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Major city · Hungary

Mátészalka

Go only if you want a plain, working Hungarian town with a Jewish-history street and a big flea market: one night, or a half-day stop between Debrecen and the Romanian border.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
HUF
Best months
May–Jun, Sep–Oct
avoid Jan–Feb (cold, grey), Jul–Aug midday heat
Airports
DEB · BUD
Nights
1
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 7Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window…
  • Europe ↗Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window, counted across all 29 Schengen states together — not per country; the Entry/Exit System now logs each crossing, so an overstay is detected automatically.
  • Europe ↗On the first Schengen entry since EES began, non-EU travellers give four fingerprints and a face photo at the border instead of a passport stamp; there is nothing to apply for or pay in advance.
  • Central Europe ↗Six of the nine countries here — Austria, Switzerland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia — charge a time-based motorway vignette, mostly digital and linked to the number plate; buy it before the first motorway past the border, because cameras, not toll booths, do the checking.
  • Central Europe ↗Temporary police checks at internal Schengen borders are common in this region in 2026 (Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovenia among others — check): keep your passport on you on every cross-border train, bus and road even though there is no fixed control post.
  • Hungary ↗Hungary is in the EU and the Schengen area: check entry rules, the EU Entry/Exit System and any travel authorisation requirement for your passport on official sources.
  • Hungary ↗The currency is the Hungarian forint (HUF), not the euro: decline dynamic currency conversion at cards and ATMs.
  • Hungary ↗Motorways need an electronic vignette (e-matrica) bought before you drive on them.

Mátészalka is the second town of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, 17,000 people on the flat north-eastern plain, close to the Ukrainian and Romanian borders. It is not a resort and has almost no foreign visitors. What it has is a Kossuth Lajos street of late 19th- and early 20th-century houses with a synagogue, a Soviet-era centre, a large open-air flea market, and a thermal bath. Most travellers use it as a rail or road stop, not a base.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Mátészalka, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • CoffeeFt 400–800 (check)
  • Sit-down mealRestaurant main courseFt 2,500–4,500 (≈ US$8–14) (check)
  • BeerDraught beer (0.5 l)Ft 700–1,200 (check)
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM or data SIM, about a weekFt 2,000–5,000 (≈ US$6–15) (check)
  • Museum or sight ticketThermal bath entryFt 2,500–4,000 (≈ US$8–12) (check)
  • Budget bedGuesthouse double room, a night, per roomFt 9,000 (≈ US$30)
  • Mid-range bedGuesthouse double room, a night, per roomFt 14,000 (≈ US$45)
  • High-end bedGuesthouse double room, a night, per roomFt 22,000 (≈ US$65)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget Ft 8,000 (≈ US$25) · Mid Ft 14,000 (≈ US$45) · High Ft 24,000 (≈ US$70)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Kossuth Lajos street and its synagogueThe flea marketSzatmár Museum and its carriage collectionThermal bath and indoor poolThe first electric street lighting in Hungary (1888)
Airports
DEB Debrecen International (Small seasonal schedule; onward connection to Mátészalka by train or bus via Debrecen — check current times) · BUD Budapest Ferenc Liszt International (The practical gateway: an afternoon InterCity runs direct from Budapest-Nyugati in about 4 h; other departures require a change at Debrecen — check current services)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Mátészalka: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

1°C

−5°C

8 rd

Feb

3°C

−4°C

7 rd

Mar

9°C

−1°C

7 rd

Apr

16°C

4°C

8 rd

May

21°C

9°C

9 rd

Jun

24°C

12°C

10 rd

Jul

26°C

14°C

9 rd

Aug

26°C

13°C

8 rd

Sep

21°C

9°C

7 rd

Oct

15°C

5°C

7 rd

Nov

8°C

1°C

8 rd

Dec

2°C

−3°C

9 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

The town is small enough to cross on foot in about 30–40 minutes. Local buses are regional services with irregular timetables; taxis wait at the railway station. Bicycles work well on the paved streets, but avoid Alkotmány street and take care on Jármi, Meggyesi and Ipari streets. A car is the local default and parking is easy.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time
Nyíregyházago

Door to door: About 1 h 15 min by bus (check)

Bus from the main bus station, or train with a change

The county capital: more museums, more beds, better connections onward.

Csenger

caution

Door to door: About 1 h (check)

Regional train or bus south-west

Small border town; check return times before you go.

Záhony

caution

Door to door: About 1 h (check)

Train towards the Ukrainian border

Border-zone town; check current crossing rules before travelling.

Kisvárda

go

Door to door: About 1 h (check)

Train or bus north-west

Castle and bath, an easy half-day.

