Great Plain

Like the outback for Australians or the Wild West for Americans, the Nagyalföld (Great Plain) – also known as the puszta – holds a romantic appeal for Hungarians. Many of these notions come as much from the collective imagination as they do from history, but there’s no arguing the spellbinding potential of big-sky country. The Hortobágy region is where the myth of the lonely pásztor (shepherd), the wayside csárda (inn) and Gypsy violinists – kept alive in literature and art – was born. The horse and herding show at Hortobágy National Park recreates this pastoral tradition, while Bugac is one of the best places in Hungary to learn about life on the plain. The Great Plain is also home to cities of graceful architecture and history. Szeged is a centre of art and culture, Kecskemét is full of art nouveau gems and Debrecen is the 'Calvinist Rome’.

Explore Great Plain

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Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Great Plain.

  • Farm

    Máta Stud Farm

    Staged it may be, but the 1½-hour puszta show at the 300-year-old Máta Stud Farm, 3km north of Hortobágy village, is a real slice of Hungary. You get to…

  • Architecture

    City Hall

    The sandy-pink, stepped-roof city hall (1895) was designed by Ödön Lechner. With a mixture of art nouveau/Secessionist and folkloric elements, Lechner…

  • Museum

    Museum of Hungarian Naive Artists

    Arguably the city’s most interesting museum and one of the few of its kind in Europe, the Museum of Hungarian Naive Artists contains works with lots of…

  • Library

    Calvinist College

    North of the Great Church stands the Calvinist College, built in 1816 on the site of a theological college dating back to the mid-16th century. Downstairs…

  • Synagogue

    New Synagogue

    The recently renovated art nouveau New Synagogue, designed by Lipót Baumhorn in 1903, is the most beautiful Jewish house of worship in Hungary, if not the…

  • Architecture

    Ornamental Palace

    Dating from 1902, the masterful art nouveau Ornamental Palace features multicoloured majolica tiles decorating its 'waving' walls. The palace contains the…

  • Church

    Great Church

    Built in 1822, the iconic Great Church accommodates 3000 people and is Hungary’s largest Protestant house of worship. The nave is rather austere apart…

  • Wildlife Reserve

    Bird Park & Clinic

    Get up close with ailing feathered friends as they convalesce at the Bird Park & Clinic. Walk through the ‘hospital’ section of this sanctuary (including…

  • Architecture

    Reök Palace

    The Reök Palace is a mind-blowing green-and-lilac art nouveau structure, built in 1907, that looks like a decoration at the bottom of an aquarium. It’s…

  • Museum

    Votive Church Exhibition Centre

    This new exhibition space opened in the crypt of the Votive Church below Dom tér in 2016. It examines the history of the cathedral and the surrounding…

  • Bridge

    Nine-Hole Bridge

    The Nine-Hole Bridge, built in 1833 and spanning the marshy Hortobágy River, is the longest – and certainly the most sketched, painted and photographed –…

  • Synagogue

    Pászti Street Orthodox Synagogue

    This beautiful pink synagogue built in 1893 has undergone a complete renovation and is once again open to the public. There are the remains of a mikvah in…

  • Museum

    Leskowsky Musical Instrument Collection

    In a new location on leafy Rákóczi út, this private collection traces the development of music-making over the centuries. Of the 150 instruments on…

  • Museum

    Bozsó Collection

    This collection of period furniture, folk art, religious items and clocks amassed by the pack-rat painter János Bozsó (1922–98) is massive and endlessly…

  • Jewish Site

    House of Science & Technology

    A Moorish-looking structure dating from 1871, this was once a synagogue and is now used for conferences and both temporary and permanent exhibitions,…

  • Architecture

    Otthon Cinema

    The restored Otthon Cinema, on the corner of pedestrian Görögtemplom utca, is a beautiful example of art nouveau and Secessionist architecture mixed with…

  • Church

    Serbian Orthodox Church

    The Zopf-style Serbian Orthodox church in Dóm tér, dating from 1778, has a fantastic iconostasis: a central gold 'tree', with 70 icons hanging from its …

  • Historic Building

    Gróf Palace

    This lovely Secessionist office building with floral mosaics was completed in 1913.

  • Museum

    Déri Museum

    Folklore exhibits at the Déri Museum offer excellent insights into life on the plain and for the bourgeois citizens of Debrecen up to the 19th century…

  • Church

    Great Church

    The late-baroque Great Church, dedicated in 1806, dominates Kossuth tér, the southeasternmost of the main squares. The interior is quite sombre. Large…

Top experiences

Whether it’s a guided tour of a historic landmark, private tasting of local delicacies, or an off-road adventure — explore the best experiences in Great Plain.

  • Activities