Szeged.
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Overview

Szeged is a Hungarian city in the Csongrád-Csanád County. The third largest city in the country, it is sometimes called "the city of sunshine", for its brilliant weather. It is known for the imposing cathedral, a wealth of Art Nouveau and historicist buildings, and for the fish soup Halászlé.

Understand

Szeged lies on Hungary's south-eastern border, just south of the mouth of the Maros river on both banks of the river Tisza. It is about 171 km south of Budapest on the M5 highway. It is the lowest elevation city in the country and is known as the "City of Sunshine", because it has the most sunny days throughout the year. Szeged is the main city in Csongrád-Csanád county and serves as a commercial and cultural center of the region. The city's population was around 170 000 in 2011.

Szeged's Open Air Theatre Festival held in the summer attracts people from all over Europe. Szeged is also famous for its gastronomy. Its delicious fish soup is known all over the world, and it has its own festival in September. One of the main attractions of Szeged is the River Tisza, that offers possibilities to do different water sports or boat trips. While boasting hundreds years of history, Szeged has been rebuilt almost entirely after the flood of 1879, which destroyed most of the city. Today, with its avenues, ring roads and beautiful palaces, Szeged is one of the nicest Hungarian cities.

Tourist Information. Today's Szeged is an important university town and a popular tourist attraction. Services of the office: reservation of accommodation, Wine and Gastronomical Tourism, facultative programmes, professional and field trips. Information about accommodation, restaurants, transport, programmes, attractions and services in the local, region or national perspective. Ask about tours to the area (Szeged-Tape: Árpád Age settlement (12th century), Szeged - Kiskundorozsma (remains of a Benedictine monastery), Fehér (White) Lake (Hungary's largest, 14 km² alkaline lakes, fish ponds today), Ópusztaszer (first national legislation and the location of the conquering Hungarians, a great open air exhibit area), Röszke (15km south-west of Szeged, between the Tisza River backwater dragnet, and the Serbian frontier), Subotica and Palic (City of Vojvodina, the second most populous city in the settlements associated with about 150,000 inhabitants, significant number Hungarian minority live there), Bird Garden of Zákányszék (The decorative bird park (first in Hungary) tiny finches, colorful parrots, rare pheasants, peacocks, Australian ratites.) Spoken languages (in office): English, German, Spanish.

Information Pavilion. Information about accommodation, restaurants, transport, programmes, attractions and services in the local.

Get in

If you are flying to Hungary, you will most likely be arriving to the Liszt Ferenc International Airport in Budapest and you will want to take the M5 highway South to Szeged. It will take 1½-2 hours to drive from the airport. You must get a sticker for your car to drive on the highway, which you can buy at any gas station (ask for "matrica").

Szeged has a parking zone system, parking tickets are available from newsagent's, local stores, etc.

By train It takes about 2 hours to travel by train from Budapest Nyugati train station to Szeged. These trains also stop at Ferihegy, the station for Budapest Liszt Ferenc Airport, meaning it isn't necessary to travel into the centre of Budapest if travelling to Szeged from the airport. Additionally, there are regional cross-border trains from Subotica in Serbia.

The nearest major international airport is Budapest. Another option, albeit a less convenient one, is Timișoara, airport, located across the Hungary-Romania border. A minor base for Wizz Air, there are also flight to Bucharest and Munich. There are no public transport options, but driving takes about an hour.

Get around

Szeged lies on the banks of Tisza river. The western side is generally referred to as "Szeged", while the newer eastern side is called "Új-szeged" ("New Szeged").

There are further parts of the city, which you can think of as districts (although they do not work as districts): Belváros (the center of the city, downtown), Alsóváros, Móraváros, Rókus, Újrókus, Fölsőváros, Tarján, Fodor-kert, Petőfi-telep, Makkosház, Baktó, Tápé, Újszeged, Odessza, Marostői kiskertek, Klebelsberg telep, Kecskés István telep, Iparváros, Béke-telep, Baktó.

