• Understand
• Do
• Learn
• Work
• Buy
• Drink
• Contact
• Stay safe
• Cope
• Get out

Miskolc, with population of about 180,000 is the third largest city in Hungary, located in the north-east of the country, east of Bükk mountains.

[edit] Understand

Miskolc gained importance after Hungary lost Kosice to Slovakia. It used to be one of the centres of heavy industry in 20th century. Today Miskolc is the regional centre of Northern Hungary. The city is surrounded by the beautiful Bükk Mountains. The most famous tourist attractions are outside the city, but one can find things worth visiting in downtown, too.

A quiet suburb of Tapolca provides unique cave thermal spa. Bánkút is a popular ski resort.

very cool place to live

[edit] Get in

Miskolc doesn't have an international airport, the nearest ones are in Budapest and Debrecen.

[edit] By train

The main railway station is Tiszai Station (Tiszai pályaudvar in Hungarian.) The trains going through Northern Hungary all stop in Miskolc, the city can be reached by train from all the major cities (although if you come from the Transdanubian region, you might have to change trains in Budapest which means you have to find your way through the city to the Keleti station.)

See the website of Hungary State Railways for information on trains, travel time and prices. The site is available in Hungarian, English and German (this link leads to the English version.)

You should try to take the Intercity trains, they're much cleaner than regular and international trains, they don't stop at every small town and a seat is reserved for you. Intercity trains are a bit more expensive and it's better to reserve your seat days before the travel, because they are usually full.

The Tiszai station is well connected to the other parts of the city, both tram lines and many bus lines have their end station there.

[edit] By car

Miskolc can be reached from the West on Highway M3, which recently reached the city. The highway connecting Miskolc with Debrecen has also been finished. You have to pay toll if you want to drive on a highway.

[edit] By bus

Since Miskolc is well connected to the rest of the country by railway lines, there are fewer bus lines connecting Miskolc to other cities. See this page on information on buses. Unfortunately it's available in Hungarian only. Here are the words you need to know to use it: "honnan": from (enter the city where you are), "hova": to (enter destination), "keresztül": through, "mikor": when (year-month-day), "keresés": search (click on it after entering parameters.) Now you get a page detailing time of departure, time of arrival and length of journey.

"naponta": every day, "munkanapokon": on workdays (Monday–Friday), "Munkaszüneti napok kivételével naponta": every day except Sundays.

[edit] Get around

[edit] By bus

If you need info on bus lines, go to the mass transport company's site and click on "Menetrend". At "Viszonylat" choose the number of the bus to see the time tables. (1V and 2V are the tram lines.)

Bus lines important for tourists include:

• Bus 1 connects the Tiszai railway station with the downtown and Diósgyőr district
• Bus 2 starts at Búza tér and goes to Tapolca
• Bus 5 starts in Diósgyőr and goes to Lillafüred
• Bus 15 also starts in Diósgyőr and goes to Ómassa.

Prices:

• Ticket (for one travel only): 200 Ft
  • Same ticket bought on bus: 300 Ft
• Ten tickets ("gyűjtőjegy"): 1700 Ft
• General ticket (valid for all buses & trams for one day): 1000 Ft
  • Same for 3 days (tourist ticket): 1900 Ft
  • same for 7 days (tourist ticket): 2600 Ft

Tickets are the same for bus and tram. General & tourist tickets are not valid on Bus 7 after it leaves Miskolc (Bus 7 is the only city bus that leaves Miskolc; it goes to the nearby town Felsőzsolca.)

You can buy bus tickets at several places, at the Tiszai, on Búza tér (where the intercity buses arrive) and at newsstands.

(You can buy bus tickets from the driver too, but it's a bit more expensive and the driver won't have change, you have to pay the exact amount. Generally it's not recommended to buy tickets on the bus.)

Penalty if you don't have valid ticket: 3000 if you pay immediately, 6000 if you don't have money with you and have to pay later.

Buses usually open the first door only because it is part of the driver's job to check if everyone has tickets. They open the other doors only if someone wants to leave the bus at that door, and if you get on the bus through those doors, the driver might ask you through the loudspeaker to show your ticket.

[edit] By tram

There are only two tram lines, 1 & 2. The end station to both of them is at Tiszai station. Tram line 1 goes to Diósgyőr, its end station is near the castle. Tram line 2 goes to the metal factory. Be sure to leave Tram 2 at latest at Újgyőri főtér' and change trams if you want to go to Diósgyőr. The castle is much prettier than the factory. ;-)

[edit] By car

Foreigners sometimes find it hard to find their way in the city. City maps are sold in every bookstore and at some newsstands. There are some road signs, but not too many.

[edit] On foot

This is recommended for the downtown only. Many of the tourist attractions are quite far from the city centre.

Széchenyi Street is mostly a pedestrian precinct, the tram lines go along it, but cars use it only occasionally.

