In this guide
💡 The Short Version: June to August are the warm months, with average highs of 26.6 to 28.6°C, and July and August have 24 days a month of 25°C or more. June is the wettest at 60.0 mm. May and September are milder, with highs of 22.9°C and 22.7°C. Sziget Festival runs 10 to 14 August 2027. The Christmas markets open on 13 November 2026; see Budapest Christmas markets. Easter Sunday is 28 March 2027, and 20 August is a public holiday with fireworks. The Hungarian Grand Prix is in late July or early August, with the dates on hungaroring.hu. Or book a tour: the Christmas market walkad is from £76.49 (GetYourGuide).
Budapest month by month
Weather is the 1991 to 2020 average for Budapest-belterület, the city-centre station in the Second District of HungaroMet, the Hungarian Meteorological Service, calculated from its daily open data (odp.met.hu). Highs and lows are the monthly average maximum and minimum in °C, rain is the month’s total, and rain days are days with 1 mm or more. Daylight is the length of the day on the 15th, from the US Naval Observatory (aa.usno.navy.mil).
| Month | High / low | Rain | Rain days | Daylight | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.1 / -1.2 | 34.0 mm | 6.0 | 8 h 52 min | The coldest month, with frost on 18.2 nights. 1 January is a public holiday. The Basilica Christmas market runs to 1 January |
| February | 6.6 / 0.1 | 30.6 mm | 6.0 | 10 h 17 min | The driest month. No public holiday and no event on this page |
| March | 11.8 / 3.6 | 31.3 mm | 5.7 | 11 h 51 min | 15 March is a public holiday (Monday 15 March 2027). Good Friday is 26 March, Easter Sunday 28 March and Easter Monday 29 March 2027. The clocks go forward on 28 March |
| April | 18.2 / 8.3 | 32.5 mm | 5.7 | 13 h 37 min | The Telekom Vivicittà Spring Half Marathon is on 10 and 11 April 2027 |
| May | 22.9 / 12.6 | 57.3 mm | 8.0 | 15 h 07 min | The Gourmet Festival is at Millenáris from 27 to 30 May 2027. 1 May is a Saturday in 2027, and Whit Monday is 17 May |
| June | 26.6 / 16.2 | 60.0 mm | 6.6 | 15 h 57 min | The wettest month. The Decathlon Budapest Night Run is on Saturday 26 June 2027 at 21:00. The longest day, 21 June, has 15 h 58 min |
| July | 28.6 / 18.0 | 53.7 mm | 6.4 | 15 h 35 min | The warmest month, with 24.4 days of 25°C or more and 12.7 of 30°C or more. The Hungarian Grand Prix is in late July or early August |
| August | 28.6 / 17.7 | 54.2 mm | 5.6 | 14 h 18 min | Sziget runs from 10 to 14 August 2027. 20 August is a public holiday (Friday 20 August 2027) |
| September | 22.7 / 13.2 | 46.1 mm | 5.6 | 12 h 36 min | The Wizz Air Budapest Half Marathon is on Sunday 5 September 2027. The Wine Festival ran from 9 to 12 September in 2026 |
| October | 16.8 / 8.6 | 44.1 mm | 6.0 | 10 h 55 min | The SPAR Budapest Marathon is on 10 and 11 October 2026, and National Restaurant Week runs from 1 to 18 October. 23 October is a public holiday. The clocks go back on 25 October 2026 and 31 October 2027 |
| November | 10.1 / 4.3 | 46.3 mm | 7.1 | 9 h 20 min | 1 November is a public holiday (a Sunday in 2026, a Monday in 2027). The Christmas markets open on 13 November 2026 |
| December | 4.6 / -0.2 | 38.7 mm | 7.0 | 8 h 28 min | 25 and 26 December are public holidays. The sun sets at 15:55 on 21 December. See Budapest Christmas markets |
The weather in numbers
- Warmth: July is the warmest month, with a mean of 22.9°C and an average high of 28.6°C, a fraction ahead of August (22.7°C). A year has 93.4 days of 25°C or more, 24.4 of them in July and 24.6 in August, and 35.0 days of 30°C or more.
- Cold: January is the coldest month, with a mean of 1.1°C and an average low of -1.2°C. A year has 55.9 nights of frost, 18.2 of them in January, and 13.4 days that stay below freezing all day.
- Rain: 528.7 mm falls in a year, on 75.7 days of 1 mm or more. June is the wettest month and February the driest.
- Daylight: the days run from 07:29 to 15:55 on the shortest, 21 December 2026, and from 04:47 to 20:45 on the longest, 21 June 2027.
- Records: HungaroMet gives Budapest’s highest temperature as 41.6°C, at Újpest on 6 August 2026, and the lowest as -23.4°C, at Budapest-belterület on 11 February 1929. The national record, 42.0°C, was set at Szécsény on 30 June 2026 (HungaroMet records).
HungaroMet’s own page for Budapest uses a second station, Budapest-Pestszentlőrinc, on the south-east edge of the city near the airport. It records 586 mm of rain a year, and its July mean is 22.5°C against 22.9°C in the centre (met.hu). HungaroMet publishes no sunshine hours for Budapest.
Sziget, 10 to 14 August 2027
Sziget is a music festival held on Óbuda Island, in the Danube north of the centre. The organiser gives Tuesday 10 to Saturday 14 August 2027, with the party running to Sunday morning. A 5-day pass costs EUR 349 plus a EUR 23 handling fee, and a 21 & Under pass EUR 279 plus EUR 18 (szigetfestival.com). The handling fee applies to online sales only. The line-up is announced later.
