Pecs
EUROPE · SIESTA SIDE
Hungary's warmest city, where an Ottoman mosque still serves as the parish church, Roman tombs lie under the square, and Zsolnay tiles glitter overhead.
The plan
Mosque of Pasha Qasim
Szechenyi ter: a 16th-century Ottoman mosque still in use as a Catholic church, mihrab and Arabic inscriptions intact.
📍 Map & photos · €
Cella Septichora
UNESCO-listed 4th-century Christian burial chambers beneath the cathedral square, with painted biblical scenes still visible.
📍 Map & photos · € · Website ↗
Zsolnay Cultural Quarter
The old porcelain works reborn as museums, a planetarium and cafes. Allow half a day; the Zsolnay mausoleum is the highlight.
📍 Map & photos · €€ · Website ↗
Csontvary Museum
Janus Pannonius utca 11: vast, hallucinatory canvases by Hungary's outsider genius. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 6pm.
📍 Map & photos · € · Website ↗
Cathedral and Barbican
The four-towered cathedral on Dom ter, then the round medieval Barbican bastion and city wall a short walk downhill.
📍 Map & photos · €
Getting there
Train from Budapest
Direct InterCity trains from Budapest Deli take about three hours. Reserve a seat on Friday and Sunday services.
Bus from Budapest
Volanbusz coaches run from Nepliget in around three and a half hours, usually a shade cheaper than the train.
Getting around
The centre is compact and largely pedestrianised. Zsolnay Quarter is a 20-minute walk east; a bus climbs to the TV tower.
When to go
Best time to go
May, June and September: southern sun, festivals on, and no real crowds.
Cheapest months
November to March. Hotels are cheap, though many terraces close.
Priciest & busiest
Late August and the Pecs Days festival week in September.
If you've got one day
Morning
Szechenyi ter for the Zsolnay fountain and the Mosque of Pasha Qasim as the doors open.
Late morning
Down into Cella Septichora's painted tombs, then up to the four-towered cathedral on Dom ter.
Lunch
A Kiraly utca terrace, or Room Bistro if you are heading straight out to the Zsolnay Quarter.
Afternoon
The Zsolnay Quarter's porcelain museum and mausoleum, or the Vasarely and Zsolnay museums on Kaptalan utca.
Evening
Drinks on Kiraly utca, then Littke's sparkling wine cellar or a late table on Szechenyi ter.
Nearby & day trips
Villany wine region
Half an hour south: Hungary's best reds, with a whole street of cellar doors at Villanykovesd. Go with a driver or a tour.
Orfu and the Mecsek
Lakes, swimming and forest trails 20 minutes north by bus. Where Pecs goes on a hot weekend.
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