The pension is located in downtown Pécs, in a quiet place, in a beautiful environment, right next to the medieval city wall of Pécs. (hence the name: Várfal means castle/city wall). Its western rooms offer a nice view of the city wall and the old town behind it. The historic city centre can be reached comfortably within a 10-minute walk.
Overall, our team considered the pension partially barrier-free.
The pension was completely renovated in 2021. It has one accessible room.
Upon arrival by car, an accessible parking space is provided in the closed ten-space car park. However, for wheelchair users, the steepness of the driveway is challenging, so it is worth arriving with an assistant.
There is no guide lane for blind people in and around the hotel.
Access to the reception from the main entrance is not barrier-free, there is a 4 cm threshold. Fortunately, this obstacle can be solved, as the corridor connecting the rooms provides barrier-free access to the reception. The height of the reception desk is adequate from a wheelchair. There is no induction loop at the reception.
The barrier-free room is located right next to the entrance to the reception, which is also indicated by a sticker. The corridor leading to it is wide, on the left is the accessible room.
The interior of the room is spacious, there is a large double bed, the height of which is suitable for wheelchair users to sit through. The room has carpeting, which can make wheelchair access difficult. Access to the bed is difficult to solve by a wheelchair, therefore, upon request, the bed is relocated.
There is no threshold at the entrance to the bathroom opening from the room. The handbasin is located at a suitable height. Above it there is a large mirror, which is not adjustable, but due to its size it can be used from a wheelchair. The shower is rimless, right next to it there is an emergency call that rings at the reception (please note: staff are only there between 7.00-20.00. Online Smart Reception (OSR) is available from 0-24 hours). The toilet is located in the same room as the bath, normally with a fixed handrail on the wall side and a folding handrail on the other side.
The pleasant dining room on the street front level and the reception are connected by stairs, but accessible from the street front by a barrier-free entrance. It is also possible to eat food in your own room.
There is no separate accessible menu item on the website.
The main page mentions the “room for disabled people”, but unfortunately there is no description or pictures of it in the Rooms menu.
For visually impaired/blind people, the website is clear, works with a screen reader, the menu items are tagged. However, booking a room as a blind person does not work due to the date selector. Images are not captioned.
Getting there:
by car, parking is limited in front of the pension, so it is worth using the ten-car parking in the closed yard. There is an accessible parking lot here.
by bus, from the Main Railway Station by barrier-free line 33. You have to get off at “Tettye utca”. From the bus stop-island we can get down to the direction of travel without hindrance. After 50 meters on Kálvária Street we reach the Pension.
In the densely populated part of Pécs, the Interspar, renewed in 2022, got a new, long-awaited neighbor, the OBI DIY store. The two stores are located in the same building, next to each other. The DIY store offers products useful to many on an area of about 6000 square meters. During our tour, store manager Zsolt Rozsár guided us.
There are two approaches to the store: from the car park through the main entrance, or from Interspar through the passage between the two stores. Both are barrier-free. The entrance doors are automatic, the walkway is the same height.
From the parking lot, from the disabled parking lots, a very gentle slope (max 2%) leads to the entrance to OBI. The 13 accessible parking lots are also highlighted with paint and signs.
The entire OBI area is wheelchair accessible. For visually impaired people there are no tactile bars or Braille information boards in the pavement. There is no induction loop for the hearing impaired.
When entering the OBI, the customer service desk is not barrier-free, it cannot be reached from a wheelchair, and the devices for the visually impaired and deaf are not available.
These shortcomings are compensated by the attitude and helpfulness of the staff, as can be read below:
In the store, a so-called “contacter” employee for customers with special needs helps with the entire shopping process. The contacter can be found at the “Szívesen segítünk” (We are happy to help”) stand closest to the entrance.
As an additional help, customers with special needs can request assistance by sending an email to the following email address: obihu039.vez@obi.hu. During e-mail correspondence, accurate information can be obtained and it is possible to agree in advance what kind of help the person with disabilities needs, so the purchase will be smoother.
OBI does not have an accessible toilet, but Interspar’s WC can be used.
The barrier-free toilet is located on the Interspar side next to the pharmacy, marked with inscriptions in the northern part of the building. It opens with a code, which can be requested at the reception at the cash registers. Its keyboard is easy to use.
The washbasin itself is wheelchair friendly and equipped with the appropriate tools: emergency alarm, soap dispenser, handrail next to the toilet. Interestingly, the height of the washbasin can be adjusted with the help of a lever so that it can be properly placed under it by a wheelchair.
