← Debrecen Marathon·2 nights

Nyíregyháza and Sóstó: Zoo, Forest and Open-Air Village

A county town with a lakeside forest at Sóstó, a zoo laid out on flat ground and an open-air museum of village houses, an hour up the line from Debrecen.

Duration2 nights
TransitAbout 1 hour by train from Debrecen; check the MÁV timetable
DepartsDebrecen

After the Debrecen Marathon: Nyíregyháza and Sóstó

The Route: Debrecen → Nyíregyháza → Sóstó → Debrecen Airport Logistics: Regional or InterCity train from Debrecen to Nyíregyháza, around an hour, then a local bus or taxi to Sóstó. Check mavcsoport.hu for current times. Marathon Month: April Duration: 2 nights

Debrecen ──(approx. 1 hr by train, MÁV)──> Nyíregyháza ──(local bus / taxi)──> Sóstó
                                                                                  │
          Debrecen Airport (DEB) ◄──(train + taxi, approx. 1.5 hrs)──────────────┘

The Debrecen Marathon is run on the Sunday after Easter in 2027, and a two-night trip fits comfortably between Monday and Wednesday. Nyíregyháza is the next big town up the line towards the Ukrainian border, and Sóstó, its lakeside suburb, has most of what you want from a slow week: a flat forest, a zoo and a village museum.

April in Sóstó is cool and damp, with leaves only just breaking. The forest paths are mostly dry by mid-April, but a few can be soft after rain, so wear shoes you do not mind. The zoo's published hours in autumn run 09:00 to 17:00, but that is the September and October pattern. The April opening hours were not available at the time of writing, so check sostozoo.hu before choosing a day.

Take the train to Nyíregyháza and then a local bus or taxi from the station to Sóstó, a few kilometres away. Rail frequency between the two cities is good during the day. Confirm times at mavcsoport.hu before leaving, and keep your luggage light, because the transfer at Nyíregyháza involves a short but real walk through the station.

Nights one and two: Sóstó

Sóstó grew around a salt lake and a spa, and a forest of oak and pine still surrounds it. The recovery walk is the paths around the lake, which are flat, wide and well provided with benches. The circuit is roughly 2 to 3 km depending on the route you choose; ask at your hotel for a map, because several paths branch off. At post-marathon pace allow an hour with stops.

The zoo is the main reason to come. Nyíregyháza's Zoo, a short walk from the lake, is spread across flat ground and has a large collection, including a glass-roofed hall for tropical species. Do not try to see all of it: walking the full park is several kilometres, and the legs will complain by the second hour. Choose three or four enclosures and a long sit at the café. The zoo says it opens daily; confirm the April hours and whether the hall is open.

The Sóstó Open-Air Museum, a short distance away, is a collection of rural houses and farm buildings from the Szabolcs-Szatmár region, rebuilt in a village layout with paths between them. Go in the late morning when the doors are open. Opening depends on season; check the museum's own site for April.

Where to stay: The Hunguest Hotel Sóstó stands at the edge of the forest and is the most straightforward base, with a spa and breakfast. Other rooms in Sóstó and in the town centre can be found through the local Tourinform office. Book a room with a bath if you can; a soak is part of the plan. Rates vary by week.

Where to eat: Hungarian regional cooking here leans on stews and on the fish of the Tisza. Ask your hotel for a table and for the soup of the day, which in this part of the country is often a fish soup with paprika. Reserve for Sunday and holiday weekends.

Getting to Debrecen Airport

Return to Nyíregyháza by bus or taxi, take the train to Debrecen, and then a taxi to Debrecen Airport (DEB) on the south-east side of the city. Allow about an hour and a half in total from Sóstó, and more on a Sunday, when trains are less frequent. Budapest Airport (BUD) is a longer journey by rail via Debrecen; check connections in advance.