Region

Southern Transdanubia

Base in Pécs for 2 nights; add Harkány or Hévíz only if you want thermal water, not as a first stop.

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Key facts · Hungary

Best months: Apr–May, Sep–Oct
Visa: Depends on your passport
Currency: Hungarian forint (HUF, Ft)
Language: Hungarian
Plugs: C · F · 230 V
Time zone: CET, CEST late March – late October

Month by month hereIn detail ↓

Rules in force · 7Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window…

Europe ↗Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window, counted across all 29 Schengen states together — not per country; the Entry/Exit System now logs each crossing, so an overstay is detected automatically.
Europe ↗On the first Schengen entry since EES began, non-EU travellers give four fingerprints and a face photo at the border instead of a passport stamp; there is nothing to apply for or pay in advance.
Central Europe ↗Six of the nine countries here — Austria, Switzerland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia — charge a time-based motorway vignette, mostly digital and linked to the number plate; buy it before the first motorway past the border, because cameras, not toll booths, do the checking.
Central Europe ↗Temporary police checks at internal Schengen borders are common in this region in 2026 (Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovenia among others — check): keep your passport on you on every cross-border train, bus and road even though there is no fixed control post.
Hungary ↗Hungary is in the EU and the Schengen area: check entry rules, the EU Entry/Exit System and any travel authorisation requirement for your passport on official sources.
Hungary ↗The currency is the Hungarian forint (HUF), not the euro: decline dynamic currency conversion at cards and ATMs.
Hungary ↗Motorways need an electronic vignette (e-matrica) bought before you drive on them.

Southern Transdanubia (Dél-Dunántúl) is Hungary's south-west: Pécs, the Mecsek hills, the Drava and Danube border country, and the spa towns of Harkány and Hévíz. It is not a rail-loop region. Trains and buses radiate from Pécs and from Budapest, so most travellers sleep in Pécs and treat the rest as day trips or a one-night add-on.

Where to sleep

4 places in this region

Sleep base

PécsCity guide
Rail and bus hub, walkable old town, most beds and restaurants.
Best Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Pécs →

Day trip

HarkányCity guide
Thermal spa town, 30–40 min by bus from Pécs; one night is enough.
Best May–Jun, Sep–Oct
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Harkány →
HévízCity guide
Thermal lake at the region's north-west edge; better reached from Lake Balaton or Keszthely.
Best May–Jun, Sep–Oct
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Hévíz →

Transit

NagykanizsaCity guide
Rail junction toward Zagreb and Lake Balaton; not a sight in itself.
Best Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Nagykanizsa →

Plan the nights

How to split the nights, day-trips and what to do with your bags

Open Plan the nightsClose Plan the nights3 partsNights · Day-trips · Bags

Night sequences

2 nights: Pécs 2 nights, Harkány as a half-day
3 nights: Pécs 2 + Harkány or the Mecsek villages 1
4 nights: Pécs 2 + Harkány 1 + Nagykanizsa/Hévíz 1 on the way to Lake Balaton

Pécs to Budapest is 2.5–3 h by train, so a Budapest day trip from Pécs eats the day.
Spa towns empty outside summer; several pools and guesthouses close or cut hours from October.
Villages in Baranya and Somogy have few buses on Sundays — check the return leg before leaving.

Day-trips door to door

To	From	Door-to-door p50	Last return	Note
Harkány	Pécs	45 min	check	Bus from Pécs autóbusz-állomás; the spa is a short walk from the stop. Last bus back is early evening — check the timetable before you go in.
Hévíz	Pécs	180 min	check	Long as a day trip; usually done as a stop between Lake Balaton and Pécs.
Nagykanizsa	Pécs	120 min	check	Rail junction, not a destination; useful only to change toward Zagreb or Keszthely.

Bags between cities

No luggage-forwarding habit here; carry bags or leave them at your Pécs hotel between check-out and the afternoon train.

When to go

Months and weather

Open When to goClose When to go2 partsSeasons · Climate

Seasons at a glance

From each city's month table

Pick a month to see where to go.

Only good-now countries

Show all 12 months, country by countryHide the 12-month table

Country	JJan	FFeb	MMar	AApr	MMay	JJun	JJul	AAug	SSep	OOct	NNov	DDec
Pécs	×	×	ok	go	go	go	×	×	go	go	ok	×
Harkány	×	×	×	ok	go	go	×	×	go	go	×	×
Hévíz	×	×	×	ok	go	go	×	×	go	go	×	×
Nagykanizsa	×	×	ok	go	go	go	×	×	go	go	ok	×
Hungary (country-wide)	ok	ok	ok	go	go	go	ok	ok	go	go	ok	ok

Go: the good monthsFair: workable, mixedPoor: heat, rain or hazeAvoid: storms, floods, closuresno data yet

Computed from each country’s own data; hover a country name for the source. Advisory countries are left out.