Website:
It can be used for disabled people, but there is no separate barrier-free menu item. From a visually impaired point of view, the products can be followed and read well, unfortunately there are no image descriptions on the site.
Home delivery can be requested.
Getting there:
by bus 6, 7, 7Y, 8, 23Y, 24 from Árkád Mall, and buses 41, 42, 43 from the Bus station. Get off at the “Béke utca” stop. From the bus stop 5-6 minutes walk, the pavement, zebra barrier-free.
by car via Siklósi út to the large parking lot shared with Interspar. The 13 disabled parking lots with pictograms, highlighted in colour and clearly marked with signs can be used by both OBI and Interspar customers. Disabled parking is about 50 m away from the entrance of the two stores.
The modernly renovated four-star Palatinus Boutique Hotel is located in the heart of Pécs, in the Mediterranean pedestrian street of the city, in the immediate vicinity of the Town Hall and Széchenyi Square.
The beautiful building is one of the oldest hotels in the city and even in the country, in 1802 its predecessor, the Aranyhajó (Golden Ship), was already mentioned as a hostel.
The historic building was renovated after three years of work, with a strong emphasis on quality, eco-awareness and modern solutions. It reopened in January 2023.
Many things from the past have been preserved, such as the special wooden cassette room doors or the wrought-iron railing of the staircase. A special experience in the rooms is provided by old beams and arches on the ceilings.
From the top level there is a beautiful view of the Mecsek hill and the TV tower, and from the terrace of the rooms to the lively downtown.
At the same time, the beautiful old Palatinus Hotel next door has closed. Now complete renovation work is underway there, so that it will also start a new life as a four-star hotel. (It should be mentioned that, the complete furnishings of the 100 rooms of the large hotel were donated to the Hungarian Maltese Charity Service. Beds, furniture, chandeliers, bathroom equipment, refrigerators, plastic window frames caused a qualitative change in the lives of many disadvantaged families).
The accessibility was monitored with the help of a specialist in the boutique hotel. Overall, it’s pleasantly accessible. We had the opportunity to tour the hotel with the experts of the Pécs Tourism Roundtable and the management.
The entrance opening from Király Street is thresholdless, and its door is photocell. The part leading to the reception desk is a bit steep, with a manual wheelchair you need some help. The flooring in front of the reception desk is sloping, and the counter itself is too high from a wheelchair.
For the visually impaired there is no driver’s lane and no Braille inscriptions. For the hearing impaired there is no induction loop at the reception, but in the accessible room there is.
From the reception opens the entrance to the building. The interior is elegant, pretentiously designed and comfortable. There is a floor mat everywhere, which is not the most optimal for rolling and navigating with a wheelchair.
The three levels are taken up by stairs and an elevator. We could fit a total of four people in the elevator, one of us in a wheelchair. The elevator is also beautiful and finally a loudspeaker indicates which floor we are on. There is no Braille inscription on the numberings, however, the numbers stand out tactilely.
The hotel has one specially accessible room. But the good news is that almost every room can be accessed by wheelchair, as the beautiful old doors are also wide enough. Thresholds are also not an obstacle, nowhere higher than 2 cm. The beds are high everywhere, you can comfortably sit through from a wheelchair. You can also roll into the spacious bathrooms. Guests whose condition allows and can take a few steps can use the bath of each room, since the tray for the shower cabin has a minimum height (1-2 cm). Bathrooms with bathtubs also have shower cabin.
The accessible room is located on the 3rd floor.
There is no threshold here at all, but we roll on floor mats here too. Both the entrance and bath doors are equipped with handrails. The room has two separate high beds,a desk in the middle and comfortable equipment.
The bath is spacious, comfortable, the shower cabin has no doors and trays, it is equipped with a removable shower chair. The toilet has a regular height with appropriate handrails. We had comfortably access to the washbasin with a manual wheelchair. Although the mirror is not adjustable, it can be fully used due to its large size. The emergency indicator in the bath was a little more difficult to find because it is part of the design.
On the ground floor of the hotel there is a breakfast room and a bar, both of which are also extremely demanding. Here, however, guests in wheelchairs are at a disadvantage, since for them both can only be approached from the outside, from the courtyard, on some inclines. Since the yard is not covered, if it rains this is certainly a problem. The hotel management promises to solve it in the near future.
