Hajdú-Bihar, Great Hungarian Plain · Hungary
The puszta, Central Europe's largest grassland, with horsemen, grey cattle, racka sheep, migrating cranes and the longest stone bridge in Hungary.
Photo: Veronika.szappanos · CC BY-SA 4.0
The puszta is the Great Hungarian Plain, an enormous grassland stretching across eastern Hungary. Hortobágy National Park, founded in 1973, protects 800 square kilometres of it, and is Hungary's largest protected area. The landscape is flat and vast, with grasses, wetlands, fish ponds and a vast sky, and it has been shaped by centuries of grazing by cattle, horses and sheep. UNESCO lists it as a cultural landscape.
The traditional life of the puszta is still on show. Herdsmen, called csikós when they tend horses, ride in a distinctive costume of blue shirts, wide trousers and hats, and perform horse shows in which riders control teams of five horses at a gallop. Curly-horned Racka sheep and long-horned Hungarian grey cattle graze, and the stone Nine-Hole Bridge, the longest in Hungary at 167 metres, dates from 1833.
For nature lovers, the park is a major bird area. In October, tens of thousands of common cranes stop here on their migration, and visitors also see spoonbills, great bustards and many others. The park is a day trip from Debrecen or Tokaj, or a stop on a road trip east of Budapest.
Why visit
Hortobágy is the best place to see traditional Hungarian rural life and wide open landscapes.
Endless grassland.
Csikós horsemen.
Cranes in autumn.
A historic stone bridge.
Traditional herding.
Main attractions
The sights are in and around Hortobágy village.
A 167-metre stone bridge with nine arches, the longest in Hungary, built in 1833 on the old trade route.
Tip Walk across.
The open grassland with traditional well poles, grazing herds and mirages on hot days.
Tip Take a horse-cart tour.
Demonstrations of csikós riding, including the five-in-hand.
Tip Check show times.
A museum on pastoral life.
Tip Near the bridge.
Ponds for birdwatching.
Tip Bring binoculars.
Thousands of cranes stop in October.
Tip Go at dusk.
Things to do
A visit is about the plains.
Skilled riders.
Tip Best in summer.
Cross the puszta.
Tip Book.
Cranes and spoonbills.
Tip Bring binoculars.
See native animals.
Tip Family.
Traditional inns.
Tip Try the goulash.
Flat trails.
Tip Take water.
Local food
Puszta food is simple and hearty.
Cauldron-cooked soup.
Where to try it Csárda inns.
Meat-filled pancakes.
Where to try it Restaurants.
Cooked over a fire.
Where to try it Inns.
Local beef.
Where to try it Restaurants.
Brandy.
Where to try it Inns.
Accommodation
Stay in the village or Debrecen.
Transport
Hortobágy is between Debrecen and Tiszafüred.
Sights are spread out.
When to go
The puszta is best in summer and autumn.
Green.
Hot, with horse shows.
Cranes.
Cold and empty.
Worth planning around: Midday summer heat.
Itinerary
Bridge, horses and birds.
Plains.
Travel tips
A few tips help you plan.
FAQ
The Great Hungarian Plain.
October.
Yes for nature and culture.
One day.
Train from Debrecen.
Yes.
Keep exploring
Places that pair well with Hortobágy, whether you have a few spare days or are building a longer route.
Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén, north-east Hungary, Hungary
A UNESCO-listed wine region and small town at the meeting of two rivers, with cellars, vineyard villages, sweet Aszú wine and dry Furmint.
Don't miss Tasting a glass of amber Tokaji Aszú in a centuries-old cellar cut into volcanic rock.
Explore Destination — TokajCsongrád-Csanád, southern Hungary, Hungary
A lively southern city rebuilt after a great flood in 1879, with the Votive Church, Reök Palace, riverside promenades, halászlé fish soup and Szeged paprika and salami.
Don't miss The Votive Church's twin spires above Dóm Square, the heart of the city.
Explore Destination — SzegedHeves, northern Hungary, Hungary
A baroque town with a 16th-century castle, Europe's northernmost minaret, thermal baths and family cellars in the Szépasszony-völgy, home of Egri Bikavér, Bull's Blood wine.
Don't miss Tasting Bull's Blood red wine in a cellar carved into the hillside of the Valley of the Beautiful Women.
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