Pécs
Hungary
A southern university city of Roman tombs, a mosque that became a church, and a porcelain factory that became a cultural quarter
Photo by Anna Spoljar on Unsplash
Photos by Barnabas Davoti, Tícia Vesztergombi and Barnabas Davoti on Unsplash
Best time to visit all of Hungary
April to June, September to October — the south of the country, warm for longer than Budapest
Climate month by month
The next sixteen daysOpen-Meteo
Average high and low · °C
Rainfall · mm per month
Best months to visit This month · wettest 80mm in Jun
Where it is
46.07°N, 18.23°E Open in Google Maps
Things to do
A week easily- Start at the Cella Septichora visitor centre — the painted tombs are underground and easy to walk past
- Step inside the mosque-church on Széchenyi tér and look for the Arabic inscriptions under the Christian fittings
- Give the Zsolnay Quarter half a day; it is a twenty-minute walk east of the centre, which is why people skip it
- Take the bus up to the TV tower for the view over the city and the plain
- Spend an evening on Király utca, where the students are
- Taste in Villány for a day, by train or with a driver rather than your own car
Pécs travel tipsthe general rules
Currency budget Hungary
Good valueForint, and cards are taken almost everywhere in the centre. A handful of exchange offices sit around Király utca; compare the buy and sell rates rather than the word “commission”.
ATMs & cards
OTP, K&H and Erste machines around Széchenyi tér and Király utca are the ones to use. Decline the machine’s conversion and take forint.
Avoid these
- Euronet
Use these instead
- OTP Bank
- K&H
- Erste
Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.
Safety all of Hungary
Very safeA calm university city. The station and the bus station are the places that empty out late at night, as anywhere; the centre stays busy with students.
Where to walk, and where to pay attention (6 areas)
Comfortable, including after dark
- Széchenyi tér
- Király utca — busy into the night in term time
- Zsolnay Cultural Quarter — by day
- Dóm tér
Worth more attention
- Pécs railway station — quiet and poorly used late at night; take a taxi into town
- Driving to Villány for the tastings — the limit in Hungary is zero
Our own assessment, not a sourced index.
Entry & visa Hungary visa rules
No visa needed
Freedom of movement — no time limit, and no visa. Bring a passport or national ID card.
Other passports
No visa neededup to 90 days
90 days within any 180-day period, counted across the whole Schengen area, not per country. ETIAS, a paid online authorisation, is being introduced for these passports — check the official link for whether it applies to your travel dates.
Visa required in advance€90 (Schengen short-stay visa)
A Schengen short-stay visa is applied for before travel, at the consulate of your main destination.
How to get it: Apply at the consulate or visa centre of the country you will spend most time in, typically 15 working days ahead and no more than six months before travel.
Entry rules change often and depend on your passport, not where you live — the official page above is the authority, and the airline checks before you board.
Health & emergencies all of Hungary
Good and affordableRequired to enter
No vaccinations are required for entry from Europe or North America.
Jabs worth having, and what happens if you need a doctor
Worth having
- Routine vaccinations up to date
- Tick-borne encephalitis for forest and countryside walking
Getting treated
EU/EEA and Swiss visitors are treated on the same terms as residents with an EHIC or GHIC card; UK visitors use a GHIC. Everyone else pays, and travel insurance is worth having for the repatriation cover rather than the treatment.
Orientation, not medical advice — entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history. Check with a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go.
Food tip
GoodVillány, forty minutes south, makes the best reds in Hungary and they are the wine list here. Halászlé, the paprika fish soup, is a southern dish and worth ordering. The student streets keep lunch cheap.
Travel tipsNightlife
A university town’s evening: bars on one street and around two squares, cheap and modest, and quiet when term ends.
- Király utca — the pedestrian street, where most of the bars are
- Széchenyi tér — the main square and the terraces on it
- Kossuth tér — a few more, a block south
Closing: Bars around midnight; the clubs go on to four or five at the weekend.
Getting around
Workable- BoltWorks here
- FőtaxiWorks here
- UberNot here
Főtaxi the licensed fleet
Uber does not operate in Hungary — it was legislated out in 2016 and has not come back.
Time zone and your working day
Europe/Budapest — 6 hours ahead of you
2 hours of overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are — 09:00–11:00 your time, 15:00–17:00 theirs.
No overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are. Working from here means one of you keeps odd hours — their day starts at 03:00 on your clock.
office hours both at once night
Their 09:00–17:00 is 03:00–11:00 on yours.
The difference from the UK, Europe, the US and ten more
Worked out against America/New York, which is where this request looks like it came from.
eSIM
A data eSIM for Hungary, installed before you fly and working the moment you land:
Works here
Works hereRevolutIn the app
Must-see
Travel tipsNearby day trips
Travel tipsSay a few words
Hungarian
- HelloJó napotyo NA-pot
- PleaseKéremKAY-rem
- Thank youKöszönömKUH-suh-nuhm
- Yes / NoIgen / NemEE-gen / nem
4 more phrases
- Excuse meElnézéstEL-nay-zaysht
- How much is it?Mennyibe kerül?MEN-yi-beh KEH-rool
- The bill, pleaseA számlát, kérema SAAM-laat
- Cheers!Egészségedre!EG-ays-shay-ged-reh
Religion
Catholic, with a Calvinist minority
Religion is culturally present rather than practised widely. Basilicas ask for covered shoulders.
Travel tipsDo's and don'ts
Do
- Say jó napot on entering shops
- Toast with wine or spirits and make eye contact
- Bring a small gift if invited to someone’s home
- Try the thermal baths — they are an everyday institution, not a tourist novelty
Don't
- Do not clink beer glasses — the convention dates to 1849 and older Hungarians still hold it
- Do not put your hands under the table while eating
- Do not assume Hungarian relates to any neighbouring language; it does not
- Do not discuss the Trianon treaty lightly
Where to stay in Pécs
No Holistay rentals in Pécs yet — the platform is just opening up. Every listing here will have a video tour and the option to negotiate the nightly price directly with the host.
In the meantime, here is Pécs on the sites that do have the inventory — each search is already filled in:
- Booking.com hotels, guesthouses and apartments — the widest coverage almost everywhere
- Airbnb whole homes and apartments, and the better option for a week or more
How to get there
Fly into Ferenc Liszt BUD
3h 40mfrom the airport· 170 km as the crow flies
Into Budapest, then about three hours by train or coach, so allow three and a half to four.
Google Flights · Rome2Rio for the trains, buses and ferries as well as the flights
