After more than 20 years of travel in Europe, I have learned to make at least one stop -- preferably more -- in small towns while on a two-week trip. On a recent visit to Eastern Europe, I discovered a real gem in Pecs, Hungary.
Three hours south of Budapest via train, Pecs is filled with great cultural sites, good restaurants and alive-with-life people. The highlight is the town square and Kiraly Utca, which is known as the walking street. I happily spent two evenings in the center of Pecs, as it was filled with people and plenty of eating and drinking emporia. There are no cars, no noise, no fumes, no worries. Some of the buildings in Pecs -- the Town Hall, the National Theater, the Hotel Palatinus -- look like they were designed for a charm bracelet.
Pecs is packed with museums and religious sites. For me, the highlights were the Zsolnay Porcelain Museum and the synagogue. I had never heard of Zsolany porcelain, but the family-owned company was the biggest in Hungary on the eve of World War I. And the company's porcelain, especially the architectural systems, was stunning. The synagogue, which dates to the mid-1800s, was well described and once housed a thriving community, which was devastated by the Holocaust.
I also visited the Csontvary Museum (art works by a beloved Hungarian painter), the Modern Hungarian Art Museum, the Cella Septichora (Roman crypts) and imposing cathedral. There even more museums for the real culture vultures.
If you are in Hungary or nearby (Austria, Croatia, Serbia), you would do well to spend a couple nights in Pecs. The town was a European Culture Capital in 2010. The residents are welcoming. The town will leave fond memories.