Discover Hajdú-Bihar

Hajdú-Bihar offers reasons to travel, from protected landscapes and nature experiences to regional history.

Puszta, wetlands and wildlife watching

The Hortobágyi Nemzeti Park – the Puszta World Heritage Site covers almost 75,000 hectares of the Great Hungarian Plain in eastern Hungary. As a cultural landscape, it preserves visible evidence of more than 2,000 years of traditional pastoralism. The Hortobágyi-halastó fishpond system is also protected in several ways: it is a Ramsar site, an Important Bird Area, part of the World Heritage Site and a Natura 2000 site. The nature trail at Hortobágyi-halastó offers three route lengths—3.6, 5.4 and 10 kilometres—with no difficult sections. You can choose the route based on your preferred distance.

At Hortobágy Wildlife Park, you can encounter the native wildlife of the Hungarian Puszta, including wolves, Przewalski’s horses, vultures and pelicans. A bookable Land Rover safari, accompanied by an expert guide, takes you to see wild horses and aurochs. A roughly 90-minute carriage ride offers another perspective on the landscape and introduces its natural and cultural history, as well as herding traditions. During the crane migration, around 1,500 visitors watch the birds at feeding sites during the day and at their roosting sites at sunset; numbers may vary by season.

Exhibitions and regional history

The Hortobágy National Park Visitor Centre provides information about programmes and events and sells products made by local artisans, as well as books and T-shirts. The “Nature of Hortobágy” exhibition introduces the landscape’s diverse flora and fauna. The “The World of Cranes” exhibition combines experiential learning and entertainment for all age groups, with a diorama, tactile objects, quiz questions, a magnetic puzzle and a digital drawing board.

At the Shepherd Museum, you can learn about the lives of shepherds and see handmade clothing, tools and decorated personal belongings. The museum is housed in a former coach house that belonged to the Hortobágyi Csárda complex. The Körszín exhibition also focuses on traditional crafts: faithfully recreated workshops showcase, among other things, saddlery, pottery, shoemaking, blacksmithing, hat-making, gingerbread-making and wagon-building. The exhibition at the Hortobágyi Csárda explores the history of the inn, travel across the Puszta and famous guests; historical dress-up activities and a photo spot complement the exhibits.

In Hajdúböszörmény, the Hajdúsági Museum preserves the region’s history. It is located in the former seat of Hajdú County. The village museum in Álmosd has permanent exhibitions covering 100 square metres on archaeological periods, local history and traditional rural culture. Another literary connection is the former home of Ferenc Kölcsey in Álmosd, which houses an exhibition about the poet. He spent his childhood and part of his adult life in the house. In Balmazújváros, the Veres Péter Memorial House shows the living conditions of the poor peasant population in the late 1930s and early 1940s, as well as the writer’s experiences in this house.

Trails, cycling and a thermal bath

The Hajdú-Bihar section of the Alföldi Kéktúra can be travelled on foot or by bicycle. A cycling loop can start in Debrecen, pass through several towns and attractions, and return to Debrecen. Points of interest include Hajdúböszörmény, Balmazújváros, Hajdúszoboszló, Berettyóújfalu and Álmosd, as well as the Bánker Arboretum and Lake Vekeri. The arboretum in Debrecen-Bánk covers 15 hectares; it introduces visitors to the area’s plant and animal life and evidence of rural life. It also features a collection of deciduous and coniferous trees and shrubs.

In Hajdúszoboszló, Hungarospa is open year-round from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. It has three indoor and four outdoor thermal pools. Its certified medicinal water enables medically supervised treatments supported by health insurance. Check the opening hours before your visit. The Zsuzsi Forest Railway runs seasonally to the Hármashegy rest forest, providing access to further tourist attractions there. It was originally built in 1882 to transport timber from the Gúth forests near Debrecen; check the seasonal timetable before travelling.

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Discover more destinations: Debrecen, Berettyóújfalu, Derecske-Létavértes, Balmazújváros, Püspökladány, Hajdúszoboszló, Hajdúböszörmény, Hajdúhadház, Polgár.

For the broader travel overview: Hungary.