Public transportation For the size of the city, Szeged has a really good public transportation network. Within the city you can get around by cabs (taxi), trams (villamos), trolley buses (trolibusz) or autobus (autóbusz). If you wish to use these types of public transportation, you will need to find out about their routes, stops and schedules. During the work week, in the busy hours, within the city, most public transportation vehicles will leave every 10–15 minutes.

Schedules Schedule of public transport: Schedule of City buses Schedule of buses leaving and arriving to Szeged Schedule of trolley buses and trams

Tickets There's no difference in the tickets for the different types of transportation methods. You can usually purchase tickets from the driver, for which you will always have to get on the vehicle using the frontmost door. On trams, you can also purchase tickets on board using your credit card (Visa or MasterCard only). You can also purchase weekly and monthly passes as well as single-trip tickets from various kiosks and newspaper stands throughout the city. These passes will be valid for all 3 types of public transportation, so you can travel by trams, trolley buses and buses. There are also discounts offered to students and seniors.

Taxi There are a few taxi services in the city. You can call and "order" one to your location. The drivers may not speak English, but should be able to get you where you want to go.

Parking when visiting city center by car you can use:

There are parkimeters in the whole city center. The official web is: SzePark, with English version available.

See

Cathedral of Our Lady of Hungary. This twin-spired church serves as the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Szeged–Csanád. After the great flood of 1879 the municipal board made a vow to erect a monumental Votive Church. It was built between 1913 and 1930, in neo-Romanesque style according plans of Frigyes Schulek and Erno Foer. It is the fourth largest church in Hungary. The dome is 54 m outside (33 m above the inside floor) and the towers are both 91 m high. The cathedral decorated inside and outside with numerous mosaics, statues and low-reliefs. Europe's third largest church organ with over nine thousand pipes is in the Cathedral. One of the most remarkable artistic work among the inside statues is "Christ on the Cross" by János Fadrusz which won Grand Prix in Paris in 1900. Another curiosity is on the ceiling of the sanctuary where Maria is depicted dressed in shepherd's felt cloak and Szeged slippers in mosaics. In the crypt of the Cathedral eminent clerical personalities are buried. The "Heroes' bell" (or bell of St. Gellert) in the tower on the Tisza side weights 8600 kg,-made in 1927,-only seven times per year used. The second biggest bell of the church is 'St. Emeric', (2669kg, made in 1927) and there are more three smaller bells. Walk around clockwise start at the main entrance (from Cathedral square), Chapel of St. Demetrius, altarpiece of St. Joseph of Kalazant, St. Stephen's side altar, War of the gate (left side, mid part, above the inscription: "Vae Victis" - "Woe to the defeated!"), Cross Fadrusz or Christ on the Cross sculpture (see above), St. Gerard altar, Sacred Heart altar, on the left side of main altar is the St. Demetrius relic shop, before the main altar is the altar with St. Gerard relics, on right of the main altar is the sacristy, St. Anthony altar, Holy Cross altar, gravestone of Klebelsberg, Gate of Peace (side entrance, above the inscription: "Venite adoremus" - "Come, let us worship"), St. Ladislaus side altar, an altar painting of 'Women at the cross', chapel of 'Maria, the Helper'.

Serbian Orthodox Church. This beautiful Baroque church made by János Popovics was erected in honour of St. Nicolas. The icons displaying Baroque influence, the smoke of incense, the candlelight contributes to a special atmosphere.

St. Michael's Church of Tápéi. A Roman Catholic Church built in 1390s, in Gothic style, using the walls of 11th-century church. Remains from this period can be seen at buttressed, early Gothic sanctuary and the lower part of the tower of church. The Baroque transept (main nave) and the tower was built in 1770. The present nave dates from 1940. The fresco fragments of the sanctuary

Szeged Synagogue. It is a 1907 building designed by the Jewish Hungarian architect Lipót Baumhorn. The building one of the finest examples of the unique fin de siecle Hungarian blending of Art Nouveau and Historicist styles sometimes known as Magyar style. It served Szeged's large Neolog community. Inside: its 48.5m tall domed ceiling, draws on multiple historical styles to produce its overall mixed Art Nouveau and Moorish Revival style. The rib-like wall above the organ has Gothic origins, while the columns supporting the galleries are Roman. The interior is decorated with painted stained glass, all of them are the work of the artist Miksa Róth. The design of the Torah Ark alludes to the Holy of Holies in the Temple of Solomon by using sittim wood from the banks of Nile, the wood called for in the building of the Temple of Solomon in 1 Kings. The hinges are in the shape of the Hysop plant, a plant used in the ancient Temple service. The artistically carved pews, the harmonizing blue, gold and ivory-while decorations were made according to the designs of Immanuel Löw.

