Keszthely
The glimmering white, 100-room Festetics Palace was begun in 1745, and the two wings were extended out from the original building 150 years later. Some 18…
Must-see attractions in Lake Balaton & Southern Transdanubia
-
Pécs
The sprawling Zsolnay Cultural Quarter, built on the grounds of the original Zsolnay porcelain factory, is divided into four sections (craftspeople,…
Pécs
The largest building extant from the time of the Turkish occupation, the former Pasha Gazi Kassim Mosque (now the Inner Town Parish Church) dominates the…
-
Lake Balaton & Southern Transdanubia
This factory has been producing Hungary’s finest hand-painted china for over 180 years. You can witness how clay becomes delicate porcelain in 40-minute…
-
Pécs
Surrounded by largely baroque buildings, Pécs' sloped main square is the city's hub, great for people-watching. With the Mosque Church at the north end,…
-
Pécs
This museum shows the major works of master 19th-century symbolist painter Tivadar Kosztka Csontváry. Elements of postimpressionism and expressionism can…
-
Pécs
This museum exhibits the work of the father of op art, Victor Vasarely. Symmetrical, largely abstract pieces are exhibited with clever illuminations that…
-
Pécs
This gallery exhibits the art of Hungary from 1850 till today across several floors; works run the gamut from impressionist paintings to visually striking…
-
Mohács Historical Memorial Site
Lake Balaton & Southern Transdanubia
The defeat of the ragtag Hungarian army by the Turks at Mohács on 29 August 1526 was a watershed in the nation’s history, its effects felt up to this day…
-
Pécs
The foundations of the neo-Romanesque four-towered basilica dedicated to St Peter date from the 11th century and the side chapels are from the 1300s, but…
-
Keszthely
On the top floor of a former military building, this grin-inducing museum exhibits one of the world's largest mountain railway layouts. Trains whiz round…
-
Keszthely
Full disclosure: this is an X-rated wax museum. Kind of tacky – yes. Fascinating – absolutely. The tiny subterranean space brings to 'life' lust and sex…
-
Pécs
The porcelain factory established in Pécs in 1853 was at the forefront of European art and design for more than half a century. Many of its majolica tiles…
-
Pécs
The suburb of Budaiváros, to the northeast of Pécs' town centre, is where most Hungarians settled after the Turks banned them from living within the city…
-
Lake Balaton & Southern Transdanubia
The entire town seems to stroll the leafy lake-hugging promenade all day. It hides a number of statues, including a bust of Nobel Prize–winning poet…
-
Keszthely
Housed in several early-19th-century buildings of what was the Georgikon’s experimental farm, this is the perfect museum for lovers of early industrial…
-
Keszthely
The Balaton Museum was purpose-built in 1928 and its permanent exhibits focus on the life and history of Lake Balaton. The Balaton aquarium showcases the…
-
Keszthely
Depending on what generation you're from, the exhibits at this wonderful place will either make you smile in remembrance or gawp in fascination. Ye olde…
-
Pécs
Pécs' beautifully preserved 1869 Conservative synagogue is south of Széchenyi tér and faces renovated Kossuth tér. It was built in the Romantic style in…
-
Keszthely
Before WWII Keszthely’s Jewish community numbered 1000; at the end of the war it had dropped to 170. Today less than 40 Jews live in the town and attend…
-
Lake Balaton & Southern Transdanubia
This lovely museum has a large collection of costumes worn by the Sokác, Slovenes, Serbs, Croats, Bosnians and Swabians who repopulated this devastated…
-
Keszthely
This surprisingly absorbing museum showcases two floors' worth of dolls dressed in folk costumes from all parts of Hungary. On the ground floor, there's…
-
Keszthely
What do you get when you take one woman's obsession, 14 years of loving labour, and 4.5 million snail shells? A 7m by 2.5m scale model of Budapest's…
-
Lake Balaton & Southern Transdanubia
If you can’t make the Busójárás festival, just before Lent, Busóház is the place to come: it tells the story of the festival from its origins as a South…
-
Keszthely
Behind Festetics Palace in a separate building is the Coach Museum, which is filled with coaches and sleighs fit for royalty. You may not know the…
-
Pécs
The early Christian tomb chapel, under renovation at research time, dates from about AD 350 and has frescoes of Adam and Eve and Daniel in the lion’s den…
-
Pécs
Wedged between two modern buildings, this 16th-century mosque comes complete with a minaret and is still used for services. Inside there's a wonderful…
-
Pécs
The 200m-tall TV tower sits atop the 535m summit of Misini hill. On a clear day, from the viewing platform you can see Pécs and its historic buildings,…
-
Lake Balaton & Southern Transdanubia
This leafy square is home to the State Hospital of Cardiology. In the centre you’ll encounter the Kossuth Pump House (1853), a natural spring that…
-
Keszthely
This church was originally built in the Gothic style in the late 14th century for Franciscan monks, but many alterations were made in subsequent centuries…
-
Museum of Historical Wax Figures
Keszthely
This is a surprisingly fun way to acquaint yourself with the who's who of Hungary's rulers, poets, clerics and military commanders. The eclectic…
-
Keszthely
This treasure trove of ordinary objects ranging from 1800s antiques to 'retro' items is fun to poke around in, and before you know it, an hour has flown…
-
Lake Balaton & Southern Transdanubia
The Jókai Memorial Museum is housed in the summer villa of the prolific writer Mór Jókai, just north of Vitorlás tér. Jókai churned out many of his 200…
-
Keszthely
Fő tér, Kezthely's colourful main square, received a facelift in 2012 – the result is a traffic-free, pedestrian-friendly expanse of white cobblestone…
-
Keszthely
Partly a museum, but also a good excuse to stop by for coffee and cake if you're visiting the castle next door. It's well worth paying the small admission…
-
Pécs
One of Pécs’ most enjoyable pedestrian streets, Ferencesek utcája, runs east from Kórház tér to Széchenyi tér and boasts the magnificent baroque…
-
Pécs
This absorbing museum traces Pécs' history across two floors of a former tannery, with period costumes and clothing, photos and exhibits walking you…
-
Cella Septichora Visitors Centre
Pécs
This Christian burial site illuminates a series of early Christian tombs that have been on Unesco's World Heritage list since 2000. The highlight is the…
-
Pécs
You can get a taste of the Mecsek Hills by walking northeast from the centre of Pécs to Tettye and the Garden of Ruins, what's left of a bishop's summer…
-
Lake Balaton & Southern Transdanubia
The Balaton Pantheon has memorial plaques from those who took the cure at the town's famous hospital; the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore was one of them.
