It has been a hard year. Even now when theaters, cinemas, museums, and restaurants are closed, events are cancelled, and due to the curfew between 8 pm and 5 am we are even more restricted on what we can do. We hope that tourism will restart next year soon and that we will be able to go on short holidays once again.
Until then we have no other choice but to be a tourist in our own city and explore Debrecen from a fresh perspective.
Each week we ask tourism professionals in Debrecen to share with us their favorite places and hidden gems in the city worth exploring.
The first person to answer is Gábor Gődény Chief Executive of the Debrecen Tourism Agency.
What amazed you last in Debrecen?
“That on one afternoon in a park in Újkert, Debrecen Indian and Pakistani students played a full cricket match in peaceful agreement.“
What are your favorite places – sights, attractions, buildings, streets etc. – in Debrecen?
“I thought about this for quite some time and finally came to the point where I could more easily articulate what it was I was really missing: I have not been able to run now for a month due to an injury, and where I like to run is the stadium area, this is something I am very much missing”
Do you have secret places, hidden gems in Debrecen that you would recommend others to explore?
“Of course! I go to sauna sessions on a weekly basis, this should remain my selfish secret! I am happy to recommend the Aquaticum sauna programs to everyone. I am convinced that they compare well with any sauna program in the world!“
You have been to many places in the world. Based on what you have experienced in your travels, why do you think Debrecen could be a great place to visit for foreign tourists?
In Debrecen, foreign tourists get a very complex Hungarian experience at a very good value for money. The whole cross-section of our culture, our history, our gastronomy. Only Budapest can provide this content at such a high standard, but unfortunately, it only comes at a much higher price in Budapest.
If you were asked to help shoot a movie in Debrecen, which locations would you recommend?
I would love to see the Golden Bull Hotel in its original splendor, in a costume film from the 1930’s!
In which season do you like Debrecen the most?
Clearly, in summer, I can even mark a specific day: the zero-day of the Campus Festival!
