Things to do in Debrecen
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Carpe Diem
With its hammock seats, greenery and serene atmosphere, this small teahouse in Debrecen is an oasis on a pedestrian street dominated by concrete eyesores. It stocks teas from around the world for instant consumption or later enjoyment.
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Great Church
Many of Debrecen's big sights are at the northern end of Piac utca, including the yellow neoclassical Great Church. Built in 1821, it has become so synonymous with Debrecen that mirages of its twin clock towers were reportedly seen on the Great Plain early last century.
Accommodating some 3000 people, the Great Church is Hungary's largest Protestant church, and it was here that Lajos Kossuth read the Declaration of Independence from Austria on 14 April 1849. The nave is rather plain and austere aside from the magnificent organ in the loft behind the pulpit. Climb the 210 steps to the top of the west clock tower for grand views over the city.
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Bakelit Music Café
A student pub of sorts close to the centre, Bakelit attracts a boisterous and friendly crowd with its loud music, dark corners and orange-and-brown booths. This is certainly not a place for a quiet chat over a glass of chilled white wine.
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Reformed College
North of the Great Church stands the Reformed College, built in 1816, the site of a prestigious secondary school and theological college since the Middle Ages. Downstairs, there are exhibits on religious art and sacred objects (including a 17th-century chalice made from a coconut) and on the school's history, where 'early to bed, early to rise' was the motto.
Upstairs is the relatively bland 650,000-volume library and the bright, white oratory, where the breakaway National Assembly met in 1849 and Hungary's postwar provisional government was declared in 1944.
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Déri Museum
Folklore exhibits at the Déri Museum offer excellent insights into life on the puszta and the bourgeois citizens of Debrecen up to the 19th century. Mihály Munkácsy's mythical interpretations of the Hortobágy and his Christ's Passion take pride of place in a separate art gallery.
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Status Que Conservative Synagogue
The Status Que Conservative Synagogue dates from 1909 and is once again falling apart, while the façade of the nearby Orthodox synagogue (Pászti utca 6) has enjoyed a lick of paint but its interior is still waiting for some much-needed TLC.
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Belgian Beer Café
Why locals are drinking Belgian beer when such great beverages are just across the border in Slovakia and Czech Republic is anyone's guess. But there's no denying the popularity of this street-side café with its beer hall atmosphere.
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Lucullus
Lucullus is a favourite with Debrecen locals who enjoy the restaurant's throne-like seating, convivial air and slow but attentive service. The menu is a varied selection of Hungarian dishes, including a couple of vegetarian options.
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Csokonai
This quality cellar-restaurant may be a pub to some but it's a far better restaurant to most. Medieval décor, sharp service and excellent Hungarian specialities all help to create one of Debrecen's top eating experiences.
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Medgyessy Museum
The Déri Museum's entrance in Piac utca is flanked by four superb bronzes by sculptor Ferenc Medgyessy, a local boy who merits his own Medgyessy Museum in an old burgher house to the northeast of the Déri Museum.
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Flaska
Flaska is easily spotted on Miklós utca; the giant terracotta-red flask jutting out from the wall is a dead give-away. This basement restaurant comes locally recommended and serves up a storm of Hungarian cuisine.
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Genius
Genius is arguably the best bar outside Budapest. Its dark red interior, lounge chairs, sexy sounds and excellent cocktails combine to create a decadent air, all of which is topped off by the occasional live music act.
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Morik Caffé
This mock-18th-century café in Debrecen has its waitresses running around in blue frocks and frilly white bonnets, which is either quaint or ridiculous depending on your taste. Either way, the coffee is great.
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Flea Market
Away from Debrecen's city centre, the colourful flea market attracts a motley group of Ukrainians, Poles, Romanians, Roma and Hungarians from Transylvania who hawk everything from socks to live animals.
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Puszta Forest
If you want to see more of the great outdoors, head for the Puszta Forest, a protected area of pine and acacia forests, lakes and trails a few kilometres to the east and southeast of Debrecen.
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Büfé Falatozó
In the fruit and vegetable market, this has more sausage varieties than you can shake a long roll of meat at. Try the 'inviting' liver and blood sausage; as they say, 'When in Rome…'
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Saxophone
Pretty people gravitate to Saxophone, and since Hungary is filled with pretty folk, it's often bursting at the seams. Its fine cocktails may also have something to do with it.
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Babalu Restaurant and Music Club
With its cane chairs and tropical plants, Babalu exudes a safari feel and attracts a more mature crowd. It's also one of the better spots to catch some live jazz.
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Leveles
This is close to the thermal pools in a quiet park. Its German/Hungarian menu just keeps tallying up local recommendations, as does its large outdoor patio.
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Gara
Gara has some of the best cakes and ice cream (made with real fruit and loads of it) outside Budapest and has lines of eager ice-cream lovers to prove it.
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Tímárház
The Tímárház is a folk-craft centre and workshop, where embroiderers, basket weavers, carvers and so on do their stuff in rotation.
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Play Pub House
On a pedestrian-only street, this place is as close to an English-style pub as you'll find in town, and has outside tables made for warm weather.
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Pompeji
A flashy restaurant with its very own jungle, Pompeji serves fine Italian dishes and is a good spot for a drink on a warm summer evening.
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Hajdúsági
This is a very simple restaurant, but its ever-changing set menu is a magnet to what seems like half the city workers in Debrecen.
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Klári Salátabár
Catering to vegetarians only, this simple salad bar is a rare breed indeed in provincial Hungary; salads are served by the 100g.
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