Szeged
Discover Szeged
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. 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.
What to Experience in Szeged
Taste of Szeged...
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.
Festivals & Events
Experience the vibrant festivals and cultural celebrations of Szeged.
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. Like some other Hungarian towns, Szeged also has thermal baths. The two best known are: 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.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsIf 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. 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. 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")....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting 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. 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.
Where to Stay
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. 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. 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. Szeged is a pretty safe city. You can enjoy walks around the whole town even at late night hours. Most places and streets are well lit, so you won't have to worry about getting lost. Szeged postal code is: H-6700 to H-6791. Area Phone code: 62 Szeged has many free WiFi (hotspot) locations. The largest square downtown - the Széchenyi tér - has free on-street wifi.
Money & Budget
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.
Safety Information
Safety Overview
Szeged is a pretty safe city. You can enjoy walks around the whole town even at late night hours. Most places and streets are well lit, so you won't have to worry about getting lost. Szeged postal code is: H-6700 to H-6791. Area Phone code: 62 Szeged has many free WiFi (hotspot) locations. The largest square downtown - the Széchenyi tér - has free on-street wifi.
Nearby Destinations
Glimpses of Szeged
Flower
Frost covers leaves of a small plant.
Flower _ Nárcisz
Yellow rose bushes
A close up of a group of flowers on a mossy surface
A close up of a bunch of dry grass
A bunch of dead flowers with a sky in the background
grayscale photo of biplane releasing smoke
a body of water surrounded by trees and grass
Golden euonymus shrub
Flower
Frost covers leaves of a small plant.
Flower _ Nárcisz