Pecs travel guide

Pecs, Hungary

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Pecs

Before you go

Pécs sits on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in southern Hungary, and its history runs deep: the Romans founded it as Sopianae around two thousand years ago, and many of the relics you can see today date from that period. St. Stephen established an episcopate here around 1009, and in 1367 the town became the seat of the first university in Hungary. The Early Christian Necropolis of Pécs was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000, and the city was one of the European Capitals of Culture in 2010. Knowing this background will help you read the layers of the city as you walk it.

Today's Pécs is a pleasant university town, small but still one of the largest in Hungary, and it has largely escaped both communist-era architecture and modern-day mass tourism. It is generally quiet at night compared with other European cities. Downtown is safe to walk even after midnight, and crime against tourists is limited to pickpocketing and the occasional cheat over prices, bills or taxi fares, so keep an eye on what you are charged. Beggars are sometimes on the streets of downtown despite being forbidden by law; they may annoy some visitors but do no harm.

Getting there

Pécs is served by direct trains from Budapest's Déli and Keleti stations, with frequent departures in both directions. An express service can cover the journey in as little as two hours and forty minutes, and the route is considered scenic; local trains take several hours longer. The railway station (MÁV) sits on Szabadság út, south of the Old Town and about a ten-minute walk from it. Most international rail journeys to or from Pécs require a connection in Budapest, with the exception of Zagreb, which can be reached by connecting at the border town of Gyékenyés.

The bus station (Autóbuszállomás Pécs) is on Nagy Lajos király útja, roughly 600 metres northeast of the railway station. Buses arrive from all directions, including cities in northern Croatia, and services to Budapest's Népliget station run several times daily; the bus trip is slower than the train and less scenic or comfortable. Pécs Airport (Pécs-Pogány Repülőtér) lies about 6 km south in Pogány Village and has year-round flights to Corfu in Greece; there are no timetabled domestic flights within Hungary.

Getting around

The historic core of Pécs is compact and easy to cover on foot, and the Old Town is roughly a ten-minute walk from the railway station on Szabadság út. For anything beyond the centre, buses are the main way to get around. Services are run by Tükebusz Zrt and PK Zrt, with daytime lines reaching the city's neighbourhoods and night services for later travel. Routes are organised by their starting points: main lines link the railway station (Főpályaudvar) with destinations across the city, while others run from Budai Állomás, Újmecsekalja and Kertváros. Buses serve the Árkád shopping centre, the bus station (Autóbusz-állomás) and the outlying neighbourhoods.

Buy your ticket from a kiosk in the city or directly from the driver, and keep a valid ticket with you at all times, as inspectors carry out spot checks and fine passengers travelling without one. Taxis are another option: Bolt, Volan Taxi and Euro Taxi all operate in the city and are considered safe. If you arrive by air, note that Pécs Airport (Pécs-Pogány Repülőtér) sits in Pogány village, about six kilometres south of the city, and public transport connections to the centre are not documented here, so it is worth contacting the airport directly for current ground transport information.

Where to stay

Pécs has plenty of budget options, from private rooms and apartments to small hotels in the centre; the tourist office can help you enquire. In July and August some student dormitories open to travellers, which is the cheapest way to stay. Among the hostels, Boszorkany Hostel occupies a student dormitory at the foot of Mecsek Hill, about a ten-minute walk from the centre or a short bus ride from the local railway station, with double rooms sharing bathrooms and free parking. Nap Hostel sits on Király utca, the main pedestrian street of the historic centre, in an eclectic building from 1885, with spacious rooms, a shared kitchen and a balcony looking over the city and the Mecsek Mountains. Central apartment on Széchenyi tér offers a self-contained flat with a fully equipped kitchen, and Berg Toboz Pension is a quiet place out in the greenbelt on the hill, with free parking and WiFi.

Mid-range choices include Hotel Főnix, a small hotel just off Széchenyi Square that suits families and business travellers, and Agoston hotel on Ágoston square, reachable by bus from the railway station. Delanta Pension lies around 3 km east of the centre at the Budapest–Komló crossroads and has a closed parking area, while Hotel Laterum in the western part of the city caters to youth and group tourism as well as conferences and weddings. Hotel Rácz stands near the Castlewall, a few minutes from the centre and easy to reach by public transport. For a splurge, the Arkadia Hotel is central on Hunyadi út, and Hotel Fenyves Panoráma is a family-atmosphere hotel on the hillsides of Mecsek by the pine forest, right above the centre. Hotel Therapia, next door, occupies one of the most scenic spots of the Mecsek Mountains directly above the downtown, with views over the town and neighbouring hills, and Hotel Makár Sport & Wellness lies to the west with high-standard rooms. Hotel Sopianae, a boutique hotel on Felsőmalom utca, adds a sauna, fitness equipment and closed parking.

