Pécs
is amazing art and drinks with a view
Welcome to Pécs
Blessed with a mild climate, an illustrious past and a number of fine museums and monuments, Pécs is one of the most pleasant and interesting cities to visit in Hungary. For its handful of universities, the nearby Mecsek Hills and the lively nightlife, many travellers put it second only to Budapest on their Hungarian ‘must-see’ list.
Top experiences in Pécs
Amazing hotels and hostels
We've pre-picked the best hotels, hostels and bed and breakfasts to make your stay as enjoyable as possible.
Travel guides
Starting at $32.49
Pécs activities
Private Budapest Art Nouveau Tour with Historian Guide
This tour of Budapest’s distinctive and elegant Art Nouveau construction will take you along the finest examples of this specific style, among them buildings designed by the founding father of Hungarian Secession Ödön Lechner, also known as the Gaudi of Hungary.In fact, Art Nouveau became so popular in Budapest (and in many provincial towns in Hungary, as well) so it is impossible to see all Art Nouveau buildings in one day. This introductory tour takes you along some of the Art Nouveau highlights in downtown Budapest, the two most important buildings of which are no doubt the Palace of the Royal Post, designed by Lechner – a very frivolous and Gaudilike design –, and the Gresham Palace, today the number one luxury hotel in Budapest but at the time built by the founder of the London Stock Exchange Lord Gresham as an office space and a series of luxury apartments for Hungarian nobility. Fortunately, both buildings allow visitors into the entrance hall, so we cannot only admire the wonderful details on the outside, but also enjoy a short peek at the interior during our discussion of Art Nouveau design elements.Other stops on this walk include a flower shop which still has its original interior, a department store, several bank offices and a small but exquisite Art Nouveau museum/ coffee house – a wonderful private initiative. You’ll examine a series of ceramics from the renowned Zsolnay factory in Pécs, a town in the south of Hungary. The extensive use of such ceramics on the exterior of the buildings (the roof and the façade) as well as in the interior, is one of the most typical features of Hungarian Art Nouveau. These decorations only became possible after Zsolnay made some ground breaking inventions for which he came to be known all over the Hapsburg Empire (the roof of the Stephan’s Cathedral in Vienna is also made of Zsolnay tiles).Another routine Hungarian Art Nouveau feature is the use of Asian motifs and elements in decoration, a reference to the supposed eastern origins of the Hungarian nation, although we also discuss the European wide Orientalism that influenced Art Nouveau. Some elements of the tour are dependent on the day of the week: On weekends we cannot enter the Hungarian National Bank which has some very fine examples of Zsolnay porcelain, while the orthodox synagogue with its exquisite Art Nouveau interior is closed on Saturdays. But we can adapt the tour, also to your specific wishes, and if you like we can of course also offer you a more extensive tour, which also comprises some of the other Art Nouveau jewels in Budapest such as the Gellért Bath Hotel, the Museum of Applied Arts and the Geology Museum.
Budapest to Villany and Pecs 10-Hour Wine and History Tour
After making your booking, contact the tour operator to arrange a departure time that suits your schedule. At the agreed upon meeting time, your private guide picks you up at your centrally located Budapest hotel — or other preferred meeting point — and you head for the picturesque villages of Villány and Palkonya, around two hours north of Budapest.Declared in 1994 to be Hungary’s first official wine road, the Villany-Siklos wine route connects through 11 towns and villages in a protected wine-growing area. It is one of the sunniest wine districts of Hungary, where in the mild, sub-Mediterranean climate grapes like cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, blue Portuguese, blue franc and merlot feel perfectly at home. While Villány is primarily known for its ruby-tone red wines, reminiscent of the Médoc wine style, in Siklos and Nagyharsany it mainly white wine that is being produced, such as Rhine riesling and chardonnay.On the way to Villány, stop in Pecs and Siklos. Pécs has a history of 2,000 years, and is one of the cities in Hungary with the most surviving Turkish sites. Visit Pécs Necropolis, an early Christian burial site from the 4th century and UNESCO World Heritage Site; the main square and inner city of Pécs, Gazi Kasim’s Djami, the Pécs Cathedral, the Csontváry Museum, and the Zsolnay Museum.Head next for Siklós Castle, among the best-preserved castles in Hungary and residence of numerous prominent historical families. Rising high above the town, the fortress of Siklós was first mentioned in a charter dating back to 1190. The owners rebuilt the castle several times, therefore it shows characteristics of the Gothic, Renaissance and the baroque styles too.After a full day of exploring and wine tasting, your tour concludes back at the original departure point.