"Szeged: a key area in Hungarian history" Top 5 Page for this destination Szeged by GillianMcLaughlin

Szeged Travel Guide: 75 reviews and 139 photos

The Votive Church: Szeged's landmark - Szeged

3 days and 2 nights in Szeged

I was invited to Szeged for work. Until I arrived I had little idea about the place at all. I knew that the city enjoyed a good reputation for its universities, but beyond that, nothing whatsoever!

I was collected by one of the conference organisers at Budapest airport and we set off on the 2 hour journey to the south of Hungary. In the course of this journey I learned a few basic facts: the city had been devastated at some point by a serious flood; various seats of learning in the city had recently been united; the region suffered badly from a lack of infrastructure - a recently-built motorway stopped some 60 km short of Szeged, limiting its attractiveness to tourists and businesses alike.

Upon arrival I was booked into a stunning hotel right in the centre of the city, located on one of the main squares, and left to my own devices for around 4 hours. I had the chance to locate the tourist office, and perhaps a bookshop that might have a guide to the city that I could understand. I discovered that the guides to Hungary devoted little more than a page to Szeged, and otherwise all I could locate were coffee-table picture books! Indeed since starting to build these pages I have had considerable difficulty in locating significant information in a language I can read... so I give you as much as I can now and will add any details I discover over time.

Spring pansies everywhere

So off I set with no information and spent some time just looking, and eating and drinking coffees. As it turned out I needn’t have worried about a lack of local-knowledge. The conference organisers were the most amazing hosts who gave us lots of information about their city.

I hope you enjoy your short visit to these pages as much as I enjoyed my two and a half days there.

Under construction

Lion Square statue

My visit to Szeged had many facinating aspects, which I hope to share with you on these pages.

At only 2 and a half hours from Budapest by train or car, it makes a good destination for an extended holiday in Hungary, and an excellent stop-off point for overlanders heading north or south through Central Europe.

These pages may take me a little time to complete. Please do come back and enjoy!

Pros and Cons

Pros:Entirely untouched by foreign tourism
Cons:Still trying to think of one!
In a nutshell:A worthy place to spend some time

Last visit to Szeged: Apr 2004
Intro Updated Apr 29, 2004
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Reviews (17)

Decaying grandeur par excellence Hotels (1)

This hotel is a throwback to the days of glamourous travel: enormous chandaliers light the corridors, breakfast is... more travel advice

Photo of Arpad Feszty hard at work - Szeged

Opusztaszer - an artist going round in... Off The Beaten Path (3)

Before I leave entirely the subject of the tubular painting in the park, I did glean a couple of pieces of information... more travel advice

Arpad Feszty - Panorama painting artist - Szeged

Opusztaszer - the Panorama Painting Off The Beaten Path (3)

The National History memorial Park is home to a remarkable work of art. One of only 18 remaining in Europe the Feszty... more travel advice

Opusztaszer - remarkable open air park Off The Beaten Path (3)

No more than 1 hour from Szeged is the Opusztaszer National History Memorial Park. It is a park that has existed only... more travel advice

Warnings and Dangers (1)
Careful if you're driving in Szeged!
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Comments (32)

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fabrice Jan 28, 2010 at 11:48 PM

tripoints are always interesting places (places located very near 3 borders)
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sourbugger Jun 19, 2009 at 9:26 AM

the salami factory got chopped from my itinery. best wishes .sb.
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caffeine_induced78 Oct 1, 2006 at 10:14 AM

Chock full of great information Gillian. It sounds like a nice little town and you provide so much great insight. Well done!
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Sue08080 May 25, 2006 at 7:11 PM

What interesting tips, Gillian! Thanks!
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Anchovy56 Mar 29, 2006 at 10:18 AM

I am a veritable gourmand then...
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littlesam1 Mar 1, 2006 at 8:49 AM

Knpw your salami? Love that tip title. Great page. I probably would not have know about this place except for our email. There is such a wealth of information on VT.
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Ben-UK Jan 29, 2006 at 12:35 PM

Have been thinking of stopping here later this year en route from Budapest to Belgrade -- thanks for such an informative page with detailed tips and excellent photos.
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Brother_Love Jan 9, 2006 at 12:23 PM

What a lovely page on this quant looking town. Maybe the paprika's fire can be another Warning and Danger.
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luckyzen Dec 19, 2005 at 10:37 AM

Singapore is more than just a stopover, Gillian.:) Amazing destination....You have to visit. Thank you for stopping by. p.s. I like your Szeged page. Great info and pic.'s
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BluBluBlu Aug 18, 2005 at 9:16 AM

LOL! A salami museum just seems sooo funny! Great informative tips & photo's. Happy travels, Blur