"Szeged: a key area in Hungarian history " a Szeged Travel Page by GillianMcLaughlin

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.

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.

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!