Food & drink

For an inexpensive lunch, look for the self-service canteens found throughout the city, especially near your accommodation. These plain, old-fashioned places serve authentic Hungarian dishes at low prices and are frequented by workers on their lunch break, students and seniors. Keep in mind that most open only for lunch and many close on weekends. In the city centre, Kappuciner Étterem offers weekday lunches in a small, old-fashioned setting, while Kinai Étterem serves self-service Chinese food every day of the week. Casablanca is a kebab and gyro spot that stays open late on Fridays and Saturdays, handy after a night out. Just outside the centre, Xavér Étterem is a large self-service restaurant popular with locals and students for a quick, cheap, authentically Hungarian lunch, and Új Police Étterem, attached to a local police station, draws police officers and locals alike.

For something more substantial, Crystal restaurant on Citrom street serves mainly Italian and Hungarian dishes in an elegant modern setting with a small interior yard in good weather, and offers tasting menus based on seasonal availability. Bagolyvár restaurant, on Havihegy, occupies a spacious hotel and restaurant with folk art-inspired organic architecture, a collection of pottery and antique household objects, and a terrace with a splendid view of the city; the menu focuses on traditional dishes in abundant portions, with Transylvanian Székely specialties and homemade strudels. On Tettye Hill, the 19th-century Tettye restaurant has a large interior and beer garden and serves Danubian Swabic specialties such as lung and liver casserole with bread dumplings, cabbage and beans with spare ribs, and goose leg with onion-potato garnish — portions are excessive, so do not underestimate them. Replay Cafe offers a wide variety of dishes and a grill, Semiramis Garden Panoráma is a cafe with a good selection of Arabica coffee, chocolates and sweets, and Makár Óbester Étterem, in a quiet green area a few minutes from the University of Pécs, serves Hungarian and international cuisine with a barbecue terrace. For prestigious Hungarian wines, head to Eleven vinotéka & bár on Széchenyi tér.

Pécs is known for its wines and sparkling wines, including the famous wine of the Mecsek hills called cirfandli. In the early evening students gather on Király street, Széchenyi square and Kossúth square. Bars close around midnight, while clubs stay open later; for late-night clubbing, try Pécsi Est Cafe, popular with university students, or ask the taxi drivers at Kossúth tér, who are the most up-to-date source on night life. The younger generation increasingly drinks beer, including the local Szalon and Pécsi beers. Művész Presszó, an alternative culture pub a bit on the margin of downtown, has a good range of Hungarian artisan beer specialities selected from all over Hungary by its owner, and occasionally hosts beer tastings — book in advance.

What to see and do

Pécs rewards slow exploration, and much of what matters sits within the Old Town, where the Roman city of Sopianae lies beneath the streets. The Early Christian Necropolis is the centrepiece: a World Heritage site from the 4th century, with seven burial chambers open to the public as the Cella Septichora complex, including the Peter-Paul Chamber, the Chamber of Jugs and a former baptismal chapel turned burial site. Some chambers are plain, others carry figurative and geometric frescoes in a style close to the Roman catacombs, and the two-level chambers served both burial and ceremony. Nearby on Széchenyi tér, the Mosque of Pasha Qasim—now a Catholic church—still shows 16th-century frescoes of Qur'anic quotations, while the Cathedral on Szent István tér bears traces of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Turkish periods beneath its 19th-century restoration.

Three days in Pecs

Day one: Start in Downtown Pécs, where the Old Town, Szabadság and Nagy Lajos give you the shape of the city on foot. Knowing that Pécs was a European Capital of Culture helps frame what you see. The Early Christian Necropolis, a UNESCO World Heritage List site, is the essential stop, and the Roman Sopianae story behind it rewards a slow visit.

Day two: Head into the Mecsek for a day of walking and fresh air. Return to the city in the evening for a meal and a wander through the streets around the Old Town.

Day three: Use the morning for any last corners of Downtown Pécs, then sort out your onward travel. Buses run from Autóbuszállomás Pécs, with services toward Budapest via Népliget, and connections toward Croatia and Zagreb. Pécs Airport, also known as Pogány Repülőtér, sits near Pogány Village, with services that have included Corfu in Greece. Trains leave from the Déli and Keleti stations in Budapest, and MÁV covers the rail side.

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