Miskolc is Hungary's third largest city, known for its lively cultural life, natural heritage and monuments.

The Greek Orthodox church boasts Central Europe's largest iconostasia: its 16-m high picture wall depicts the life of Jesus in 88 pictures. The devotion picture The Black Mary of Khazan is a present from Tsarina Catherine II. The Hungarian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Museum holds the richest orthodox collection in the country. On the Avas Hill there is a lovely Gothic nave church with bells that chime every 15 minutes in a separate 16th-century belfry.

The pride of the 250-year-old Miskolc University is the historical library of Selmec with 30,000 volumes including rare books of technical and scientific education.

The resort areas of Miskolc are also full of tourist attractions. In the Middle Ages the Diósgyőr castle was the dowry of Hungarian queens. The castle of four corner bastions stands flourished in the 14th century, during the time of Louis I, the Great.An exhibition in the rondella presents the history of the castle and Central Europe's largest waxwork collection. Madam Déry's House was the residence of the first Hungarian operatic diva.

The Museum of Paper Manufacturing presents the history of paper manufacturing in Diósgyőr. Hungary's first industrial monument is an 1810 iron foundry at Újmassa. Nearby is the Massa Museum, telling the history of iron manufacturing in Diósgyőr which includes exhibits such as a replica of a smithy. A trout nursery at Garadna, the ruins of a Pauline monastery, a ski complex at Bánkút and observation platforms overlooking the Bükk Hills are all within an easy day's walk.

The cave and thermal mineral bath in Miskolctapolca is a unique natural formation. The water, rich in minerals, and the crystalline air of the cave have a therapeutic effect on heart and vascular, rheumatic and respiratory complaints. Bathing is uniquely entertaining in an environment of special light effects, effervescent baths and a subterranean stream.

It is worth stopping several times on the road leading to Aggtelek National Park from Miskolc.