Debrecen is a truly family-friendly city, with great activities for families with children all year round.
- A genuine children’s paradise is the park called Sziget-kék (Island Blue), evoking the world of Magda Szabó‘s eponymous novel-length fairy tale. Here, you can not only meet life-size fairy-tale characters, but also slide down a giant slide from the canopy of the trees, clown around in the circus or even become a firefighter in a mini-city. The theme park is open all four seasons, even in bad weather or in winter.
- If you take a walk in the Nagyerdő area, do not miss the playground next to Békás-tó [Froggy Pond]. Climb into the belly of the giant frog, walk on the leaves of the water lilies, try the slide or race up and down in a multi-level boat. When you get tired, you can always relax in the shade of the trees, or refresh yourself at the snack bar or restaurant next to the playground.
- If you feel like splashing around, you can do so in any season at the aqua-park named Aquaticum SPA. Open all year round, the indoor adventure pool is surrounded by tropical plants, with a chlorine-free baby pool for the little ones and countless slides and adventure pools for the bigger ones. In the summer, you can also enjoy Hungary’s most modern outdoor pool complex. Try the giant slides, go crazy in the adventure pools or test your skills on the diving platforms.
- Hungary’s one and only amusement park is unmissable! A duck train, a Ferris wheel, horse-drawn carriages, a roller coaster and lots of “evergreen” toys await you here. When the playing time is over, you can walk over to the zoo, where you can find unique exotic animal species such as giraffes, tropical hippos, red pandas and ring-tailed lemurs. The zoological garden offers year-round spectacular animal feedings, and there are also periodically advertised exciting theme days and night walks giving you a glimpse into the lives of the zoo’s inhabitants.
- For science enthusiasts, Agora Science Center is a virtual treasure trove. Participate in spectacular experiments or interactive games, learn about robotics or space physics; just make sure you do not get lost in the mirror maze. You can also get up close and personal with indigenous and foreign specimens of flora in the Botanical Garden next to Agora.
- Fairytale characters and fun puppets are brought to life among magical sets… which indeed feels like you are in a fairytale. One of the favorite family haunts in Debrecen is Vojtina Puppet Theater, where you can enjoy stage performances, interactive activities and fascinating puppet exhibitions.
- Discover so many wonders of the world in the Museum Quarter. Take a virtual trip to Japan or to the land of the ancient pyramids in Déri Museum, admire the Grand Library of the Reformed College evoking the world of Harry Potter or become a little hussar in Big Reformed Church. You can even bring out your inner Picasso in the art education sessions at MODEM!
- When you walk through the city center, stop by the bookshop called Debreceni Pagony [Debrecen’s Grove]. Located in the city’s oldest pedestrian street, this lovely little book corner has reading material and creative development toys for children from 0 years of age to adolescence. If you are lucky, you can even watch a slide show or take part in craft activities.
- If it is raining or windy, head for the playhouse. At NAGYkaLAND [a play on the Hungarian words for “big adventure”], you are guaranteed to have fun every time. Trampolines, mazes, climbing walls, obstacle courses and lots of fun games guarantee a fun-filled experience.
- If you fancy a challenge, test your skills on the climbing wall fitted in the middle of the more than 100-year-old Big Forest Water Tower, then take the stairs up to the observation deck around the dome and admire the forest around you from a bird’s eye view.
- Upon leaving Debrecen, you should get a glimpse of the world of Erdőspuszták [verbatim: Forest Steppes] by taking the narrow-gauge railroad nicknamed Zsuzsi. It is indeed a great experience to travel on the train through pine forests and groves of acacia and oak. Along the way, you can observe the rich flora and fauna of this area and, at the last stop, Hármashegyalja, you will find a playground, a nature trail, hiking trails, picnic areas and a lookout.