The Hungarian Grand Prix
The Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix is at the Hungaroring, outside Budapest, in late July or early August, with the dates and tickets on hungaroring.hu. Book a hotel early for that weekend.
The Hungaroring circuit at Mogyoród. Photo: Ank Kumar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
20 August
20 August, St Stephen’s Day, is a public holiday with fireworks over the Danube; in 2027 it falls on a Friday, so the long weekend runs from 20 to 22 August. For 2026 the government’s programme put the fireworks at 21:00 and said they would last ten minutes, shorter than usual (24.hu, 12 August 2026).
New Year’s Eve and 1 January
31 December 2026 is a Thursday, and 1 January 2027 is a Friday and a public holiday. Both Christmas markets are open from 11:00 to 03:00 on 31 December. On 31 December 2024, Budapest’s tourist board said, night buses ran more often and the metro, trams 4 and 6 and the HÉV suburban railway ran all night (Budapest Info, 23 December 2024). Many restaurants change their hours around the holidays, so book.
Christmas, Easter and the spring festivals
The Christmas markets are in their own guide, Budapest Christmas markets, with the dates of each market and the hours on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve.
Fisherman’s Bastion under snow, looking south over the Danube. Photo: Andrés Nieto Porras, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Easter Sunday is 28 March 2027, with Good Friday on 26 March and Easter Monday on 29 March, both public holidays.
Food and drink dates
- National Restaurant Week: 1 to 18 October 2026, run by DiningCity, with more than 160 restaurants in Budapest and its surroundings taking part (etteremhet.hu).
- Gourmet Festival: 27 to 30 May 2027 at Millenáris (gourmetfesztival.hu).
- Budapest Wine Festival: the 35th ran from Wednesday 9 to Saturday 12 September 2026 at Buda Castle, with more than 29,000 visitors (aborfesztival.hu).
For restaurants, see where to eat in Budapest; for guided tastings, Budapest food tours compared.
Public holidays and what they close
Hungary’s public holidays are set by section 102 of the Labour Code (net.jogtar.hu).
| Holiday | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | Thu 1 Jan | Fri 1 Jan |
| 15 March | Sun 15 Mar | Mon 15 Mar |
| Good Friday | Fri 3 Apr | Fri 26 Mar |
| Easter Monday | Mon 6 Apr | Mon 29 Mar |
| 1 May | Fri 1 May | Sat 1 May |
| Whit Monday | Mon 25 May | Mon 17 May |
| St Stephen’s Day, 20 August | Thu 20 Aug | Fri 20 Aug |
| 23 October | Fri 23 Oct | Sat 23 Oct |
| 1 November | Sun 1 Nov | Mon 1 Nov |
| Christmas Day and the day after | Fri 25 and Sat 26 Dec | Sat 25 and Sun 26 Dec |
Budapest’s tourist board says that on 24, 25 and 26 December and 1 January most shops close, small non-stop shops stay open in the centre, and restaurants usually stay open, so book (Budapest Info, 23 December 2024). Thursday 24 December 2026 is a rest day for employees under a government decree, with Saturday 12 December a working day instead (10/2025 NGM decree). The Central Market Hall is closed on public holidays; its hours are in where to eat in Budapest.
Which month for what
- Warm days and long evenings: June to August, with 14 to 16 hours of daylight in the middle of each month. July and August each have about 24 days of 25°C or more.
- Mild weather for walking: May and September, with highs of 22.9°C and 22.7°C and 46.1 mm of rain in September.
- Christmas markets: 13 November 2026 to 1 January 2027. The sun sets at 16:10 on 13 November and at 15:55 on 21 December.
- Easter: Sunday 28 March 2027.
- Day trips: the trains run all year; see day trips from Budapest. Danube boats run only when the water is high enough, so check a sailing before you plan round it; see Danube river cruises.
Where to stay in Budapest compares the areas, and what to book before you go to Budapest lists the sights that need tickets. For a plan once you have the dates, see 3 days in Budapest and Budapest in one day; for the way in from the airport, airport to city; and for getting around, Budapest public transport. The Budapest Card guide says when the card pays back. For a wet or cold day, Budapest’s thermal baths compared and the Hospital in the Rock are the bookings to swap in.
Common questions
What is the best month to visit Budapest?
For warmth, June to August, with average highs of 26.6 to 28.6°C and about 20 to 25 days a month of 25°C or more. For milder weather, May and September, with highs of 22.9°C and 22.7°C. For Christmas markets, 13 November 2026 to 1 January 2027. These are HungaroMet's 1991 to 2020 averages for its city-centre station, Budapest-belterület.
What is the wettest month in Budapest?
June, with 60.0 mm, followed by May (57.3 mm), August (54.2 mm) and July (53.7 mm). February is the driest, at 30.6 mm. A year brings 528.7 mm at the city-centre station, and 586 mm at Budapest-Pestszentlőrinc, the station on the south-east edge that HungaroMet's city page uses.
When do the Budapest Christmas markets start in 2026?
On Friday 13 November 2026. The market at St Stephen's Basilica runs to 1 January 2027 and the market on Vörösmarty Square runs to New Year's Eve, both open from 11:00, with short hours on 24 December.
When is Sziget Festival in 2027?
From Tuesday 10 to Saturday 14 August 2027 on Óbuda Island, according to the organiser. A 5-day pass costs EUR 349 plus a EUR 23 handling fee.
What is a public holiday in Hungary and what does it close?
The Labour Code lists 1 January, 15 March, Good Friday, Easter Monday, 1 May, Whit Monday, 20 August, 23 October, 1 November and 25 and 26 December. Most shops close on 24, 25 and 26 December and 1 January, and Budapest's tourist board says restaurants usually stay open, so book.