The entrances to the breakfast room and the bar are accessible from the outside, the bar has sliding doors, and the breakfast room can be opened with a handle.
Here on the ground floor, opening from the courtyard, there is also a fully accessible toilet, which can also be used by the guests of the bar.
Website:
This still needs to be improved in the near future, it is not accessible now. Unfortunately, the hotel’s website makes no mention of the accessibility of either the hotel or the rooms.
The menu system is not clear as a visually impaired person. Images and icons do not have captions, text and background do not have enough contrast, text size cannot be adjusted. Booking is also not possible as a visually impaired person. The page cannot be used with screen-reading software.
Getting there:
By car, the hotel offers its guests a private underground parking lot. This can be approached at Mária street 2, there are also accessible parking spaces in the underground garage. The hotel cannot be reached directly from the underground garage, the entrance can be reached via Széchenyi Square. Parking in the underground garage for the guests of the hostel is 3200 HUF / night.
the nearest disabled parking spaces on the street: next to the Mosque in front of the court building 1 piece. At the beginning of Mária street 2 pieces. Next to the Nagy Lajos high school the beginning of Janus Pannonius Street is 1 piece.
by bus, at the Árkád shopping center it is worth getting off. With an accessible walk you can reach the hotel in 10 minutes via Irgalmasok utca, Széchenyi tér, Király utca. The roadway rises somewhat. Guide lanes also help visually impaired people.
The Cistercian House in Pécs is a church-owned accommodation in the most beautiful part of the city, opposite the cathedral, on St. István’s square. The pilgrim’s house and visitor centre of the Cistercian Abbey of Zirc in Pécsit also hosts an exhibition on the history of religion. The accommodation has one accessible single apartment, this is the room A6.
The entrance to the beautiful old building is also old and heavy, so it is not barrier-free, it can only be opened with help. The car entrance leading to the inner very nice closed courtyard is cobblestone, which can be shaky as a wheelchair user or with a stroller. The inner parking lot can accommodate up to 5 cars, there is no separate accessible parking.
In the closed courtyard there is an accessible toilet for hotel guests and visitors to the religious history exhibition.
The only single accessible ground floor room of the accommodation can be accessed through the courtyard without barriers, but we draw attention to the cobblestone pavement and a slight small slope.
The accessible apartment consists of a single bedroom and a private bath opening from it. Indoors it is also convenient to turn around in a wheelchair. It is not possible to sit completely close to the table in the room with an electric wheelchair, a manual chair can still fit under it. The height of the bed is 55 cm, which is suitable for a wheelchair. There is an emergency room right next to the bed.
IT IS IMPORTANT that there is no 24-hour reception, so after the opening hours (on working days from 11.00 to 18.00) there is no one to answer the emergency call! This is also prominently indicated on the website in the Accommodation section. They ask that guests with disabilities only arrive accompanied for this reason! The attendant is provided with separate, single accommodation right next to the accessible room.
The barrier-free bath with motion-sensing lighting is spacious, the shower is without a tray, it has a shower chair.
The toilet is fixed on the side of the wall and equipped with a folding handrail on the other side.
In the room opposite the accessible room is the chapel, usable by guests at any time. The chapel is barrier-free, at its entrance the threshold does not exceed 2 cm, the flooring is parquet, the interior is spacious.
Further down the corridor you will find the equipped kitchen and dining room for hotel guests, however, the kitchen is not accessible, as there are 3 stairs here. Only the attendant can use the kitchen appliances here for food preparation.
There is no guide lane for the visually impaired in the area of the accommodation, there is no Braille inscription on the information boards, except for the description placed at the entrance, but the inscriptions on it are also very faint and cannot be read.
The property does not have an induction loop.
The hotel’s website is available in Hungarian, English and German. There is no separate accessible menu item, nor an accessibility icon. In the Rooms menu item there is a mention of the accessible apartment, however, a more detailed description and photo can not be found.
From a visually impaired point of view it is possible to orient oneself on the page. The text parts are clearly legible and the navigation with the address line makes browsing convenient and faster. However, images are extremely obstructive to navigation for the visually impaired using screen-reading software because they are not captioned. You can select options when booking a room, but the screen reader will pop out of the optional list box.