Climate strip

Month by month

Zone	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Pécs and the Mecsekhills and basin in the centre of the region	cool	cool	ok	best	best	ok	hot	hot	best	best	cool	cool
Harkány / Hévíz spa beltsouth border and the north-west edge	cool	cool	ok	best	best	ok	hot	hot	best	ok	cool	cool

best: dry, mildok: workablecool: jacket, greyhot: short walking windows

Pécs and the Mecsek: Warmest and driest part of Hungary; the Mecsek hills take the edge off July heat. May, June, September and early October are the walking months.
Harkány / Hévíz spa belt: Thermal water is open year-round, but outdoor pools and the surrounding guesthouse trade peak July–August.

Best months are April–June and September–October. July and August are hot (30 °C (86 °F)+) and busy at the spas; winter is quiet and cheap, with indoor thermal bathing still the main draw.Best months are April–June and September–October. July and August are hot (86 °F (30 °C)+) and busy at the spas; winter is quiet and cheap, with indoor thermal bathing still the main draw.

Getting in and passes

Arrival times and regional passes

Open Getting in and passesClose Getting in and passes2 partsGet in · Passes

Get in

Door-to-door p50, 2026 estimate

From	To	How	p50	Note
Budapest (Keleti or Déli)	Pécs	InterCity train, change at Dombóvár on some services	2 h 30 – 3 h	Reserve a seat on IC trains; the direct services fill up on Friday afternoons.
Budapest	Harkány / Siklós	Train to Pécs, then bus	3 h 30 – 4 h door	No useful direct rail to Harkány; the bus from Pécs is the last leg.
Zagreb	Pécs / Nagykanizsa	'Rippl-Rónai' InterCity (IC 204/205)	check	Cross-border IC; board at Nagykanizsa or Pécs side. Runs seasonally — confirm the current timetable before booking.
Lake Balaton (Keszthely / Siófok)	Hévíz / Nagykanizsa / Pécs	Train toward Nagykanizsa, then bus or train	1 h to Hévíz, 3 h to Pécs	The natural way to link the two regions without going back through Budapest.

Regional passes

Verdict first

Hungarian national passes (országos bérlet)

check

Only pays if you ride several long domestic legs in the same window; run your fares first.

MÁV IC seat reservation

buy

Cheap and required on InterCity trains; without it you stand or take a slower service.

Pécs local transport ticket

buy

Single tickets on Pécs buses and trams; the old town is walkable, so buy as you go.

Eat and move on

Regional food and where to go next

Open Eat and move onClose Eat and move on2 partsFood · Go next

Regional food

Where and when it works

Dish	Where	Timing / trap
Pécsi and Villány wines	Pécs, Villány (south of the region)	Cellar visits need a car or a booked tour; Villány is about 35 km (22 mi) from Pécs.Cellar visits need a car or a booked tour; Villány is about 22 mi (35 km) from Pécs.
Halászlé (river-fish soup)	Danube and Drava villages	Served with bread and hot paprika; portions are large — one bowl is a meal.
Töltött káposzta (stuffed cabbage)	Country restaurants across Baranya and Somogy	Heavy winter dish; often the cheapest main on the menu.
Gundel palacsinta and other sweet pancakes	Pécs cafés	Afternoon rather than dessert; kitchens close earlier than in Budapest.
Lángos	Spa-town stands and markets	Fried flatbread with sour cream and cheese; cash only at most stands.

Go next

Lake Balaton

Train via Nagykanizsa or Kaposvár, 3–4 h

Beaches, Tihany and wine hills; the usual next stop west.

Central Transdanubia

planned

Train via Dombóvár or Székesfehérvár

Veszprém and Székesfehérvár; links north toward Győr.

Southern Great Plain

planned

Train via Budapest or Dombóvár–Baja

Szeged and the flat south-east; slow cross-country links.

Western Transdanubia

planned

Train via Nagykanizsa and Szombathely

Sopron, Kőszeg and the Austrian border.

Budapest

InterCity from Pécs, 2 h 30 – 3 h

The rail hub; most onward routes run through it.

Planning aids

Built from this guide's own data

Open Planning aidsClose Planning aids2 partsIn numbers · Going in…

Region in numbers

Where to sleep: 1 base
Day trips: 3, 45 min to 3 h
Nights suggested: 2–4 nights
Ways in: 4 listed
Best months: Apr, May, Sep (all zones)

Going in…

Pick a month for the weather in each zone of the region, plus the country-wide rating and holidays.

Pick a month.

Plan your trip to Hungary Up to Hungary

Deep dive

Photos, reading and every source

Open Deep diveClose Deep dive1 partSources

Sources

officialHungarian Tourism Agency — Visit Hungary
officialMÁV (Hungarian State Railways) — timetables and tickets
officialVolánbusz — regional bus timetables
secondaryWikivoyage: Southern Transdanubia, revision 5238171 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Ask about Southern Transdanubia

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