In the immediate vicinity of Nagyerdei Arena, a one-of-a-kind attraction beckons from spring through fall. The multimedia fountain, or “Mist Theatre,” boasts a 30×10-m, fan-shaped curtain of water vapor which can be used as a functional movie screen to show clips of Debrecen as well as special laser installations. The more adventurous might want to try the stepping stones across the basin on sweltering summer days.

One of the nation’s five research universities, UD celebrated its centenary in 2012. The glass-ceilinged cour d’honneur of the main edifice, built in Eclectic and Neo-Baroque style, is skirted by an arcaded corridor system, whose walls are inscribed with the names of the school’s most renowned professors and former students. The fountain in the spacious French-style park in front of the building plays a special role in student tradition: Graduates are supposed to take a plunge in its pool after their finals.

The beach across the bay from Santander is much-loved for its soft sand and relative tranquillity. There is a surf school–the first of its kind in Spain–on the beach, too (Escuela Cántabra de Surf, Calle Isla De Mouro, 12). The best way to get there is by regular boat service run by Los Reginas on the Paseo Marítimo.

Beit Al-Sharbatly is a distinguished 1930s mansion in Al-Balad, celebrated for its ornate Hejazi architecture. Its façade is defined by elaborate rawasheen (projecting bay windows) featuring intricate mashrabiya (wooden lattice screens). Completed in 1936, the building first housed the Egyptian Embassy before being acquired by the prominent Al-Sharbatly trading family. While the house has been restored and is admired for its almost cinematic exterior, public access can be unpredictable. The interior is not consistently open to casual visitors, so it is best appreciated from the outside.