Túristvándi water mill

caution

Door to door: About 1 h by car (check)

Bus or car towards Fehérgyarmat

Rural sight with limited public transport; check opening before travelling.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

City centre (Kossuth Lajos street / Hősök tere)

Walk to the synagogue, museum and most restaurants; the central area for beds.

Railway station area (Kölcsey street)

Guesthouses within a few minutes of the platform; useful for a one-night rail stop.

Ipari street / Meggyesi street side

Near the flea market; a long walk or a short taxi from the centre.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
Ft 8,000–13,000 (≈ US$25–40) excl. bed (check)
Mid
Ft 13,000–22,000 (≈ US$40–65) excl. bed (check)
High
Ft 22,000 (≈ US$65)+ excl. bed (check)

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Guesthouse double room1 × 1 night × Ft 14,000Ft 14,000
Food, local transport, entries2 × 1 day × Ft 14,000Ft 28,000
Thermal bath entry, one visit2 × Ft 3,000 · checkFt 6,000
eSIM, about a week of data2 × Ft 3,000 · checkFt 6,000
Local bus day of rides2 × Ft 1,000 · checkFt 2,000
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgeFt 5,600
Trip total≈ Ft 30,800 per person per day, bed includedFt 61,600≈ US$180

check

2026 estimate in forint; travel to Mátészalka excluded. Prices are a check — confirm locally. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

CoffeeFt 400–800 (check)
Lángos at the marketFt 800–1,500 (check)
Restaurant main courseFt 2,500–4,500 (≈ US$8–14) (check)
Draught beer (0.5 l)Ft 700–1,200 (check)
Pálinka, 2 clFt 400–900 (check)
Thermal bath entryFt 2,500–4,000 (≈ US$8–12) (check)
eSIM or data SIM, about a weekFt 2,000–5,000 (≈ US$6–15) (check)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

A quiet, low-crime town. The real issues are empty streets after dark, pickpockets at the flea market, stray dogs on the outskirts and unlicensed fuel sellers: keep cash small and walk in the centre.
  • The flea market draws troublemakers; keep bags in front of you and cash small.
  • Do not buy fuel from vendors selling it from jerrycans — it is often mixed with water and can wreck a modern engine.
  • Stray dogs on the outskirts and near the Kraszna river; do not run, walk away calmly.
  • Outside the centre, streets are empty in the day and the town is very quiet after dark.
  • Politics, and jokes about the USA, the EU, Jews, Roma or neighbouring countries, come up; stay neutral and do not take offence.
  • The local Roma prefer the word Roma, not the older Hungarian term.

Emergency numbers

General emergency
112
Ambulance
104
Police
107
Fire
105

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

MátészalkaMátészalka

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

Erre a címre, kéremTo this address, please

Emergency

  • General emergency112
  • Ambulance104
  • Police107
  • Fire105

Embassy

No embassies in Mátészalka; the US, UK, Canadian and Australian missions are in Budapest. The nearest consulates are in Debrecen and Nyíregyháza.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Budapest-Nyugati → Mátészalka, InterCity: about 4 h direct on the afternoon service, otherwise with a change at Debrecen; seat reservation advised (check)
  • Nyíregyháza → Mátészalka, bus: about 1 h 15 min; buy on board or at the station (check)
  • Taxi across town: Ft 1,500–2,500 (≈ US$5–8) (check)

Say or show

  • Jó napot — Good day (yoh NAW-pot)
  • Köszönöm — Thank you (KUR-sur-nurm)
  • Mennyibe kerül? — How much is it? (MEN-nyi-beh KEH-rool)
  • A számlát, kérem — The bill, please (aw SAM-lat KEH-rem)
  • Hol van a WC? — Where is the toilet? (hol van aw vay-tsay)
  • Nem beszélek magyarul — I don't speak Hungarian (nem BEH-say-lek MA-dyaw-rool)

Phone area code 44; numbers here have six digits. Free Wi-Fi appears in parts of the centre, and the library has internet access.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Mátészalka. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: May–Jun, Sep–Oct · avoid Jan–Feb (cold, grey), Jul–Aug midday heat · month by month →
  2. 2 airports and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 5 day-trips, door to door
  6. 6 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for DEB and BUD: last train and bus departures field-checked, taxi fallback, overnight rung.
  2. Three walking clusters with rescue anchors: Kossuth Lajos street and the synagogue, Hősök tere and the Soviet centre, the railway station.
  3. Place pages with verified cutoffs (synagogue, Szatmár Museum, thermal bath, flea market) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Border and hostile arrival fixtures so gates A–D can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to Hungary

Sources