Guide and review of Pecs in Hungary

Pécs sits in the south of Hungary, about a two-and-a-half hour drive from Budapest, and most travellers pass it by. That leaves the streets pleasantly open. The city has around 140,000 residents and a habit of not rushing anyone. Its centre is compact enough to cross on foot in under half an hour, which means you can wander from one end to the other and still have the afternoon free.

Start with the cathedral on Dóm tér. Its foundations go back to the eleventh century, and the interior holds frescoes that were uncovered during reconstruction work in the 1880s. The ceiling is high enough that a phone camera won't do it justice, and you'll probably try anyway. Four towers rise above the square, and the stonework shifts from pale grey to warm cream as the sun moves across the facade. From the square you can walk to the Zsolnay Cultural Quarter in about ten minutes. The porcelain factory that gave it its name closed in 1999, and the old workshops now hold galleries, studios, and a handful of cafés. The tiles on the rooftops are glazed in a green that changes colour in the afternoon light, and the craft shops along the courtyard stay open until six most evenings.

Food here runs rich. A bowl of gulyás at a market stall near Széchenyi tér costs around 1,500 forint and comes with bread and a small dish of pickled peppers. The city's wine region, Villány, is a short drive south, and a glass of Kékfrankos at a cellar door is worth the detour. I didn't make it to the wine cellars myself, though I heard good things from a couple staying at the same guesthouse. The market hall itself is worth an hour, with stalls of paprika, honey, and fresh pastries stacked behind the glass counters.

If you want a view, climb to the Tvrdja. The old castle walls are partly ruined, and the path up is uneven in places. From the top you can see the whole city spread out, and on a clear day the Mecsek hills beyond. There's a bench near the northern wall that catches the late sun. Nobody seems to know who placed it there, and the stone beside it is worn smooth from decades of use.

The appeal of Pécs isn't in any single sight. The streets have a quiet confidence, and the cafés along Király utca fill up slowly through the morning. You'll walk in the wrong direction at least once and end up somewhere better for it. The city has more museums per capita than most Hungarian towns, and the Zsolnay collection alone takes a good two hours. Some of the smaller galleries stay open late on Fridays, giving you every reason to linger after dinner.

Include Pécs in your trip. It won't be the most important thing you do this year, but it'll be the most pleasant surprise of your week. The cathedral bell rings at seven each evening.