Getting Around Nyíregyháza
Nyíregyháza is the county capital of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg and the economic and cultural centre of the region, and its compact, walkable core makes it easy to explore on foot. For anything beyond the centre — the zoo, Sóstó lake, or the surrounding villages — you have a straightforward mix of buses, trains and taxis to choose from.
Walking
The city centre is small and narrow, and the main sights sit close together, so walking is the simplest way to get around once you are in town. One practical thing to know: the train station is about a 15- to 20-minute walk outside the town centre, so if you arrive by rail you will either walk that stretch or pick up a bus or taxi.
Rail
Nyíregyháza's railway station is the city's main rail gateway, with direct international services to Kyiv, Lviv and Moscow. Domestically, trains connect the city with Budapest, Debrecen, Miskolc, Szolnok and Mátészalka.
- Budapest: Trains leave from both Nyugati and Keleti stations roughly hourly, taking about three hours. InterCity services require an additional seat-reservation fee, 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. If you skip the InterCity and take a regular train, expect a journey closer to four hours with more stops, and a less clean and less comfortable ride.
- Debrecen: InterCity trains run roughly hourly and take about half an hour.
- Miskolc: InterCity trains run roughly hourly until late evening, taking about an hour.
- Szolnok: InterCity trains run roughly hourly until late evening, taking about two hours.
- Mátészalka: There are a couple of direct trains, but buses are the better option.
Note that Nyíregyháza has no metro and no tram network in operation today, so rail travel here means the national railway rather than an urban metro or tram system.
Buses and regional coaches
Szabolcs Volán runs bus services throughout the city and out to small villages in the region. Nearly all buses from the train station — except routes 6 and 16 — pass through the city centre, which makes the bus a handy link between the station and the middle of town. If you are heading to Sóstó, take bus 8 (but not 8A), which leaves from both the train station and the town centre.
The bus station (Autóbuszállomás) sits on Petőfi tér, about 200 m north of the train station, and handles longer-distance coaches as well. Useful direct regional connections include:
- Eger — a few services per day
- Fehérgyarmat — several per day
- Kisvárda — several per day, about 1 hr 25 min
- Mátészalka — roughly every half hour until around 19:00, about 1½ hr
- Miskolc — a few per day
- Nyírbátor — frequent daily services
- Sárospatak — one morning and one afternoon service
- Tokaj — one morning and one afternoon service
- Vásárosnamény — frequent daily services, about 1 hr 18 min
- Tiszafüred (Tisza Lake) via Debrecen — a few per day
Tickets and passes
Buying a ticket is simple: tickets can be purchased from any newspaper kiosk, or directly from the driver at an additional cost. Buying before you board is therefore the cheaper option.
Taxis and ride-hailing
Two main taxi companies operate in the city — Bolt and Szabolcs Taxi — and both have their own apps, so you can book a ride from your phone in the usual way. This is a convenient choice for the station-to-centre hop or for reaching Sóstó if you would rather not wait for a bus.
Arriving by car
If you are driving in, the M3 motorway connects Nyíregyháza directly to Budapest. Other approaches include route 36 from Polgár, routes 37 and 38 from Miskolc, and route 4 from Debrecen. The city sits at the crossroads of routes 4, 41, 36 and 38, which makes it easy to reach and a natural stopping point on routes toward Sub-Carpathia and Transylvania. Be aware that because of the city's junction layout, the road network is heavily loaded, and the narrow city centre is bordered by a small boulevard and surrounded by a 2x2-lane ring road.
Getting in from the airport
In practice, visitors arriving by air reach the city via the rail and coach links described above — most commonly from Budapest, where trains run roughly hourly from Nyugati and Keleti stations — or by car on the M3 motorway.