After the simple towns of Serbia I was hungry for Hungary, and Pecs and Budapest were the main stops! The countryside was beautiful and the colour contrasts splendid. Although Budapest is the obvious place to visit, there are many more lovely places in Hungary. I didn’t make it to all of them as I came from the South. That said, the first stop in Pecs (after lunch in Baja) was pretty amazing.
Pecs (Pécs)
Pecs is absolutlely stunning and beautiful! As soon as you are in the city you get the ‘wow’ feeling. Big boulevards, lots of pedestrian streets to walk (no cars), lots to see (e.g. the medieval university on the northern city wall, built in 1367) and the buildings are just grand and stunning. It is an overall very clean city.
But it is not only the city that is worth a visit. Pecs is surrounded by some amazing wineries and therefore great wines. As I am not a ‘winery tour’ person I decided to go to a nice restaurant, the ‘Tüke Borhaz‘, for some local wine tasting and dinner. And that‘s what I did.. tasted lots of red wine, bought some and woke up with a little bit of a hangover. It was a change from the mountains and I had great fun.
My slight hangover the next day was also the perfect excuse to have an amazing Vegan chocolate cake the next morning!
I stayed two nights in Pecs (Pécs) and totally loved it! A great welcome into Hungary! Go and see Pecs for yourself. It is gorgeous!
Budapest
I was really looking forward to Budapest and I read it is an amazing city with lots to explore. The room that I booked was directly in the city which was great. It was in the middle of the food scene and as I really love the Hungarian Cousine (Hungry for Hungary anyone?), it was perfect for me.
The groovy bars and restaurants with lots of options to choose from just below and so I finally had a good place to eat some Hungarian Gulash! I was also planning to do some shopping, however, it was a bit disappointing. I was expecting a bit more style but besides the touristy shops I didn‘t find too much that was different and suitable for me. Oh well, more on the food then!
For food and wine, both, Pecs and Budapest are amazing!
The only downside in Budapest was the weather. I arrived in the city Wednesday (13th June) afternoon and did a little bit of discovering and walking, however the Thursday was mainly indoors. It was raining almost all day and stopped just in time to go out for dinner. I guess after over 6 weeks of actually avoiding the rain (my detour to Greece was amazing though), it had to eventually catch up with me. Resting day it was!
Hungry for Hungary, the next day
Friday morning in Budapest was a little bit better, although still cloudy. After prioritising the ‚must see‘, I decided to visit the Buda Castle and its district (which was full of tourists already but amazing! See the photos).
As the rain wouldn’t stop, I left Budapest at lunch time. It was a shame as I really wanted to walk the streets a bit more. The weather just wasn‘t on my side. Maybe next time! I shall be back! It is an amazing city to visit and hang out in.
Pecs and Budapest, the last few days in Hungary
After leaving Budapest I made a quick stop in Gyor. A nice enough town, but in my opinion, not worth a visit. It just didn‘t have the grandness of Pecs and Budapest.
After Gyor I settled in a small town, Szombathely, which is definitely not worth seeing but it is close to the Austrian border and therefore close to my next destinations! I have calmed my hunger for Hungary and I am sure I will be back. Pecs and Budapest were great and worth a visit.
Now, it is almost time to get back to Germany… Austria and the Schönbrunn Gardens next! So stay tuned!
