Pécs

Hungary's southern cultural city pairs an Ottoman mosque with a Roman necropolis; reach it from Budapest and give it a day or two, no more.

Written by the Departly editorial team Reviewed against GOV.UK on 9 Jun 2026

Find hotels in Pécs Tours & tickets

Best length

1-2 nights, as a Budapest add-on

Airport

None for UK flyers — arrive via Budapest (BUD), ~200km north

Budapest to centre

Direct train ~2h45-3h to Pécs station, then ~15 min walk uphill to Széchenyi tér

Best base

The Belváros (walled old town) around Széchenyi tér and Káptalan utca

In short

Pécs at a glance

Pécs is southern Hungary's cultural city and best treated as a one- or two-night add-on from Budapest rather than a standalone fly-in trip: there is no UK flight, so you arrive by train or car from the capital, then walk a compact centre built around Széchenyi Square, the converted Ottoman mosque on it, and the UNESCO-listed Roman tombs beneath the cathedral.

The short version

There is no airport for UK travellers — you fly into Budapest, then take the direct train or drive ~2h30 south.
Book a day for Pécs as the centrepiece of a Southern Transdanubia loop, not as a separate flight destination.
The Mosque of Pasha Qasim on Széchenyi Square is the headline sight — the largest surviving Ottoman building in Hungary, now a working church.
The Cella Septichora visitor centre and the painted Roman tombs are the UNESCO draw and the one ticket worth pre-booking in summer.
Two nights is plenty for the centre plus the Zsolnay Cultural Quarter; pair a third with the Villány wine villages 30 minutes south.

Pécs is the cultural pick of southern Hungary, and its appeal is the unusual layering you don’t get in Budapest: an Ottoman mosque that became a Catholic church on the main square, painted Roman burial chambers under the cathedral, and the eosin-glazed Zsolnay ceramics the city invented. The mistake UK first-timers make is treating it as a destination they can fly to. There is no airport for you here — Pécs is a train ride south of Budapest, so it works as the centrepiece of a wider Hungary trip rather than a long weekend in its own right.

Plan it as one packed day plus a slower second: the mosque, the Cella Septichora necropolis and the cathedral cluster within a ten-minute walk, and the Zsolnay Quarter fills an afternoon a short stroll east. Two nights is comfortable, and a car earns its keep only if you push on to the Villány wine villages half an hour south. Below, the structured planning — how to arrive from Budapest, what to book, where to base yourself and a realistic budget in pounds — picks up from here.

Keep a first trip focused: book the big timed sights, then leave room for neighbourhoods and food.

Top things to do in Pécs

Cella Septichora and the Early Christian Necropolis

Pécs's UNESCO World Heritage draw is its Early Christian Necropolis: 4th-century painted burial chambers preserved beneath the cathedral square. You view them from glass walkways inside a modern visitor centre built over the excavation, the largest of which is the seven-apsed Cella Septichora. It is a quiet, atmospheric site; pre-book in July and August, when school groups arrive.

About 45 minutes t… £5

Check tickets Read the guide

Mosque of Pasha Qasim (Gazi Kasim Pasha Mosque)

The Mosque of Pasha Qasim is the largest surviving Ottoman structure in Hungary, sitting square on Pécs's main square, Széchenyi tér. Its green dome is topped, unusually, by both an Islamic crescent and a Christian cross. Inside, you can read the building's double life: the original mihrab and Ottoman arches survive alongside the Catholic church it became, layered together in a single domed room.

About 20–30 minute…

No tickets required Read the guide

Where to stay first

The areas that make a first visit easier — not an exhaustive directory.

Belváros (the walled old town)

££ mid-range

The compact historic core around Széchenyi tér and Káptalan utca — the mosque, cathedral, necropolis and most cafés are within a five-minute walk. The obvious first-trip base because Pécs is small enough to do everything on foot from here.

Best for: First-timers, short stays, walking everything

Browse hotels Central, on the hill

Around Király utca

£ value

The pedestrian shopping and café street running east off the main square, lined with Art Nouveau facades and the liveliest evening crowd. Good for dinner and a quieter sleep than the square itself, still walkable to every sight.

