Nyíregyháza

Nyíregyháza is the county seat and largest city in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county in Eastern Hungary. Some of the most popular attractions can be found north of the city in the suburb of Sóstó. The city is mostly looked over by American and British tourists, though often visited by Polish, Ukranian, Romanian, and certainly Hungarian visitors.

Get in

Train station in Nyíregyháza

By train

Trains leave from both the Budapest Nyugati and Keleti stations several times a day. It is recommended to take one of the many InterCity trains, as the journey will take approximately three hours. You will have to pay an additional fee for your seat reservation (automatically issued at the ticket counter), but the limited seats may disappear quickly, especially on weekends when many students are travelling to and from the capital. InterCity trains run either through Debrecen or Miskolc.

If you choose not to take an InterCity, the journey will last closer to four hours as the train makes more stops. The train also will likely be less clean and less comfortable.

By car

As of August 2007 the M3 motorway will connect Nyíregyháza directly to Budapest. Otherwise from Polgár take route 36. From Miskolc take #37 to #38. From Debrecen take route #4.

Get around

Szabolcs Volán bus

The train station is located about 15-20 minute walk outside of the town center. Szabolcs Volán [1] runs bus service throughout the city and to small villages in the region as well. Nearly all the buses from the train station (except #6 and #16) run through the city center. If going to Sóstó, Bus #8 (but not #8A) leaves from the train station and town center.

All tickets can be bought from any newspaper kiosk or from the driver at an additional cost.

Another option for going to Sóstó from the train station is to take the narrow-gauge train departing from in front of the train station. This train is something like commuter rail to Sóstó, however, it doesn't run nearly as frequently as the buses.

See

The city itself is mostly devoid of must-see attractions, though you can take many pleasant walks with the squares and parks or see an exhibit or two. You will most likely want to spend most of your time in Sóstó to see the excellent Open Air Museum and the lake.

Open Air Museum of Sóstó

Museums, Galleries, and Collections

• Sóstói Múzeumfalu (Open Air Museum of Sóstó) [2] is located in the suburb of Nyíregyháza - Sóstó on Tölgyes utca 1. It wonderfully preserves the architecture and customs of rural life in the region from a hundred years ago. The museum also often holds festivals and events where visitors can step back in time and experience life the way it used to be.

• Jósa András Múzeum [3] on Benczúr tér 21. is the city's main museum and houses several permanent exhibits and occasional temporary ones. The permanent collection includes exhibits on local painter Gyula Benczúr, the life and works of local author Gyula Krúdy, the life of the museum founder Jósa András, the history of Nyíregyháza until World War I, the Hungarian calvary or huszárs, and the history of money.

• Görög Katolikus Egyházművészeti Gyűjtemény (Greek Catholic Art Collection) [[4]] on Bethlen Gábor utca 5. contains artistic relics of the Hungarian Greek Catholic church dating back as far as the 16th century.

• Felső-Tisza-vidéki Vízügyi Történeti Gyűjtemény (Water Supply Historical Collection of the Upper-Tiszanian Region) [5] on Móricz Zsigmond utca 48. contains items, photos, and portraits relating to water engineering in the county for the past 100 years.

• Kállay Gyűjtemény (Kállay Collection) on Széchenyi utca 1. contains items relating to and owned by former prime minister Miklós Kállay.

Roman Catholic Temple

Places of Worship

Nyíregyháza has long been a city of religious diversity and five different religions are represented in the downtown.

• Greek Catholic Church on Bethlen Gábor u.
• Roman Catholic Temple on the main square, Kossuth tér
• Reform Church on Kálvin tér, just south of Kossuth tér
• Lutheran Church on Luther square
• Orthodox Synagogue on Sip u. is currently not used, though recently restored and can be visited.

Do

Nyírségi Ősz- és Gyümölcskarnevál (Nyírség Autumn and Fruit Carnival) September is the best time to visit the city as the first weekend kicks off the Autumn and Fruit Carnival. Parade floats are made entirely out of fruits grown in the region. Besides the parades, free concerts are held in Kossuth square.

Sóstó fürdőház

Bath houses

Thanks mostly to Sóstó (which is Hungarian for "Salt Lake"), Nyíregyháza has many opportunities to spend time in the water, for recreation or health.

