Szolnok

Szolnok is in the middle of the Great Hungarian Plain, is the self-proclaimed capital of the river Tisza, the gate of Nagykunság, and the county seat of Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County. The surrounding Szolnok district is covered in a separate article.

Understand
Szolnok is a city of 71,000 people (2019) 100 km east-southeast of Budapest on the Great Hungarian Plain. As it lies at the confluence of the rivers Tisza and Zagyva, the first bridge over the Tisza was built here and the second railway route in Hungary led to this city, invading armies of all sorts attacked and destroyed this infrastructural center over its history (it was bombed twelve times during the Second World War alone). It also means that Szolnok lacks any historical buildings older than the 18th century, and socialist realism had its impact on its architecture. The city, which had often been described as ugly, started to go under an ongoing major reconstruction in the mid-2000s which resulted in some pleasant public squares around the city. Szolnok also acts as the cultural center of the neighboring regions.

Climate
The coldest month in Szolnok is January while the hottest is July with an average difference of 22.6°C. The yearly precipitation is 495 mm on average. The most rainy months are May and June with almost double precipitation than in January, February, and March. The number of sunny hours is around 2025 a year but can show great fluctuation each year. The months with most sunshine are the ones during the summer (with 260-280 hours a month) while the ones with the least are November, December, and January (50-75 hours a month).

Tourist information
A free, mainly Hungarian program magazine for the region called Szolnoki Est is published fortnightly.

By plane
Although Szolnok has two airports, neither is open to civilian traffic. It is, however, between two of Hungary's international airports, Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport (BUD, 82 km) and Debrecen International Airport (DEB, ca. 130 km). From both airports you may take Route 4 by car or railway 100a/100 to reach Szolnok, albeit in opposite directions.

By car
Szolnok is not on any major highways but you can take Route 4 all the way from Budapest or choose M5 highway and leave it at Exit 44 on Route 405 which connects it to Route 4. The former choice is shorter while the latter one (the European route E60) is faster.

By train
There are two functioning railway stations in Szolnok: Szolnok is a major rail junction and there are frequent trains going to and from Budapest as well as points north, south and east. Two railways lead to Szolnok from Budapest: line 100a—the second oldest railway line in Hungary established in 1847—from Budapest-Nyugati station through Cegléd and Abony which continues as line 100 to Debrecen, Nyíregyháza, and Ukraine and line 120a from Budapest-Keleti through Nagykáta and Újszász which goes on as 120 to Békéscsaba and Romania. On both lines, the distance from the capital is 100 km long but the time your journey will take may differ from 1 hour 18 minutes to 1 hour 55 minutes depending on the type of the train and the time of the day. Also, don't expect the trains to be on time. The terminus of the trains from Budapest are either Szolnok, Záhony (border to Ukraine), Lőkösháza (border to Romania), Szentes, or abroad. Other lines starting or ending at Szolnok are 86 and 145 which mean further direct connections to Hatvan, Kiskunfélegyháza, Vámosgyörk, and Kecskemét. The lines are all operated by MÁV.

By car
Around the city, there are usually enough parking places at any time of the day. In 2007, there was a major change in the order of traffic (the main square was closed from cars) so make sure that your map is up to date.

By bus
Buses are the only available public transport method. They are mostly in a reasonably good shape, and some of the vehicles have air-conditioning. The northern part of the city is better covered than the southern one. Buses during the night are very rare. At bus stops, you can find small maps next to the timetables that help you decide which bus to get on.

You should get on the bus at the front door and show your pass to the driver. If you have a ticket, chances are that you should give the ticket to the driver who will then validate it but in some cases the validating machine is outside the driver's cabin—in that case it is your job to do it. Some buses have electronic machines (put your ticket into the slot horizontally and it prints on it) while in some cases, there is a mechanic one (put your ticket into it vertically and pull the black part). You should get off the bus at one of the rear doors.

A line-ticket costs 270 Ft when bought at a newspaper stand and 350 Ft if bought on the bus from the driver. A one-day pass is 1,050 Ft, while a one-week pass is 2,000 Ft. They are available at the ticket offices at the bus station and next to the train station.

See
Although, Szolnok is not abundant in general tourist attractions, you may found several sites interesting depending on your interests.

Do

 * Fishing. Fishing in Szolnok is very popular as it has two rivers and three lakes that are suitable for that. (Tisza and Zagyva, Alcsi-Holt-Tisza—an oxbow lake of Tisza, Csónakázó-tó in Tiszaliget, and a fishing lake in Millér.) For permissions and further information contact the
 * Fishing. Fishing in Szolnok is very popular as it has two rivers and three lakes that are suitable for that. (Tisza and Zagyva, Alcsi-Holt-Tisza—an oxbow lake of Tisza, Csónakázó-tó in Tiszaliget, and a fishing lake in Millér.) For permissions and further information contact the

Buy
A large shopping area can be found at the junction of Routes 4 and 442 (address: Felső Szandai rét 1-9.) indcluding an Auchan, an Aldi, a Praktiker, an OBI, a MediaMarkt, and a line of fashion stores (Family Center).

Markets: Shopping centers:

Drink
The city is all quiet after dark, only a few night clubs and pubs wait for visitors during the night.

Connect
The city provides free Wi-Fi on the main square (Kossuth tér) for two hours a day per device.

The telephone country code of Hungary is +36, while the area code of Szolnok is 56.