Best for: Food, evenings, value mid-range hotels

Browse hotels 5 min walk from the centre

University quarter (Ifjúság útja)

£ value

South-west of the old town near the campus and the Mecsek foothills, greener and cheaper, with a student rhythm. A short bus or 20-minute walk in, better value but less atmospheric for a one-night stay.

Best for: Budget travellers, longer stays

Browse hotels 15-20 min walk / short bus

Airport to city centre

Pécs airport transfer options
Option	Time	Cost	Book ahead?
Direct train Budapest-Déli/Kelenföld to Pécs	~2h45-3h	about 4,800-6,500 Ft second class	Cheapest and easiest; runs roughly every 1-2 hours
Train via Dombóvár with a change	~3h15	similar fare	Useful if the direct times don't suit
Drive from Budapest Airport via the M6	~2h30	fuel plus M6 motorway e-vignette (~5,500 Ft/10 days)	Best if you want the Villány wineries
Long-distance Volánbusz coach	~3h30-4h	about 4,500 Ft	Slower than the train, occasionally cheaper

Pre-book a door-to-door transfer

When to go

Sweet spot: Late April to June and September are the sweet spot: 18-26°C, the Mediterranean-feeling squares and terraces are open, and the Villány vineyards 30 minutes south are at their best either side of the autumn harvest. Pécs is one of Hungary's warmest, sunniest cities, so the shoulder seasons are unusually kind here.

High summer is hot — Pécs regularly tops 30°C in July and August — but the old town has more shade and fewer crowds than Budapest. Winter is quiet and cold, with a small but pretty Advent market on Széchenyi tér; spring and early autumn give you the best weather and the wine-country light. The Zsolnay and university calendars mean September brings festivals and a student buzz back to the centre.

What it costs

There are no direct UK flights to Pécs, so the flight cost is the Budapest fare: UK returns to Budapest run about £29-£60 off-peak on Wizz Air or Ryanair booked ahead, £90-£180 in the school holidays or at short notice. Add roughly £20-£30 each way for the onward train to Pécs.

Daily budget per person

Budgetcheapest £30-£45 / day

Mid-range £60-£90 / day

Comfortable £140-£190+ / day

Sample trip: A realistic 2-night mid-range Pécs add-on for one person is roughly £180-£260 on the ground before the Budapest flight: about £25-£35 return train from Budapest, £90-£140 for two nights in a central hotel, £45-£70 on food and drink, and £25-£35 covering the mosque, the Cella Septichora necropolis and the Zsolnay Quarter.

Pécs runs noticeably cheaper than Budapest for food and rooms — a main and a beer on Király utca costs well under what you would pay near Parliament. The one budget trap is the train: book the direct service and reserve a seat in summer rather than turning up for a peak Friday departure.

Book the essentials

Where to stay

Browse staysvia Booking.com

Trains & rail passes

Book railvia Trainline

Also in Hungary

BudapestCentral Hungary EgerHeves County (Northern Hungary)

See the full Hungary guide

Pécs FAQs

How do you get to Pécs from the UK?

There is no UK flight to Pécs. You fly into Budapest (about 2h15 from London), then take a direct train south from Budapest-Déli or Kelenföld station, which takes around 2h45-3h. Most UK travellers fold Pécs into a Hungary trip from Budapest rather than treating it as a separate fly-in city.

How long do you need in Pécs?

One full day covers the headline sights — the Mosque of Pasha Qasim, the Cella Septichora necropolis and the cathedral are all within a short walk. Two nights lets you add the Zsolnay Cultural Quarter at a slower pace, and a third is worth it only if you want to drive out to the Villány wine villages.

Is Pécs worth visiting over staying in Budapest?

As an add-on, yes — it gives you Ottoman and Roman heritage you won't see in the capital and a warmer, more Mediterranean feel. As a standalone trip it is harder to justify from the UK because of the journey, so most people pair it with Budapest or a Southern Transdanubia loop rather than visiting it alone.

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