Getting there:
by bus from the railway station by buses 7, 7y, 3, 6, 8, 30y, you have to get off at the “Zsolnay-szobor” stop. From there we reach the accommodation in a 10-minute walk. The sidewalks of Váradi Antal street are bumpy, not accessible, it is recommended to come on the road, car traffic is not significant.
by car it can be reached from Kórház tér/Rákóczi út. Since the accommodation is located in the historic city center, permission is required for entry. You can drive into the accommodation by car, but you can’t park on the street and in the square, you have to stop in the inner courtyard.
There are three parking spaces in front of the nearby Aranycipó bakery, which can be used with a disabled parking card.
There is no accessible parking in front of the accommodation, the nearest one-piece barrier-free parking lot is located on the corner of Ferencesek street – Váradi Antal street.
The Zsolnay Guesthouse is located in the Zsolnay Cultural Quarter – recognized as a Hungaricum -, among the monumental buildings of the former world-famous porcelain factory, in a beautiful park. (Hungarikum is a collective term indicating a value worthy of distinction and highlighting within a unified system of qualification, classification, and registry and which represents the high performance of Hungarian people thanks to its typically Hungarian attribute, uniqueness, specialty and quality. More about this: What is Hungarikum? | Collection of Hungarikums – Collection of Hungarian Values)
The Zsolnay Cultural Quarter itself is a speciality, it offers many interesting things, attractions and exciting programs, it is worth exploring everything here already if you stay in the guesthouse. The historic downtown of Pécs is 10 minutes away on foot from here, the sidewalks are barrier-free, and a bicycle path leads to the beginning of Király street. You can also read more about the Zsolnay Cultural Quarter in our database here: Zsolnay Cultural Quarter | People First
The Guesthouse is located on the “Street of shops” of the Zsolnay Quarter, curiously, that this building once housed the apartments of factory workers. In the cozy building, the rooms are simply but fully equipped with everything, a detailed description can be read on their website in Hungarian, English and German.
The 11-room guest house has one accessible apartment in which 2 people can stay. The apartment can be reached without hindrance from the entrance on Major street, both on foot and by car.
The accessible apartment with kitchen-living room, bedroom and bathroom-toilet division is located somewhat separately from the main building of the guest house, in the entrance to the so-called “Kaolin” courtyard, on the ground floor, directly accessible from the walking floor by wheelchair.
In front of the apartment there is one accessible parking space directly (about 15 meters from the entrance). The road leading to here can be walk-in without problems with an electric wheelchair, with a manual wheelchair some help is needed, as there are some inclines at times. The paved terrain in most of the promenades of the Zsolnay Quarter has ribbed pavement to help the visually impaired, but the tactile sign is unnecessarily winding in places or leads to nothingness. It is particularly problematic that the guide lane does not lead to the central information, but avoids it on a swirling route.
There is also no guide lane in the guesthouse area.
The reception of the guesthouse is located on the 2nd floor of the museum department of the Zsolnay Quarter, you can only get here unhindered by the elevator at the end of the mediterranean “Kaolin” courtyard which is beautiful, full of statues and plants. The elevator can accommodate one wheelchair user, there is no loudspeaker for the visually impaired, but Braille writing does. Up to the elevator, through the “Kaolin” courtyard, the paving stones are more bumpy, right in front of the elevator it is currently fragmented, forming a serious obstacle with a wheelchair, stroller, arriving as visually impaired or for elderly people. Repairs are ongoing. The space in the reception room is cramped with a wheelchair, access to the counter is tricky. There is no Braille writing, information board, induction loop. There is no other way to get to the reception barrier-free than the elevator, and at 18.00 not only the reception, but also the elevator closes, you have to pay attention to this as a guest!
The accessible apartment is pleasant, large, and upon entering it we immediately get to the kitchen-living room space. A wheelchair can comfortably fit here, but we found the dining table too low with an electric wheelchair. The doors leading from the living room to the bedroom and bathroom are sliding doors with handles.
The doors to the bedroom and bathroom are wide, there are no thresholds. There are two separate beds in the bedroom, the beds for wheelchair users are currently a bit low. There is no alarm bell in the bedroom. The bath will meet all your needs, in the spacious shower without a tray there is a wall-mounted shower chair. The height of the washbasin and toilet bowl is appropriate. Around the toilet, the handrails are regular, there is an emergency bell in the bath.
In the apartment light switches and plugs are located at a suitable height. There is no Braille writing, information board, induction loop in the apartment.
