There’s never a dull moment in Debrecen, especially in summer, when the city offers a wide range of outdoor activities to enjoy. Here are some tips on when to travel, where to go and what to do in Debrecen in summer.
From festival to festival: In Debrecen, there is a succession of events throughout the year, but this is especially true in the summer, when one festival is just about to end and another is about to begin. Highly recommended to visit the Debrecziner Gourmet Festival in mid-June, the Campus Festival in July, the Debrecen Wine and Jazz Days and of course the Debrecen Flower Carnival in August. For more fun, don’t miss the Night of Museums in June, the International Military Music Festival in July, and the Béla Bartók International Choir Competition and the Folklore Festival in August.
Watery adventures in Hungary’s most modern aquapark: Splash around in Hungary’s coolest aquapark in Debrecen located under the shady canopy of the Great Forest! The Aquaticum Strand, which has won numerous international awards, offers 5,700 square meters of water, 15 different pools, a 12-metre-high sunbathing terrace, giant slides, diving platforms and lots more water attractions!
Carnival time: Debrecen hosts the biggest birthday party in Hungary, the Debrecen Flower Carnival! Every year on 20 August, the founding of the state is celebrated with a grand carnival parade attended by more than 100,000 people. From 15 August, you can get in the mood with free concerts, dance performances, a botanical and craft fair, a bike parade and various children’s activities.
Open-air cinema: The one-of-a-kind multimedia fountain, the so-called Mist Theater invites you to “walk on water” during the day with its stomping waterfalls, and in the evening it offers an unforgettable cinematic experience with short films and laser animations projected on its huge fan-shaped water spray. The screenings start after dark at 8, 9 and 10 pm.
Experiences at 34 meters high: The Great Forest Water Tower, a historic building more than 100 years old, is not only a water tower that is still in operation today, but also offers a wide range of leisure activities. There’s a climbing wall, a café with a nice terrace, an open-air stage with live concerts and a huge garden area, as well as a 34-meter-high lookout tower overlooking the surrounding Great Forest and the university campus.
A walk among colorful flowers: There is a reason why Debrecen is called the city of flowers. Debrecen is not only called so because of its internationally acknowledged flower carnival, but also because of its beautiful parks and flower gardens. Stroll through the colorful stalls of the Csapó Street Flower Market, admire the beautiful flowers of Dósa Nádor Square, and then the Szabó Magda promenade of Nagyerdei Park, and you will experience it too!
Downtown fountain tour: In almost every public square in Debrecen’s city center, charming fountains cross your way. Take a tour and choose your favorite! If you don’t know which way to go, we suggest a route: Hal köz – Dósa nádor tér – Csapó utca in front of the Forum shopping center – Piac utca and Csapó utca – Kossuth tér – Déri tér.
A walk in the Great Forest: If the heat is unbearable, you can find refreshment in the shade of the huge trees of the Great Forest. Take a stroll along Medgyessy Promenade, one of the most beautiful parts of the park forest, past century-old villas and statues of literary greats, admire the mallards swimming peacefully by the Lake Békás, visit the impressive French Garden in Egyetem Square or the botanical garden behind the main building of the university, then relax on one of the terraces of the Víztorony Promenade!
Family fun: The Zoo Debrecen is a not-to-miss program in the summer (too), with new arrivals almost every week and exotic species such as the fanged giraffe, the Nile hippo and the ring-tailed lemur. Hungary’s only amusement park next door has classic and modern amusement machines (a Baroque carousel, bumper cars, Ferris wheels, etc.), while the neighboring Island Blue theme park has among other plays a miniature city for children.
Night lights: A summer evening stroll through Debrecen’s atmospheric streets bathed in the smell of blooming linden trees is a pleasant enough experience but if you also visit the illuminated public buildings and squares, the experience is even more memorable. In the city center, the Reformed Church and the Déri Museum, Hal köz and Dósa nádor tér, the main building of the University of Debrecen in the Great Forest, the Great Forest Water Tower, the stadium, the Aquaticum Strand and the Mist Theater are all impressive sights.
Trips around the city: It is worth walking from the Great Forest or even biking through the Pallag forest, admiring the Zelemer church ruins halfway to Hajdúböszörmény, or taking an unforgettable trip on the country’s oldest narrow-gauge railway, the Zsuzsi, which will turn 142 in 2024. Children’s favorite railway runs through the magical Wooded Plains, where lakes, lookouts, nature trails, a botanical garden and playground offer further experiences.
