Top 5 sights to visit in Szeged in 2023
Aerial view of downtown Szeged. Image: Istvan Csak / Shutterstock
Traveling to Szeged? These are the top 5 sights and areas of the city that attract the most visitors - and easily fit into a weekend in Szeged.
Alternatively, if you’re planning a day trip to Szeged, or a Hungary road trip and only have a few hours in the city of sunshine, you can choose one or more of these sights according to your main interests.
Read along to find out what are the top 5 sights to visit in Szeged in 2023.
Downtown Szeged
REÖK Palace. Image: Andocs / Shutterstock
Amazing architecture and great vibes - this is downtown Szeged! The very heart of the city is easy to explore on foot, starting from the Szeged Dóm and walking your way up to Széchenyi Square. Some of the most important sights here:
the Votive Church (Szeged Dóm) and its visitor center
the art nouveau masterpiece REÖK palace
the New Synagogue
the beautiful, pedestrian-only Kárász Street and Klauzál Square with café and restaurant terraces
Széchenyi Square with its old plane trees, flowers, statues, and the impressive city hall
Szeged City Hall at Széchenyi Square. Image: Szilvia Molnar / Szegedify
Hint: if you only have a few hours, you can still visit the downtown area by bike or with the small tourist train starting from Széchenyi Square.
museums of Szeged
The Móra Ferenc Museum’s impressive building, at the foot of Belvárosi Bridge, gives place to several excellent temporary and permanent exhibitions. From archeological finds to important paintings and modern installations, the exhibitions offer hours of pastime.
The permanent collection showcases traditional life and usual crafts in and around Szeged from the last centuries - from boat building to paprika cultivation and beyond. You’ll need a ticket add-on to visit the rooftop terrace of the museum.
Móra Ferenc Museum, Szeged. Image: Szilvia Molnar / Szegedify
There are two other locations: the “Fekete ház” on Somogyi Street hosts mostly art, while the “Vármúzeum”, right next to the main museum building has an interactive, historical exhibition.
River Tisza
Enjoy a nice stroll along Hungary's second largest river. As a starting point, check out the impressive building of the National Theater, built in Eclectic and Neo-baroque style, then take a walk on Stefánia (riverside), then along Korányi fasor, arriving at the flood memorial, or the other way around. The forest along the Újszeged shore offers a wonderful panorama.
Szeged’s only public beach, the Lapos, is right in the city center, but on the other side of the river, in Újszeged. It is open throughout the summer, from the middle of June, and offers sun beds, sunshades, a beach bar, and a small area to bathe in the river.
River Tisza at sunset, seen from Belvárosi Bridge. Image: Szilvia Molnar / Szegedify
Szeged Zoo
Szeged Zoo is leading Tripadvisor’s "top things to do in Szeged" list. The zoo, established in 1989, awaits visitors every day of the year. Situated in a shady oak forest, the 45-hectare establishment offers hours of entertainment for those interested in animals. Inside the zoo, you will find multiple food stalls with fast food, soft drinks, and coffee. In the central food stall area, there’s a well where you can fill your water bottle with drinking water.
Giraffes at Szeged Zoo. Image: Szeged Zoo / Facebook
Szeged Zoo participates in different conservation programs to protect endangered species and is home to animals from all over the world.
Botanical Garden of Szeged
The Botanical Garden of Szeged was established in 1922. It is an important place for nature education and botanical research, with a tropical butterfly house, a fern house and an orchid house open in the summer months.
You can find Central Europe's largest open-air Indian lotus stand here, in a lake fed by artesian water.
The Indian lotus pond at the Botanical Garden of Szeged. Image: Szilvia Molnar / Szegedify
The botanical garden is further away from the city center, you can go there by public transport, bike, car, and even the small tourist train starting from Széchenyi Square.
Featured image: Istvan Csak / Shutterstock