The website of Zsolnay Guesthouse is accessible to read, but it lacks an accessible menu or icon that helps visually impaired and other people with disabilities to review. There is no description of the accessible apartment in the “Rooms” submenu of the “About the Accommodation” menu, which we strongly miss. There is only one sentence about the accessible apartment in the “Guesthouse” submenu of the “About the accommodation” menu. As a visually impaired person, the menus can be followed well, the descriptions are also clearly legible, but the pictures are not captioned, which is also a shortcoming.
Getting there:
by bus with lines 2, 2/A, 60, 4, 104, 13, 15, 14, 102, 20, 21, 120, 30Y, 60. You have to get off at the “Zsolnay negyed” stop and target the entrance at Major street, where an accessible sidewalk leads with a guide lane. The buses are barrier-free, the bus stop, zebra is barrier-free, but the light does not give a sound signal to the visually impaired. From the bus it takes about 3 minutes to get to the entrance on Major street.
by car, it is worth parking your car in the parking garage building, which is located right next to Route 6, turning it off, with several accessible parking spaces. From the parking garage you can use the elevator at the foot of the bridge to get to the bridge and roll over it to enter the quarter. The bridge over the road itself is also worth an experience, it is a cool tourist attraction!
There are also accessible parking lots in the Zsolnay Quarter, a total of 16 pieces. An accessible parking lot is also available directly in front of the accessible apartment.
Natura Pension and Apartment House is a beautiful accommodation with family atmosphere in one of the most popular tourist sites close to Pécs, in Orfű. The pension is located on the other side of the Mecsek Mountains compared to Pécs, in the picturesque surrounding the hills by the lakes of Orfű. It is suitable for active and passive holidays, families and disabled hotel guests. Out of the 46 seats the pension also has an accessible apartment for 2 people. Accessibility still has its shortcomings, however, the helpful attitude of the owner guarantees bug fixes in the near future.
Currently, as a disabled person, it is better to arrive at the pension by car, as it is possible to enter the courtyard all the way, where he is greeted by a wide, signposted barrier-free parking lot. However, those arriving by bus are currently able to get in with serious difficulties in a wheelchair due to the gravel-strewn ground in front of the gate and the high threshold of the gate entrance. The owner’s promise is for a solid pavement at the gate on a stretch.
Arriving at the garden of the pension we find ourselves in a very pleasant, woody-grassy, romantic garden with an outdoor oven. In the garden, wide sidewalks laid out with paving stones do not cause problems with wheelchairs. There are no tactile signs for the visually impaired.
The reception desk for those arriving in a wheelchair is too high, 120 cm, which does not allow easy communication. There is no induction loop for the hearing impaired.
Getting to the reception/dining room from the garden is a bit more problematic, as here we can cross the few centimeter high threshold with a wheelchair only with help. Here too we were promised to procure a ramp. After the threshold, we can get to the interior on a built ramp with a relatively slight inclination.
The dining room is barrier-free, you can comfortably fit between the tables, and you can also put your feet under the table with an electric wheelchair. There is no accessible toilet in the dining room, and there are no tactile signs for the visually impaired.
There is currently only one outdoor mobile ramp in the courtyard, which makes it difficult to get around between the reception/dining room, the accessible apartment, and the communal space, as the ramp always has to be relocated. We hope to have permanent ramps installed for each site as soon as possible.
The barrier-free double studio apartment is in a very nice part of the building, it can be approached from the courtyard, to which a built ramp with a pleasant inclination leads up. This 16 square meter apartment can comfortably accommodate a guest in a wheelchair and his helper. In the bedroom there are 2 relocatable beds, their height is 54 cm. The bedroom opens to the accessible bathroom. The washbasin isn’t arched, but under the washbasin there was also room for our feet with an electric wheelchair. The toilet bowl can be used, but around it there are no standard handrails, there is only one wall handrail at the moment. The shower without a shower tray, equipped with a plastic chair, is convenient to use. The bathroom has an emergency bell.
Smaller events and workshops can be held in the community space. Stairs lead here, accessible from the outside only by a mobile ramp. There is no accessible toilet in this room.
In the pension it is possible to use physiotherapy, manual therapy and massage service.
The website of the pension is accessible, but our expert misses the accessible menu (font size, background, font color adjustment).
About accessible experiences in Orfű we wrote in our database here: Medvehagyma Ház | People First and here:Orfű | People First, discover these as well.
Getting there:
by car from Pécs approx. 20 km. You can travel from two directions, from Uránváros, or from the city center starting on Hunyadi road towards the Pauline Church up the hill. Serpentine road!
