Debrecen
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At a glance
- Country
- Hungary
- Region
- Hajdú-Bihar
- Population
- 200,000
- Best time to go
- May to September
- Main airport
- Debrecen International (DEB)
- Coordinates
- 47.53°N, 21.63°E
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Overview
Hungary's second city is the capital of the Great Hungarian Plain and a historic stronghold of Protestantism, once nicknamed the Calvinist Rome. Its broad main square, Kossuth tér, is dominated by the twin towers of the Reformed Great Church.
Debrecen is a university city with a relaxed pace, a large wooded park and thermal baths. It also makes the ideal base for exploring the open grasslands of Hortobágy National Park.
Things to see
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Photo: Nicu Farcaș, CC BY-SA 3.0 Reformed Great Church
A huge yellow neoclassical church where Lajos Kossuth proclaimed Hungary's independence from the Habsburgs in 1849.
Tickets and tours -
Reformed College
A historic Protestant college behind the church, with a fine old library and a museum of its history.
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Photo: eospower, CC BY 2.5 hu Déri Museum
The city's main museum, best known for Mihály Munkácsy's monumental paintings of the Passion of Christ.
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Photo: Kossuthzsuzsa at Hungarian Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 Nagyerdő
The Great Forest, a large park north of the centre with a lake, zoo, baths and university buildings.
Things to do
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Photo: Andreas Poeschek , fotografikus.hu, CC BY 2.0 at Hortobágy National Park
Grey cattle, horsemen and the famous Nine-Arch Bridge on Hungary's open puszta, about half an hour west.
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Photo: Björn Láczay, CC BY-SA 2.0 Flower Carnival
Every 20 August, floats decorated with thousands of flowers parade through the city centre.
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Photo: Photo by David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0 Thermal baths
Soak in the spa pools in Nagyerdő after a day of sightseeing.
Find tours
Where to stay
City centre
Around Piac utca and Kossuth tér, close to the sights, cafés and tram line.
Hotels in City centreNagyerdő
Leafy and quiet, with spa hotels next to the park.
Hotels in Nagyerdő
Getting around
Trams and trolleybuses run through the centre and out to Nagyerdő, and the centre is easy to walk.
Trains from Budapest take around two and a half to three hours; from the small airport a taxi to the centre takes about 15 minutes.
When to go
May to September is warm, with the Flower Carnival in August. Summers on the plain can be hot, and winters are cold.
Plan your trip to Debrecen
Guide last checked October 2026. Opening times and prices change, so check before you go.