Church of St. Roch. A Roman Catholic church. The neo-Gothic Szent Rókus Church has two towers, built by Ferenc Raichle in accordance with Sándor Aigner's and Károly Rainer's design in 1910.

The New Reformed church. The new Calvinist church planned in 1928. Completed only in 1944. Its dominant brick facade, was built of row. The tower of church has a flight of stone stairs leading up to the main entrance decorated with multiple orders of arches, above which there is a triangle with the Calvinist symbol of the flagged lamb made of coloured mosaics in it. The face of the clock tower is constructed of small illuminated squares. Above it there is the bell chamber with arched windows and an all-round corridor; the tower of 41m height is crowned with a small cap and a star.

Demetrius Tower. The oldest building in Szeged. The foundation was most probably laid during the 11th century, while the lower part was built in Romanesque style from the 12th century, and the upper part in Gothic style from the 13th century. The tower was once part of the former Szent Dömötör templom (St. Demetrius church). The upper part was rebuilt from the original stones in 1926. The architecture of the tower is similar to another found in Southern France, or in the territory of the former Byzantine Empire. Outside on the upper part, there are 48 pointed windows in three levels. On the lower part, a gate was cut and turned to a baptismal chapel in 1931. Above the gate there is a replica of the oldest sculpture in Szeged, the "Kőbárány" (stone lamb), an Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) representation from the early 12th century. The replica replaced the original sculpture in 1991. Inside the tower, there is a fresco by Vilmos Aba-Novák of the baptism of Hungarians in the 11th century

Saint Nicholas Church. The building of the Roman Catholic church was completed in 1767, in Late Baroque, based on the plans of the architect Vencel Lechner.

Szent Gellért church. A Roman Catholic church. It was built in 1975, in Modern style, designed by István Tarnai.

Reformed church of Kálvin square. built in 1884

Reformed church of Petőfi Telep (Petőfi Telepi Református Templom), 6727 Szeged, Sirály utca 14.

Alsóvárosi Church and Monastery. In the center of Alsóváros district stands an over 500-year-old group of buildings: a Franciscan church and monastery. The church was completed in 1503 in Gothic style. There are two icons of Maria in the Franciscan church of Alsóváros. One of them is placed in the baroque main altar. The other icon is the Black Mary.

Church of Saint Elisabeth of Hungary. A Roman Catholic church. Built in Neo-Gothic style, in 1910. The main tower was over 30 m high with towers on both sides. The length of the church in the interior is 21 m and it’s 13 m wide. The building’s height is 12 m. In order to construct a main altar, two side altars and a pulpit in New-Gothic style material from the nearby Rochus church in Szeged was delivered to the district New Szeged. The main altar presented the church patron Saint Elisabeth while the right main altar was devoted to the Virgin Mary. On the left side there was a Saint Cross altar erected. The confessional and the cupboard in the vestry were built by József Jamrik. The organ was purchased from the local organ building manufacture of János Szoukenik.

Ferenc Mora Art Museum. - works by Hungarian painters like: Munckacsy, Istvan Csok, Rudnay, Josef Rippl-Ronai and Szeged Synagogue.

Pick Salami and Szeged Paprika Museum. Industrial History Museum

Black House. A branch of Ferenc Mora Museum.

Matthias Varga's Exhibition House of Theatre.

Gróf-palace. Designed Raichle J. Ferenc, in 1912-13

Water tower. This is the oldest reinforced concrete building in Hungary.

Reök Palace. This has an Art Nouveau facade, with balconies and wrought iron railings.

National Theatre of Szeged. This is the main theatre of Szeged, built in 1883 by the well-known company of Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer in Eclectic and Neo-baroque style.