• Élményfürdő [6] (Aquapark) is a recently completed waterpark in Sóstó. It's divided into three "worlds": thermal world, which is like a traditional bathhouse; fun world, which has slides and wave pools; and children's world, designed for little children.

• Parkfürdő [7] (Park Baths) located on Bernát u. 1-3. in Sóstó is a small waterpark with 7 pools, a giant slide, a mini-golf course, and nudist bathing (only on the female side).

• Sóstó fürdőház (Sóstó bathhouse) [8] contains 2 mineral pools ideal for relaxing in, a jacuzzi, and a sauna. Certainly the most expensive of all the places in town as tickets currently start at 1,990 Ft for an adult day ticket.

• Tófürdő [9] (Lakeside Baths) are situated on the southern side of Sóstó lake and are your only chance to swim in the lake itself. Only open from July to August.

• Júlia Fürdő [10] is the only bathhouse in Nyíregyháza proper on Malom u. 19. It is cheaper than the ones in Sóstó, and as such tends to be a bit more crowded. As a plus, there is a large pool specifically for swimming and not just sitting, as well as a warm thermal pool outdoors. The steam room is included in the admission, but you have to pay extra to use the sauna.

Nyíregyházi Állatpark (Nyíregyházi Zoo) [11] is located near the #8 bus stop in Sóstó and is considered one of the best zoos in the country behind the zoo in Budapest. The zoo has a wide variety of animals from all the regions of the world, including Africa (lions, giraffes, elephants), North America (buffalo, cougars, raccoons), and the Arctic and Antarctic (polar bears, penguins).

Flea Markets there is the Piac (Market) located downtown and open daily, but the real show is every weekend by the airport. Take bus #1 and you can't miss it, hundreds of stalls selling all sorts of items, mostly of Chinese origin. This market is often frequented by Ukranians and Romanians, which only adds the adventure.

Móricz Zsigmond Színház [12] on Bessenyei tér 13. is the town theater. Plays are frequently performed here in Hungarian.

Nyíregyháza Spartacus [13] is the local soccer team nicknamed "Szpari." They play in the city stadium, just north of the downtown and easily reached by either bus #8 or #8A. The team currently plays in the NB I, Hungary's top professional league.

Nyírplaza [14] on Szegfű u. 75 is a small shopping mall outside the city center (directly accessible only by the infrequent #11 bus or walking) and contains various shops, a food court, a bowling alley, and a multiplex movie theater [15].

Eat

Gyros at the Nyíregyháza Train Station

As with all of Hungary, expect to find lots of places to eat a gyros. However, in the Nyíregyháza region you shouldn't expect the gyros to be served in a pita. It is always served inside a large hot dog bun with chicken meat.

Anno 1366 Kozepkori Etterem on Damjanich utca 6, not far from the train station, is a medieval times themed restaurant with a good variety of old-style Hungarian food. As a bonus, many foods are served to you on a sword.

John Bull Pub on Dózsa György u. 1., across the street from City Hall has a fantastic selection of Hungarian food and beer. Surprisingly, locals rarely come here and the restaurant is mostly frequented by foreign businessmen.

Rolling Rock Cafe on Luther utca 5, features both American and Hungarian food. The place gets crowded quickly--especially on the weekend--so reservations may be in order. Expect live music on weekends as well.

Royal Etterem es Pizzeria on Zrínyi Ilona utca 1 has an excellent location just off Kossuth square. They serve a large variety of pizza and pasta, but be warned: Ketchup is frequently substituted for tomato sauce.

Sleep

• Korona Hotel [16] is situated in the centre of the city became famous among tourists aiming to visit the eastern part of the country, and among the more and more numerous internal and foreign businessmen.

Get out

How to get out

• The city has direct international service to Kiev, Lviv, and Moscow. The night train to all three departs Nyíregyháza at 9:38pm.

Where to go

• Debrecen, the second largest city in the country is located just south of the city.
• Tokaj, Hungary's most famous wine region.
• Miskolc, the third largest city in Hungary located near the Bükk hills.
• Mátészalka, the second-largest town in the county famous for its early 20th century Jewish history and its vibrant flea-market.

This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!