Pécs region for Explorers - 3 days

If you prefer to take your tours with a ‘professional’, just hop on to the little sightseeing train on wheels and listen carefully. The Dotto train is not just comfortable, but is genuinely local, and may even know things that people from Pécs may not be aware of. It takes you around Pécs in 50 minutes, and during your journey you’ll meet many smiling and waving locals, as well as covering a large part of the town: the tour starts on the main square and runs up to the Zsolnay Quarter through the narrow streets so typical of Pécs, and some busy roads as well. The train on wheels operates every day between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., and leaves on the hour every hour from right in front of the Nagy Lajos Secondary Grammar School, returning to the same place. The terminus could not be in a better place, since from here you can start your trip around Pécs and discover the city’s World Heritage relics.

Art is an intrinsic part of Pécs and there have been many great artists who were born in the town. Just think of Janus Pannonius, who was inspired by an almond tree in Pécs and wrote one of his famous poems ‘To an Almond Tree in Transdanubia’, but Ferenc Martyn, Mihály Babits, Sándor Weöres, József Angster and Marcell Breuer were also born here. There is also, of course, Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka. Whether you like the art of painting or not, the works of the most remarkable Hungarian painter will take your breath away. Visit the gallery located on Janus Pannonius utca, and let the paintings take you to another world. They travelled a long way before arriving in Pécs, having been auctioned off after the painter’s death. Once you’ve enjoyed The Lonely Cedar in the Csontváry Museum on Janus Pannonius utca to your heart’s content, you should take the plunge and leap head-first into the world of op-art and analytic geometry.

When you are in Baranya county, and whether you are a wine lover or not, exploring this region has to be about more than just sightseeing. The Villány terroir is known far and wide, and is where you will find the very first wine road in Hungary. Those who are familiar with wines know that the products of the Villány wine region are considered one of the best quality and most popular products in the wine market, both at home and abroad. The most romantic wine cellar system in the region must be the one in Villánykövesd. The tiny, romantic village at the foot of Fekete Hill is not only a treat for wine lovers, but is also a favourite destination for photographers, painters and artists, with its captivating beauty. Most visitors want to see the protected wine cellar system, which is the most spectacular complex of the three-level cellar village. Take a look at the characteristic coloured doors of the cellars and you will immediately understand why people fall in love with this tiny village. But let’s see what’s in store in the village for wine lovers: You can see the current phases of wine production in Villánykövesd, learn what tools winemakers use and, of course, also taste the village’s excellent wines