Békés

Békés County sits in the far southeast of Hungary, on the flat, fertile expanse of the Southern Great Plain (Dél-Alföld), pressed up against the Romanian border. This is deep puszta country: a landscape of open arable fields, slow-moving rivers, and wide skies, threaded by the three branches of the Körös river system (the Fehér-, Fekete-, and Sebes-Körös) that give the region both its agriculture and its quiet recreational charm. There are no mountains and few dramatic vistas here — the appeal is gentler and more cultural, built on market towns, thermal spas, and a culinary reputation that punches far above the county's modest size.

The county seat, Békéscsaba, is the commercial and cultural heart, and one of the strongholds of Hungary's Slovak (Tót) minority, whose Lutheran churches, traditions, and food still shape local identity. Nearby Gyula offers the county's single most striking monument — a 15th-century brick castle, the best-preserved of its kind in Central Europe — alongside one of Hungary's most popular thermal-bath complexes. Further west, Szarvas is famous for its sprawling historic arboretum and its position at the symbolic geographic centre of historic Hungary.

For travellers, Békés is a destination of slow pleasures: spa towns, sausage festivals, riverside cycling, and small-town squares that see few foreign visitors. It rewards those interested in authentic provincial Hungary, thermal-water relaxation, and regional gastronomy rather than headline sights.

Late spring through early autumn (May to September) is the prime window. Summers on the Great Plain are hot and dry — July and August regularly push past 30 °C, with some of the most sunshine hours in Hungary — making the thermal and open-air pools at Gyula and Békéscsaba especially welcome. May, June, and September offer warm, comfortable weather ideal for cycling the Körös embankments and exploring towns on foot.

The county's signature event, the Csabai Kolbászfesztivál (Csaba Sausage Festival) in Békéscsaba, falls in late October, and is worth timing a visit around despite the cooler weather. Winters are cold, grey, and occasionally foggy on the open plain, though the thermal baths remain a draw year-round and give the colder months their own appeal.

Békéscsaba is the transport hub, sitting on the main rail line from Budapest toward Lőkösháza and the Romanian border; direct trains link it to Budapest's Keleti station in roughly 2.5–3 hours. From Békéscsaba, Gyula is only about 18 km east (a short train or frequent bus ride, well under 30 minutes), making the two towns easy to pair. Szarvas lies about 45 km west of Békéscsaba, reachable by regional bus or train.

Volánbusz regional coaches connect the smaller towns and villages where rail does not reach, and are the practical choice for places off the main line. Distances within the county are modest and the terrain is completely flat, so a car gives the most freedom for reaching arboretums, riverside spots, and rural villages. The same flatness makes the county outstanding for cycling — the Körös river dykes carry well-marked bike routes, and renting a bicycle in Gyula or Szarvas is a pleasant way to cover short distances.

Békés is, above all, sausage country. The Csabai kolbász (Csaba sausage) from Békéscsaba and the Gyulai kolbász from Gyula are both protected, internationally known cured sausages, heavily seasoned with sweet and hot Hungarian paprika — the rivalry between the two towns over which is superior is a genuine local institution. Both are sold from butchers and at markets throughout the county and make the definitive edible souvenir.

Beyond sausage, the table here is classic Great Plain fare: hearty meat stews, pörkölt, freshwater fish from the Körös rivers (carp and catfish, often as fish soup or fried), and generous use of paprika and pork lard. The Slovak heritage of Békéscsaba adds dishes such as kapustnica (cabbage soup) and various stuffed and pickled-cabbage specialities. Vegetarians will find the meat-forward menus limiting outside the towns, though lángos, lecsó (pepper-and-tomato stew), and túrós (curd) dishes are reliable standbys.

The cultural calendar centres on a handful of strong annual events. The Csabai Kolbászfesztivál in Békéscsaba (late October) is the biggest, a multi-day celebration of sausage-making with competitions, music, and food stalls drawing visitors from across the country. Gyula's restored castle hosts the Gyulai Várszínház (Castle Theatre) summer festival, an open-air theatre season staged within the medieval walls.

The county's distinctive Slovak minority culture is a defining cultural thread, visible in Békéscsaba's Lutheran churches (including one of the largest Lutheran churches in Central Europe), the open-air Slovak heritage house museum, and ongoing folk traditions, music, and crafts. Local arts also draw on the Great Plain's strong folk-craft heritage — embroidery, pottery, and traditional costume.

• Soak at the Gyula thermal baths — the Gyulai Várfürdő, set in parkland beside the castle, is one of Hungary's most beloved spa complexes, with thermal, recreational, and medicinal pools.
• Tour Gyula Castle — explore the only intact Gothic brick castle on the Hungarian plain, then catch a summer performance at the Castle Theatre staged within its walls.
• Walk the Szarvas Arboretum (Pepi-kert) — Hungary's largest historic arboretum, with thousands of tree and plant species along the Körös backwater, plus the nearby symbolic geographic-centre monument of old Hungary.
• Eat your way through the Csaba Sausage Festival — Békéscsaba's October celebration of its protected Csabai kolbász, with making competitions, tastings, and live music.
• Cycle the Körös river dykes — flat, well-marked routes along the Fehér-, Fekete-, and Sebes-Körös rivers connect towns, oxbow lakes, and quiet fishing spots ideal for a slow day on two wheels.