Drivers in Miskolc are usually not as polite as in smaller and more civilized towns like Eger (i.e. they don't give way to pedestrians), but they are not as close to kamikaze pilots as drivers in Southern countries. :)

Diosgyor castle

[edit] See

[edit] Downtown

• Main Street (Széchenyi st.) and City Hall Square (Városház tér) with 19th century houses and lots of shops
• Ottó Herman Museum [1]
• National Theatre of Miskolc
• Protestant Church of Avas: a beautiful Gothic church on the Avas hill, one of the oldest buildings of the city (13th century)
• Greek Orthodox church (18th century) with the largest iconostasion in Central Europe
• Protestant "Wooden Church": a beautiful church made of wood (built in 1998 as the exact copy of the original church that was burnt down in 1997)
• Avas Observation Tower with panorama on the city

[edit] Diósgyőr

• The partly restored ruins of medieval Diosgyor castle [2], surrounded by the modern blocks of flats. There are several exhibitions in the castle: archaeological findings in the area of a castle and the old Pauline monastery, mediaeval weapons and two waxworks, one shows the everyday life in Diósgyőr in the Middle Ages, another shows King Louis the Great and the envoy from Venice. Mediaeval castle plays are held in every May and August.

[edit] Miskolc-Tapolca

• Cave bath [3] (thermal bath in a natural cave)
• Before the cave bath there is a large, nice park with a boat lake
• Rock chapel (a chapel in a small natural cave)

[edit] Lillafüred

• Palace Hotel (Palota szálló) a beautiful hotel with Renaissance restaurant
• Lake Hámori (an artificial lake; boats)
• Narrow-gauge railway between Miskolc-Diósgyőr and Lillafüred with open carriages
• Anna Cave (Anna-barlang, also known as Mésztufa-barlang and Petőfi-barlang). It has evolved in travertino (freshwater limestone), that is a rare phenomenon. Near the cave entrance is the Szinva waterfall, with a height of 20 metres the highest in Hungary. Guided tours.
• István Cave, a dripstone cave with guided tours.
• Szeleta Cave. A half-an-hour walk from Lillafüred railway station, following the red square hiking sign. Prehistoric human remains were found here.
• Museum of Metallurgy
• Ancient foundry. One stop beyond Lillafüred by Bus 15 or the narrow-gauge railway. This 18th century foundry is supplemented with a little museum.

[edit] Do

• Miskolc Plaza [4] is a large shopping mall located close to downtown.
• Miskolc Zoo [5]

[edit] Learn

[edit] Work

[edit] Buy

During the late 1990s–early 2000s several bigger and smaller shopping malls were opened in Miskolc (and because of them, many small shops disappeared because couldn't keep up with them.) The two largest shopping malls are Miskolc Pláza (behind the Centrum supermarket and department store, close to Búza tér; with cinema) and Szinvapark (Széchenyi street, not far from Centrum; the tram stops near it.) There is a large supermarket and lots of different shops in both. Two smaller malls are Batóház and Metropol, opposite to Centrum.

[edit] Eat

[edit] Budget

[edit] Mid-range

[edit] Splurge

Cafe du Boucher [6] is an excellent eatery. It is a Belgian Beer Cafe with many different Belgian Beers and Cigars. Food is excellent and English is spoken. Make sure you leave a good tip so that the bell is rung as you leave the place.

[edit] Drink

Enjoy wine in some of the restaurants in Avas hill.

[edit] Sleep

[edit] Downtown

• City Hotel Miskolc [7]*** in downtown, distance from main shopping areas is a few minute by bus. 15 minutes walk from the main high street. (though the hotel itself is also have walk a few minutes away from the closest bus stop). A nice modern hotel in Miskolc. The staff are friedly and speak English. Rooms are between €60-120 depending on level of room.

• Hotel Old Miskolcz is situated in one of the small old streets in the heart of the historic downtown, Hotel Öreg Miskolcz (Old Miskolc) with its art deco style fits in the surrounding buildings radiating the atmosphere of the early 20th century.

• Levay Villa Pension The three-stars Lévay-Villa-Pension in the vicinity of downtown of Miskolc, close to the Népkert-Public Garden is located in a friendly environment. The building was built in the most beautiful part of the city, in a green belt garden suburb in 1916, according to the architectual plans of Josef Seiler, the master-builder from Vienna. Very close to City Hotel. English is spoken well. A good friedly hotel only 15 minutes walk from the main Miskolc high street.

[edit] Diósgyőr

• Várkert Panzió website in Diósgyőr, close to the Castle of Diósgyőr (castle can be seen from some windows); distance from downtown is about 20 minutes by bus or tram.

[edit] Miskolctapolca

• Zenit Pension website The familiar Zenit Pension is found in the centre of Miskolctapolca next to the main street and from about 100 meters to the watering place

[edit] Lillafüred

• Hotel Palota *** website The neo-Renaissance hotel is one of the best known buildings of Miskolc-Lillafüred, in a picturesque valley about 10 kilometres from the city proper. Choose this hotel only if you have a car, because city buses don't visit Lillafüred very often. time table of bus 5

[edit] Contact

[edit] Stay safe

[edit] Cope

Palota szallo in Lillafured

[edit] Get out

There's a narrowgauge train to Lillafüred - a nice village in Bükk mountains sitting in a valley by Hámori lake, where you can visit several caves.