Monuments of Széchenyi square. #2 Photo Studio (Fotóműterem), #2/a Aigner house I., #3 Popper house, #9 Zsótér house, #16 Aigner house II.

Monuments of Lechner square. #2/a Raffay house , #2/b Szígyártó house, #9 Saint Rosalia Chapel (Szent Rozália-kápolna)

Somogyi Károly Városi és Megyei Könyvtár Püspöki palota Indóház tér és vasúti pályaudvar Dorozsmai szélmalom (ipari műemlék) Egyetemi Füvészkert Szegedi Csillagvizsgáló Szegedi Vadaspark Szent István-szobor Gőzfürdő (Anna-fürdő), Tisza Lajos körút 24. * Márer-ház, Tisza Lajos körút Móricz-ház, Szent Mihály u. 9. Szeged Állomás, Indóház tér Ungár-Mayer-palota, Kárász u. 16. built in 1910-1911 Raichle-palota, Szentháromság u. 2. Lakóház, Mikszáth Kálmán u. 4. Wagner-kripta, Belvárosi temető Tűzoltólaktanya, Kossuth Lajos sugárút Kárász street - main street, downtown Tisza river

Do

Open-air theater In the summer you don't want to miss the famous "Open-Air Festival". It is called open-air, because the Dóm square is turned into a stage with seats. It usually starts around the beginning of July and ends sometime in August. The shows play for about a week and then they change.

Festivals There are several events taking place in Szeged during the summer. The best way to find out about their times is from the free local magazine (called "Szegedi Est") that you can find in most restaurants, bars, clubs and cinemas. Wine Festival Beer Festival Days of Szeged Hungaricum Festival

Szegedi Ifjusagi Napok (SZIN) - Szeged Youth Days. An open-air festival with Hungarian and international bands, held every year at Partfürdö in late Aug.

There are two main theaters in Szeged. One the main one is close to the museum, near to the bridge in downtown. The smaller theater is also near-by, a few blocks from there.

Belvárosi Cinema. A traditional, old, large movie theater. It has been upgraded and offers 3D movies.

Cinemacity: in the Szeged Pláza shopping mall.

Baths and pools Like some other Hungarian towns, Szeged also has thermal baths. The two best known are:

Anna Bath. It has been renovated and offers an amazing experience . The bath has two sections, which offer various natural, thermal water based pools, spas, saunas. The younger (mainly 20-30s) crowd enjoys visiting the bath's Night Swimming events every Monday, Wednesday, Friday night 21:00-00:00. The entry fees are half-priced for these events (about Ft900).

Thermal. is an older, indoor thermal bath.

Other See the city from the air: head out to the local airport. You can select from various airplane tours ranging that last about 15 minutes to 1½ hours around the city. They also have programs when they let you fly the airplane. Go-cart: The Szeged Go-Cart ring is on the road 47, outbound from Szeged, just before the junction of M43 and 47. The track is made of old tires in an old parking lot, and is about 800 m in length. Prices are reasonable. Biking: Along the eastern bank of the Tisza river runs a paved bicycle path; the route is quite scenic and peaceful once you get away from the city a bit. If you head south for seven to eight kilometers, you'll reach the Serbian border, which you can't cross, of course. You can rent a bicycle from the tourist information office.

MolnAir Ballooning. Hot air balloon flights over Szeged. Meeting in Szeged airport.

Buy

Spar supermarkets. Buying everyday products (especially groceries) could be cheaper than in other European countries like Britain, France, Italy or Germany.

Lidl discount store. A supermarket chain. Buying everyday products (especially groceries) could be cheaper than in other European countries like Britain, France, Italy or Germany. Most electronic equipment like iPods and computers are, however, considerably more costly here.

ALDI discount store (ALDI diszkontáruház)

Shopping mall. several shops closed as of june 2024. Also some fast food restaurants. Budget shopping.

Eat

Szeged is famous for its local, traditional food. The most famous of all is probably the Fisherman's soup (Halászlé), which is made from various freshwater fish using lots of paprika (this is not necessarily spicy, but you can definitely order it that way).