Accessible parking is possible in the courtyard of the pension free of charge. In front of the pension, in public areas, there are another 10 free parking lots.
by bus from the long-distance bus station Pécs by Pécs-Orfű bus line. You have to get off at the bus stop “Tekeres”, which is directly in front of the pension.
The residents of Pécs and the surrounding area were waiting a lot for it and at the beginning of July 2022 the new Market Hall of Pécs finally opened. It is located near the city center next to the old market hall and the long-distance bus station. It became big, it became beautiful, it became transparent, it became bright… and became barrier-free.
Our expert team visited the Pécs Market Hall in August 2022. We toured the building together with the management of the Market Hall, who were very open to improving accessibility and helping people with disabilities, which we thank you for again.
Our opinion on the new Market Hall is as follows:
Entrances:
The building is extremely imposing from the outside, next to the northern main entrance from the bus station there is the barrier-free entrance, which opens automatically. It is also the emergency exit. The barrier-free entrance is marked with a clearly noticeable pictogram. The automatic door can be opened by pressing a freestanding green button, but you need to be patient for a couple of seconds, because it opens rather slowly. At our suggestion, this will be clearly indicated by the management of the Market Hall in the near future. All other north side front doors are also stairless.
In the nice little square in front of the main entrance from the bus station, there is a cobblestone around the fountain, this can be difficult for those arriving in a manual wheelchair, but it can be bypassed. A much bigger problem is the guide lane for the visually impaired, which currently leads straight into the window rather than the main entrance. Here the section leading to the entrance was missed, which we also indicated to the management and promised to replace it as soon as possible.
There is a staircase in front of the entrance doors on the west side, at the top of which a signal bar has been created for the visually impaired to indicate the difference in level. The guide lane on the sidewalk under the stairs no longer leads, however, the use of a sound map helps to access the designated barrier-free entrance from the direction of the bus stops in the vicinity of the hall. At our request, a special sign will soon help you find your way around the north barrier-free entrance.
Interior:
The interior is transparent, spacious, and between the traditional market counters you can comfortably roll with a wheelchair. In the interior counters and smaller shops are divided by type of goods, here it is also convenient to get around with a wheelchair and this division can also help people with other disabilities.
In the east back side is the buffet section, where the two front tables were made specifically for wheelchair users, but we also saw it as a favorite of the children. With an electric wheelchair our feet do not fit under the table, with a manual chair it is just right.
In case of any questions,customer service is available, which is located in the eastern part of the hall, in the back. Help is needed to get here, as its door is not automatic. However, in the hall at each location there are constantly security guards and market inspectors who are also available in this. Further access to customer service is barrier-free.
For the visually impaired, all inscriptions throughout the hall are in Braille. Guide lanes are nowhere to be found indoors, this was replaced by 3 sound maps in the “Akadálymentesítés” (Accessibility) menu of the Market Hall website, only in Hungarian. The sound maps tell us about accessibility, the interior, and the overview map in detail. Free wi-fi is available in the Market Hall area for undisturbed use, but the sound maps can be downloaded in mp3 file.
In the middle back area of the Market Hall there is an accessible toilet, which is indicated in several places. The key to the accessible toilet can be requested from the employee who posts there all the time. The fee for using the toilets is 200 HUF, including the accessible toilet. The toilet itself meets all accessibility needs, and there is also a changing room in it. At our request, a tilting mirror will also be installed in it in the near future.
The website of the Pécs Market Hall is easily accessible with a separate Accessibility menu (Hungarian).
Getting there:
by bus, there are also 3 bus stops right next to the Pécs Market Hall. The one on the west side (from the Fordan Hotel) is completely barrier-free, the bus stop has a display showing the arrival of buses, which at the touch of a button loudly announces the arriving buses to the visually impaired. A few meters away, bus stops right in front of the old market hall, and on the other side of the bus station on the east side can also be used, but the sidewalk is bumpy, difficult to walk, the ramps leading to the sidewalks are very steep, there is no display at the bus stops.
Next to the Pécs Market Hall there is a long-distance bus station. A description of this can also be found in our database in the category “Public institutions” under the name Long-distance bus station.
By car, there are 4 barrier-free parking lots around the Pécs Market Hall. Two just in front of the main northern entrance from the bus station, their use is free of charge. Two on the east side, they can be taken for one hour for free, after which you have to pay.
