Nyiregyhaza
Introduction
Nyíregyháza is a city with county rights in northeastern Hungary and the capital of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, serving as the economic and cultural centre of the region. Its development has been ongoing since the 18th century, and it stands as the second largest city in the Northern Great Plain region.
For visitors, the city's standout attraction is Nyíregyháza Zoo, home to over 500 species and recognised throughout Europe. Plan your time around this draw, and use the city as a base for exploring the surrounding region.
Before you go
Nyíregyháza sees relatively few visitors from Britain or the United States, but it draws plenty of travellers from Poland, Ukraine and Romania, along with Hungarians themselves, so you'll find a working tourist infrastructure without a crowds of international sightseers. Many of the city's most popular attractions lie north of the centre in the suburb of Sóstó, so plan your days with that direction in mind.
Two information offices can help you orient yourself. The Tourist Information Centre (Turisztikai Információs Központ TDM Iroda) sits on Kossuth tér in the centre, and a second Tourinform point serves the Sóstó Thermal Bath area by the Water Tower on Sóstói road in the north, though the latter operates only in the summer season. Check the current opening days with either office before you set out, as they vary through the week and by season.
Getting there
Nyíregyháza is well connected to the rest of Hungary by rail and road. Direct international trains run to Kyiv, Lviv and Moscow, while domestic services leave from both Budapest Nyugati and Keleti stations roughly every hour, taking about three hours. InterCity trains require a seat reservation, which is issued automatically at the ticket counter, but seats can sell out quickly, especially at weekends when students travel to and from the capital. InterCity services also run through Debrecen (about half an hour) and Miskolc (about an hour), with further connections to Szolnok. If you skip the InterCity to Budapest, expect the journey to take closer to four hours, with more stops and a less comfortable train.
By car, the M3 motorway links Nyíregyháza directly with Budapest; from Polgár take route 36, from Miskolc routes 37 and 38, and from Debrecen route 4. The bus station sits on Petőfi tér, about 200 m north of the train station, and serves a wide range of destinations including Eger, Miskolc, Kisvárda, Sárospatak, Tokaj, Nyírbátor, Vásárosnamény and Mátészalka, with Tiszafüred on Lake Tisza reached via Debrecen. For getting around the city itself, two main taxi companies operate, both with their own apps.
Getting around
The compact, narrow centre of Nyíregyháza is easy to explore on foot, with the main sights sitting close together. The train station, however, lies about a 15- to 20-minute walk outside the centre, so arriving by rail means either walking that stretch or picking up a bus or taxi. There is no metro or tram network, so getting around beyond the centre relies on the national railway, buses and taxis.
Szabolcs Volán runs buses across the city and out to villages in the region. Nearly all buses from the train station pass through the centre, except routes 6 and 16, making them a handy link into town. For Sóstó, take bus 8 (not 8A), which leaves from both the train station and the town centre. Buy tickets from any newspaper kiosk or from the driver at an extra cost, so buying before you board is cheaper. Bolt and Szabolcs Taxi both operate in the city with their own apps, convenient for the station-to-centre hop or for reaching Sóstó. If you are driving in, the M3 motorway connects the city directly to Budapest, and the centre is bordered by a small boulevard and a ring road.
Where to stay
Most of Nyíregyháza's accommodation clusters around Sóstógyógyfürdő, the leafy, lakeside quarter north of the centre, where several hotels sit near the forest and the water. Hotel Dzsungel, west of the lake beside the zoo, has rooms and suites with private bathrooms, while Pangea Hotel stands next to Sóstó Lake on the edge of the zoo. Hotel Furdohaz occupies the lake's north shore, Hotel Barbizon sits near the forest, and Hotel Pagony, northeast of town near the main highway, offers a wellness and conference setup with rooms ranging from singles to apartments and suites. The Kis Vakond children's and youth camp, also in Sóstógyógyfürdő, provides a quiet, forest-and-lake setting with sports and games facilities, playground and supervised activities, and is suitable for disabled guests.
If you'd rather stay in the city proper, the Korona Hotel puts you in the centre, with air-conditioned rooms and an event hall, and is used by both tourists touring the eastern part of the country and business travellers. The Bessenyei Hotel, a short distance north, has air-conditioned rooms including some adapted for guests with disabilities. Further out, Zsindelyes Cottage lies in the countryside at Érpatak.