Szeged is also known for its good quality sausage and salami. Pick is Szeged's own brand, which is also exported to various countries around the world. Make sure that you try the famous "Pick salami". You can buy these products at most local grocery stores and smaller, family-owned 24/7 stores.

If you are looking for international food, just check the local grocery stores. You shouldn't have too much problem finding anything from around the world. Even Americans can find their favorite cream cheese and peanut butter and jelly if they look around.

The quality of the food varies by restaurants, but is good in general. Meats and cheese can be found at most places, and they are often breaded and fried. If you go to a standard restaurant, the portions will be generous and more than enough to feed an adult.

There are lots of fast food places in the city. The most popular ones are local pizza restaurants, which are all around town. Some of them, which are open until the morning hours, are popular gathering places for the late night crowd. Of course, the international fast food chains are also present (Burger King, McDonald's, etc.), they are popular mostly among younger people. Compared to the local fast food places, these chains offer smaller portions for higher prices.

Templomkert Étterem és Söröző Szeged.

Traditional Szeged-style fish restaurants The traditional fisherman's restaurants are a great choice for visitors. Locals also visit these on a regular basis because of their excellent fish soup and wide selection of good other food. There are three main fishmerman's restaurants in town.

Kiskőrössy Halászcsárda. This is an excellent choice in the warmer months, because you can enjoy your meal next to the river and quite often they will also have musicians perform traditional Hungarian folkmusic or Gypsy music for the guests. You'd probably want to catch a cab to get to this restaurant, and then use another cab to get back to your hotel.

Fehértói Fish Tavern. This restaurant breeds its own fish and is known for its excellent fish soup. Their prices are reasonable as well.

Gőry restaurant. Extra large portions of food, which are almost impossible to eat all at once. Food is excellent. Prices: higher than usual

Cirmi Gastropub. Serving what you might expect at a gastropub, has gained some acclaim for its burgers.

Alabárdos. They have a nice restaurant section and a separate section just for grabbing a beer or tasting wine. Food is good.

Hungary has very good home made style pastries and cookies. Szeged has a few bakeries around town that have excellent food selection. Ordering is quite simple, since most of the baked goods are displayed behind a glass window. They are usually freshly baked. Just point and pick what your eyes like and enjoy. Some of the more popular pastry shops around town:

Hatos Rétes. on Klauzál square, known for strudels ("rétes" in Hungarian).

Z. Nagy Cukrászda. One of the best pastry shops in the city, where most of the locals go to. You can find it under József Attila sugárút 24.

Drink

John Bull Pub. Great place to grab a beer with clients or friends, and can be an excellent choice for a romantic dinner. They have a big menu, with a good selection. Prices: high

Coffee shops Coffee shops are very popular among students. There are quite a few in town, where the younger crowd likes to meet up to study or talk.

Szeged is a University town and it has a very active night life throughout the school year. The high school and college crowd gets mixed up at most places, although some clubs try to target specific age groups with their events.

Most places have entrance fees, but offer discounts if you have a student ID. Regular fees are around 500-1000 Forints depending on the day of the week, the place and the event.

Parties are advertised to start early at night, but the crowd doesn't start to gather really until about midnight or 01:00, and usually party until the morning. This is true even on weekdays (for example Wednesday is a very big party night). Many times people meet at local pubs for a drink and talks before hitting these places.

GinTonic. It has dance nights every Friday. It is in the same block as Retro, but on the other side of the building. This is a highly popular party place among foreign students who study in the city. They usually play the latest popular dance songs.

JATE Klub. This is one of the popular university clubs that is open during the day as well as at night. There is a large bar section and several dance floors with different types of music. Concerts and other cultural events are also common here. If the evening appears to be slow, the crowd might go over to the SZOTE Klub (which is true vice-versa). The high school and college crowd blends really well in this place. They play all types of music from alternative through the latest popular dance songs to older Hungarian favorites.

Retro. A newer coffee house, that turns into a dance club at night. Dance nights are held on Fridays and Saturdays. The place mostly attracts graduates, late 20s and above. They like to play songs from the 1980s, 1990s and today's hits.