Cserkút is a beautiful little village at the foot of Jakab-hegy (Jakab-hill), in the immediate vicinity of Pécs. It is worth taking a walk here just for the sight, as wherever we go the Mecsek Mountains surround us, providing a beautiful backdrop for the excursion. There are also plenty of attractions in the village and you can walk around barrier-free. Our own association-tour was led by our member who lives there, so we recommend this route for a tour. But it is safe to walk anywhere in the small village, we will not get lost. 🙂
Our small team started at the Malom és Műhelyház Cserkúton (Mill and workshop house in Cserkút), briefly from MaCsek, the description of which can also be found here in our database in the category “Near Pécs”. In MaCsek we watched a great puppet show by Zsuzsa Pámpillás Szabó, waited until the rain stopped, and then set off on our way.
Throughout the village you can roll and walk along a comfortable, wide concrete road, free from holes and ascents. The sidewalks are also new, but in some places stairs at the gate entrances can cause surprises. On the way you can see beautiful houses, pass by a playground, and then arrive at the biggest attraction of the village, the Church of St. John the Baptist of the Árpád era.
Rarely can you see such an old church in our country, which has been beautifully renovated here and still operates today, masses are also held in it. The frescoes inside are special, most notably their way of depiction, for example, you can see St. George without a dragon. The church can also be walked around by wheelchair, but unfortunately, when entering, an old and beautiful, but very high staircase stands in our way. Fortunately, the church caretakers have thought about this problem and the church has a mobile ramp, which is also installed on request during visitation hours for liturgical events and organized church visits. (the church can be visited daily from 9.00 to 11.00 and from 14.00 to 16.00, on Fridays from 14.00 to 16.00, on Saturdays and Sundays from 9.00 to 11.00. For an organized church visit you need to contact István Németh on the phone number: +36 30 471 2517, for masses and liturgies József Kávé: +36 30 373 5739)
Access to the cemetery next to the church is accessible via a barrier-free long ramp, and the cemetery is also accessible.
From here it is worth walking through the village to the small lake, also on a concrete road or paved sidewalk, which at the end leads to a gravel road in front of the lake. If you’re chased by the rain – like us – you can shorten it to the lake, but this is only recommended for braver electric wheelchair users.
Approaching the lake, you can marvel at the Mary’s Garden, the road to it is hard-rammed gravel, so for us with an electric wheelchair it was not a problem. The Mary’s Garden is completely accessible, with a slight incline. It is worth spending time here, because a beautiful view of the mountain and the small lake opens up to us from here. The Mary’s Garden lies on a side branch of the Mary pilgrimage route, hence its name. There is a drinking fountain in the Mary’s Garden.
From here a more bumpy gravel road leads to the lake, so it is recommended to roll alongside the road on hard grassy terrain instead. With an electric chair there was no difficulty, with a manual chair we recommend the grassy terrain and with help.
The small fishing lake is a very pleasant resting place, you can also grill with a small team here, if rain comes or heat, covered space is available. You can also go fishing with a daily ticket. You can not bathe in the lake. There is also a drinking fountain at the fishguard house.
Back to the village it is worth passing through the Mary’s Garden, at the entrance of which there is an accessible parking lot, so those who arrive by car can also park here. Unfortunately, between the village’s comfortable concrete road again and the parking lot missed a 20-meter road section for some reason, which is very bumpy, gravelly, even with an electric wheelchair. However, arriving at the concrete road we found ourselves again at MaCsek in a few minutes, where we made up for the loss of energy. If you would like to come here, it is worthwhile to find out in advance and log in: cserkutimacsek.hu
Getting there:
By car: Cserkút is 5 km from Pécs, on route 6 in the direction of Szigetvár between 204-205 km turn right towards the mountain onto the asphalt road. You can park in front of the municipality, there is also a marked accessible parking lot here. Additional accessible parking is located at The Mary’s Garden.
By bus with local bus number 26, 28 and 29 to “Cserkút-tető”, from there on foot on a concrete road about 1,5 km. However, by long-distance bus you can get to the area around the playground in the middle of the village. Long-distance buses also touching Cserkút depart from the long-distance bus station in Pécs about every two hours.
The Eleven is a special place in the middle of the city on Széchenyi Square opposite the Town Hall: a bar and a wine shop in one, with the finest wines from domestic and foreign wine regions. In addition, it is a real culinary experience to eat something small here, while you can see the bustling main square of the city through the panoramic window, or from the terrace.
Direct blind guide lanes lead to the bar, and a permanent ramp of normal inclination and width to the entrance. The immediate entrance to the bar is without stairs. Inside you can roll with a wheelchair well, you can get to the tables, the staff comes to the table.
