coronavirus in Budapest and Hungary, click the link.

Hungary will be closed for tourists as of today!

Posted on March 16, 2020March 16, 2020 by Budapest Guide

The Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced that Hungary will close its borders for all private persons who are not Hungarian. As a result, tourists will no longer be able to enter the country.

As a result, there will be closed doors for tourists, meaning that they will no longer be able to enter the country. Local restaurants who have suffered a lot already will suffer even more because of this. But, there is even more.

As of today, restaurants, bars, and other stores will have to close at 15.00. The only exceptions are pharmacies, grocery stores, and those closely related to those categories.

Some theaters and cinemas have been living with the chance to have gatherings for crowds with less than 100 people. But, as of today, they will have to close as well.

Viktor Orban also said that so far it has only been about individual cases of the coronavirus in Hungary. It is expected, however, that in the coming days and weeks it will turn into crowds.

For more news on the coronavirus in Budapest and Hungary, check this article!

Six new people diagnosed with the Coronavirus in Hungary

Posted on March 14, 2020March 14, 2020 by Budapest Guide

At the daily update on March 14, we have been told that the number of people diagnosed with the Coronavirus in Hungary has now grown to 25. That means an increase of six persons since yesterday. This is the biggest increase in one day so far in Hungary.

We do not know anything about the people infected with the virus so far. But, they are all Hungarians, telling us that the virus is now spreading among people inside the country. All schools, universities, and kindergartens will be closed from Monday.

For more updates on the coronavirus in Budapest and in Hungary, check this article.

Kindergartens and schools to be closed in Hungary from March 16.

Posted on March 13, 2020March 13, 2020 by Budapest Guide

The Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced Friday evening during a live speech at Facebook that the schools and kindergartens in Hungary will be closed from March 16th.

He did not give any information about the duration, but he did expect it to be a question of months and not weeks! The universities were closed earlier this week, and now the kindergartens and schools follow in the same example.

For those attending school, there will be online courses and digital teaching. In other words, this is not a holiday, but they will study from home instead.

Viktor Orban also said that it is very important that the parents try to solve the problem of watching out for the children at home. It might be tempting to ask the grandparents for help, but considering that the virus is more dangerous for those who are old, he encouraged everyone to try to solve this without involving the grandparents.

Would you like to know more about the Covid-19 virus in Hungary? Click the link for daily updates in our main article!

Not all cinemas close because of the Coronavirus in Budapest!

Posted on March 12, 2020March 12, 2020 by Budapest Guide

Yesterday, it was said that all indoor gatherings with more than 100 people present had to be canceled. As a result, theaters, cinemas, and other cultural programs were expected to be canceled from March 12th. But, some cinemas have fixed the problem, meaning that they only sell 99 tickets to each movie. So, if you want to watch a movie in a Budapest cinema, you still have the chance!

Some cinemas remain open even though the coronavirus regulations are strict

A few weeks ago, we wrote an article dealing with the price of a cinema ticket in Budapest. We also told you how much you will have to pay for popcorn and a nachos with some salsa dip. But, did you know that you can still enjoy a movie in a Budapest cinema combined with some popcorn?

If you visit www.cinemacity.hu, you can still reserve tickets, purchase tickets, and prepare to have a nice evening out, even though people fear the coronavirus. So, they have set a limit on 99 tickets per film, meaning that there will not be more than 100 people present. In that way, they will stay clear of the regulations from the government, and those who care more about movies than about the coronavirus will have a chance to give heed to their interest.

Want to know more about the coronavirus in Hungary?

But, people will most likely stay at home. The upcoming James Bond premiere has been postponed, because of the virus. Anyone releasing a movie now will know that it will get a big minus, so I guess other big releases coming in the upcoming weeks and months might do like James Bond and postpone their premieres as well.

Three new people infected by the coronavirus in Hungary

Posted on March 12, 2020March 12, 2020 by Budapest Guide

Every day we are given information once about the progress of the coronavirus in Hungary. The daily update on March 12th tells us that three new people have been infected by the virus.

The three new people are:

A lady who has been isolated in the Szent Janos hospital for days.
A person from Iran who has been infected by one of the other people from Iran.
A Hungarian man who was infected during a recent trip to Israel.

As of today, all theaters, and cinemas are closed. Children are still attending schools and going to kindergarten. Both parents and teachers hope that the government will decide to close school and kindergartens as well, but still, that is not happening in Hungary, even though it has happened in neighboring countries such as Austria, Romania, Slovakia, and Poland.

It has also been reported about empty shelves in many grocery stores, as people prepare for isolation from crowds.

Would you like to know more about the coronavirus in Hungary? Click the link to get daily updates in our coronavirus report.