Sing-Sing. This is one of the largest dance clubs in Southern Hungary. It is right next to Szeged's main bus station and farmer's market. This club usually attracts the younger high-school crowd (their average age is probably around 20). It is well known for its semi-monthly nude (both male and female) dance shows, concerts with invited guests and teen parties. They usually play the latest dance hits.

Sandor Pub (Sándor Söröző), Csap Str. 1. (Petőfi-telep its, old name Somogyi-telep or Tápé, about 300 meters from the Tisza River) This is one of the smallest dance clubs. It operates once a month (Szintipop Retró-Video Buli Klub with karaoke).

Sleep

You will have various choices to stay at while in Szeged. The city has some larger and more expensive hotels, but there are quite a few cheaper and comparable places where you can stay.

Budget In Szeged, and in most other, bigger Hungarian cities you can find a cheap room in college dorms. Most places will let you pay cash and stay for a few days. There are a few of these around town and the best way to find one is probably to ask one of the younger, "student looking" locals.

Dennis Gabor College. Capacity: 280 people.

Balassi Institute College of Aaron Martin. Occupancy: Jul-Aug 40 rooms/120 beds. During the year: three double guest rooms with refrigerator, toilet, shower. Also email

Berdi-Bene Guesthouse. The rooms have two or three beds, but are also rentable for one or two persons. The rooms have Internet access. All of the room has its private bathroom. Big courtyard.

Madzsar Jozsef College. Year-round guest apartment, a guest room and a few dorm rooms for 4-10 persons; Jul 1-Aug 31 for 139 persons, double dorm rooms with sink and built-in wardrobe; triple-suite dorm room; guest rooms: one bed, kitchenette. On every floor there is a lounge with TV, toilets, showers, kitchen. Guest apartments: apartment with one double and one single room with private entrance, bath, bathroom, kitchen. 24-hour reception service; closed storage for bicycles and motorcycles; courtyard parking, free Wi-Fi internet, laundry facilities; kitchen on each floor, electric cooker, microwave oven, refrigerator; fitness room, computer room; soft drinks and coffee machines.

Mora Ferenc College. Open only Jul 1-Aug 31. The rooms have three beds, but also rentable for one or two persons. The rooms have Internet access, refrigerator and sink compartment, the showers and toilets are in the hallway. There are a limited number room and apartments with private bath or shower.In the neighbourhood there are two restaurants: the Egyetemi Étterem and the Blues Kert.

Hotel Bella. Number of rooms/beds: 25/48. Five single rooms, 19 double rooms, two double with extra bed, 1 apartment (with two rooms) 25900

Matrix Hotel Szeged. Elegant and friendly rooms. 11 double bedrooms, 3 of which can be supplied with extra beds.

The bigger hotels are usually closer to downtown. Szeged is not that big in size and you can probably walk or use public transportation to most places.

Hotel Tisza. An older, but renovated hotel in an excellent. 45 rooms and 5 suites, some air-conditioned, with colonial style furniture, in-room high-speed internet access, mini-fridge, bathroom amenities, cable TV channels and Cardo mattress. Room prices include buffet breakfast, WiFi Internet access in the room. Half or full pension can be provided in the neighbouring restaurant, Port Royal Restaurant, according to previous accordances.

Hotel Dóm. A newer hotel. 16 rooms. Air-conditioned rooms, a nice restaurant, sauna, jacuzzi and a parking lot. Dóm Restaurant has a wide selection of traditional Hungarian and international dishes. The restaurant is suitable for 55 people. There is a small meeting room which is suitable for 20 people. Room prices include buffet breakfast, use of the hotel spa facilities (jacuzzi, sauna, infrared sauna, massage bed), Wi-Fi, Air conditioning use.

City Hotel Szeged. Elegant rooms and intimate restaurant Rézangyal Bistro. The 12 rooms provide a beautiful panorama, and are equipped with televisions, safe and wifi connection.

Hunguest Hotel Forrás. In Újszeged, on the Tisza River's opposite side from downtown. The hotel has an indoor thermal bath, which is open around the whole year.

Hotel Mozart. Four-star hotel, air-conditioned rooms with LCD TV, minibar, safe, kettle, bathroom scales, -Wi-Fi and Internet access, breakfast.