Food & drink
As throughout Hungary, you will find plenty of places to eat gyros in Nyíregyháza, but the local version differs from what you might expect: in the Nyíregyháza region the gyros is always served inside a large hot dog bun with chicken meat rather than in a pita. For cheap everyday meals, look to the budget spots scattered around the centre and beyond, among them Csillag Ételbár on Szarvas utca, Óriás Hambi és Gyri Bár on Kossuth utca, Nyíri Fészek Kisvendéglő on Rákóczi utca, Belvárosi Főzi on Bercsényi utca and Menza Restaurant on Sóstói út.
When you want to sit down for something more substantial, the mid-range options include Hedonist Restaurant on Benczúr Gyula tér, Keszegsütő on Dózsa György utca and Boatclub on Belső körút. For a drink, John Bull Pub on Dózsa György utca, across the street from City Hall, has a fantastic selection of Hungarian food and beer; locals rarely come here, and the restaurant is mostly frequented by foreign businessmen.
What to see and do
Nyíregyháza itself has few must-see sights, but its squares and parks make for pleasant walks, and there are a handful of small museums and collections to fill an afternoon. The Jósa András Museum is the city's main museum, with permanent exhibits on the painter Gyula Benczúr, the author Gyula Krúdy, the museum's founder Jósa András, the history of Nyíregyháza up to World War I, the Hungarian huszárs and the history of money. Elsewhere downtown you can find the Greek Catholic Art Collection, with relics of the Hungarian Greek Catholic church, the Kállay Collection, devoted to items relating to and owned by former prime minister Miklós Kállay, and a collection tracing a century of water engineering in the county. The city's religious diversity shows in its downtown places of worship: a Greek Catholic church, a Roman Catholic temple, a Reformed church, a Lutheran church and a restored Orthodox synagogue that is no longer in use but can be visited.
Most visitors gravitate to Sóstó, where the Open Air Museum preserves the architecture and customs of rural life in the region from a hundred years ago and often hosts festivals and events. The Nyíregyházi Zoo nearby is considered one of the best in the country, with animals from Africa, North America and the polar regions. Sóstó, Hungarian for "Salt Lake", is also the centre of the city's bathing culture: Aquarius is a waterpark divided into thermal, experience, sauna and children's worlds, the Spa park has several pools, a giant slide and a mini-golf course, the Sóstó bathhouse has mineral pools, a jacuzzi and a sauna, and the Lakeside baths are your only chance to swim in the lake itself. Downtown, the Júlia Bath is the city's only bathhouse, cheaper and busier than those in Sóstó, with a large swimming pool and an outdoor thermal pool. In September the Nyírség Autumn and Fruit Carnival opens with parade floats made entirely of fruit grown in the region, plus free concerts in Kossuth square. You can also catch plays in Hungarian at the Móricz Zsigmond town theatre, watch the local soccer team, Spartacus, at the city stadium, or try a selection of premium pálinka at a tasting.
When to go
Nyíregyháza has a humid continental climate, so your timing depends on whether you prefer heat or cold. July is both the hottest and the wettest month of the year, pairing genuine warmth with the most rain you'll see at any point on the calendar. If you visit in summer, pack for both heat and showers rather than expecting long dry spells.
January sits at the opposite extreme: it is the coldest month and also the driest, bringing hard winter cold with little precipitation. A winter visit here is stark and quiet, so plan around the chill rather than around rain or snow.
Three days in Nyiregyhaza
Day one: Start in the centre of Nyíregyháza, using Kossuth as your orientation point, and call in at the Tourist Information Centre (Turisztikai Információs Központ TDM Iroda) or Tourinform for maps and local advice. From there, plan a gentle introduction to the city on foot, getting a feel for the streets of this Northern Great Plain city in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg. If you arrive by train, note that InterCity services connect Nyíregyháza with Budapest Nyugati and Keleti, as well as Debrecen, Miskolc and Szolnok, and direct links reach Kyiv, Lviv and Moscow.
Day two: Give the day to Sóst, the leafy resort area on the edge of the city. Visit Nyíregyháza Zoo, one of the largest in Europe and a major draw for visitors from Britain, the United States, Poland, Ukraine and Romania as well as many Hungarians. Afterwards, unwind at the Sóstó Thermal Bath, and look out for the Water Tower as a landmark of the Sóstói area.
Day three: Check what is on at the Tourist Information Centre before deciding how to spend your last day, then use the remaining time to explore more of Nyíregyháza at an easy pace. If you are continuing your journey, the rail connections from the city make it straightforward to move on to Debrecen, Miskolc or Szolnok, or further afield.