Unfortunately there is no accessible toilet. (The nearest public accessible toilet is located 100 meters above in the Ciszterci street, it is described as “Széchenyi tér public toilet” here in the database in the Category “Public Toilet”.)
The terrace is currently not accessible, but the store manager has promised a ramp here in the near future.
Getting there:
by bus from the Árkád mall straight up on Irgalmasok street to Széchenyi Square, on a slightly rising, but wheelchair-accessible road that is not driven by cars. Blind guide lane leads all the way to the entrance to Eleven.
by car the nearest accessible parking lot is located opposite the beginning of Perczel Mór street (1pcs). A little further away at the top of Széchenyi Square, on the corner of the Nagy Lajos high school there are 3 accessible parking lots, and on the other side next to the court 2 accessible parking lots. The Eleven bar is a 2-3 minute walk form here.
The Balokány district is located in the southeastern part of Pécs, on the outskirts of the city center. In 2010 the district was already undergoing a dynamic transformation once within the framework of the European Capital of Culture project, and in June 2022 with exemplary urban cooperation the Balokány-grove was renewed and made accessible!
Let’s first look at a little history, as the Balokány-grove is an emblematic site of Pécs:
The name Balokány originally meant a marshy meadow, it got its name from the Croatian (Bosnian) population. Later, the area was a large clay pit that served the city’s brick burning factory. When this ceased, springs burst forth at the bottom of the pit.
Well, this is how the long-famous city bathing life started here!
In 1933 the most modern city beach of the time was opened here and was the most popular summer residence of the people of Pécs until the ’80s. Then, unfortunately, they closed and let everything that was there, including the grove park next to it, completely ruined. Since 2010, the development of the grove has started on the initiative of local civilians, and we are finally able to report on the results of this with pleasure. A typical city park has become the Balokány-grove again, where you can take a pleasant walk, a small excursion, have fun, have a coffee, enjoy cultural programs – barrier-free.
The grove has been practically completely renewed as a result of the exemplary cooperation of the Association for Balokány-grove, the Municipality of Pécs and Biokom City Management Ltd. The residents of Pécs also submitted their proposals, most of them wanted a playground and landscaping. Both were accomplished. In addition, the auditorium next to the lake stage was reconstructed, the promenade around the lake received a new covering – you can approach the grove with a stroller or a wheelchair – the fountains have been renovated, new street furniture, trash cans and even bird feeders have been removed. In the future, the legendary Pepita bar will also have a permanent buffet with a terrace, in the summer there will be boating opportunities and colorful cultural programs will also be restarted.
According to the exploration of our expert team, the Balokány-grove can be enjoyed accessible as follows:
The grove can be reached without barriere from two routes: from the university’s Faculty of Arts, from Basamalom Street. This promenade takes you all the way to the Kodály Central, but beware, at the end a 5-7 centimeter bench can cause difficulties.
From the direction of the Kodály Center we reach directly to the auditorium of the barrier-free stage. Wheelchair users arriving by car can only use this entrance, they can leave the car in accessible parking lots. There are four accessible parking lots at the Kodály Center and one on the west side of the grove.
There are also two ramps leading up to the stage, a narrower one for moving the technique it is about 85 centimeters wide, and a wider ramp for wheelchair performers it is about 1 meter wide. The auditorium is also walkable with a wheelchair.
The promenades of the grove are also barrier-free. At the end of the longer promenade from the Faculty of Arts there is a long S-bend, high-quality ramp with a small inclination, which is 40 m long. However, the exit on the side of the Kodály Center is not barrier-free, there is a 2-3 cm bench at the end, in addition, the ground is gravelly. It cannot be used with a wheelchair, we have indicated that it needs to be redesigned.
Access to the building is accessible, there is no threshold, spacious community space welcome visitors.
There is also an accessible toilet here, with a baby diaper, and emergency bell.
For our visually impaired friends tactile lanes are not found in the grove area, nor in the building.
Getting there:
by accessible buses 2, 2A, 4, 4Y, 14, 15, 20, 60, 60A, you have to get off at the stop “Zsolnay negyed”. Bus stops and zebra crossing are also barrier-free.
By car, it is easiest to choose the parking lot of the Kodály Center, which is in the immediate vicinity of Balokány-grove. There are four accessible parking lots at the Kodály Center and one on the west side of the grove.