Hotel Arkadia
Why we like it: A four-star hotel next to Széchenyi Square, in three buildings joined by a glass corridor, with a lift, wellness and a buffet breakfast.
From €15,000
View details
Duration2 nights
From BudapestInterCity about 3 h · car about 2 h 30
Best timeApr – Jun · Sep – Oct
Budget€150–260 pp
World Heritage3,900 Ft
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed to arrive on Friday afternoon by InterCity from Budapest and return on Sunday after lunch, without a car, sleeping in the centre. From November to March, Friday, Saturday and Sunday are the days when the whole Zsolnay Quarter is open.
Friday
- 115:00InterCity from Budapest
About three hours from Keleti or Kelenföld to Pécs. Leave your suitcase at the hotel in the centre.
- 219:00Széchenyi Square and Király utca
The green dome of the Gázi Kászim mosque lit up and dinner on the pedestrian street.
Saturday
- 19:00Breakfast at Reggeli
Pancakes with seasonal fruit or the Buddha bowl, on Király utca.
- 210:00Early Christian necropolis
The Cella Septichora and the Mausoleum, with the Time Traveller ticket.
- 312:00Cathedral and Medieval University
The five-aisled crypt, the tower and the remains of the university of 1367; in winter, with a guide.
- 414:00Lunch at Morzsa
A bakery with a Bib Gourmand: seasonal small plates and baking.
- 516:00The two mosques
Gázi Kászim on the square and Jakováli Hasan, with its minaret intact, ten minutes away.
Sunday
- 110:00Zsolnay Cultural Quarter
The family and the factory, the Gyugyi collection and the mausoleum; with children, the Labor. On Sunday it closes at 16:00.
- 213:30Lunch at Morzsa and train back
Room Bistro closes on Sunday: go back to the centre for lunch and take the afternoon InterCity.
Pécs does not fit into a day trip from Budapest: it is three hours by train each way. With two nights, however, it can be done unhurriedly and without a car: Saturday for the Roman tombs, the cathedral and the mosques; Sunday for the Zsolnay ceramics factory; and two evenings on Király utca, the street of terraces.
What does it cost?
| What | How much | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Time Traveller ticket | 4,400 Ft | Necropolis and Medieval University, the same day |
| Cathedral and Dzsámi | 5,600 Ft | Two diocesan sites |
| Zsolnay ticket | 9,900 Ft | Main exhibitions and mausoleum |
| Jakováli Hasan Mosque | 6,600 Ft | In the Time Traveller PLUS ticket, which replaces the 4,400 Ft one |
Where to sleep
The Palatinus Grand Hotel, from 1915, on Király utca itself; the Hotel Arkadia, a four-star next to Széchenyi Square; or the Hotel Diána, family-run, with free parking if you come by car and pets at no extra charge.
Where to eat
Morzsa Konyha is open every day, on Sunday until 17:00, and serves dinner from Thursday to Saturday. Reggeli is for breakfast. Room Bistro, in the Zsolnay Quarter, serves Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 15:00: use it on Saturday if you change the order.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Pécs, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Pécs
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Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
The same break, your way
The plan stays the same. What changes is where you sleep, how you get there and how much you spend.
Pécs Without a Car, by InterCity from Budapest
Pécs works very well without a car: the Mecsek InterCity arrives from Budapest in about three hours and the old town, the cathedral, the necropolis and Király utca are covered on foot. Only the Zsolnay Quarter is 20 minutes away on foot or by city bus. The budget is per person per day, with accommodation, meals and tickets.
70–130 €per person per day, approximate
- SleepingHotel Arkadia, next to Széchenyi…
- Getting aroundInterCity from Budapest-Kelenföld or Keleti
- EatingMorzsa Konyha, a bakery with…
- ServicesPécs railway station
Sleeping
- Hotel Arkadia, next to Széchenyi Square
- Palatinus Grand Hotel, on Király utca
- Hotel Diána, on a quiet street in the old town
Getting around
- InterCity from Budapest-Kelenföld or Keleti
- On foot around the old town
- City bus to the station and the Zsolnay Quarter
Eating
- Morzsa Konyha, a bakery with a Bib Gourmand, also open on Sunday
- Reggeli, for breakfast
- Room Bistro, in the Zsolnay Quarter, Monday to Saturday
Services
- Pécs railway station
- Tourist office on Széchenyi Square
Fly to Budapest and Go Down to Pécs by Train or Car
Pécs has no flights from Spain: you fly to Budapest-Ferenc Liszt (BUD), with direct flights from Madrid and Barcelona, and from there it is about three hours by train or about two and a half hours by hire car. That is why Pécs is a break of one or two nights from Budapest, not a day trip.
- Getting thereBudapest Airport (BUD), 100E bus…
- Getting aroundOn foot around the old…
- SleepingHotel Arkadia or Palatinus Grand…
- ServicesPécs railway station
Getting there
- Budapest Airport (BUD), 100E bus to the centre and metro to Kelenföld or Keleti
- Mecsek InterCity to Pécs, about three hours
- Hire car at the airport, via the M0 and the M6
Getting around
- On foot around the old town
- City bus to the Zsolnay Quarter
Sleeping
- Hotel Arkadia or Palatinus Grand Hotel, a short walk from everything for a late arrival
Services
- Pécs railway station
Pécs by Car, About Two and a Half Hours from Budapest on the M6
By car, Pécs is about 200 km from Budapest on the M6 motorway, with an electronic vignette. Leave the car at the hotel or in the Zsolnay Quarter car park and get around on foot: the old town is pedestrianised and on a slope. With a car you can add the Villány wineries, to the south, on the way back. The budget is per person per day, with accommodation, meals and petrol.
75–135 €per person per day, approximate
- SleepingHotel Diána, with free parking…
- Getting aroundM6 from Budapest, about 200…
- EatingMorzsa Konyha, on Király utca
- ServicesTourist office on Széchenyi Square
Sleeping
- Hotel Diána, with free parking if you book it
- Hotel Arkadia, in the centre
Getting around
- M6 from Budapest, about 200 km
- Zsolnay Quarter car park, 210 spaces at Zsolnay Vilmos utca 16
- On foot around the old town
Eating
- Morzsa Konyha, on Király utca
- Room Bistro, next to the Zsolnay Quarter car park
Services
- Tourist office on Széchenyi Square
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights2
Where to stay
Where to stay without a carif you're flyingif you're driving
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Hotel Diána
Why we like it: A three-star family hotel in the old town of Pécs, with 20 rooms and two apartments, free parking and pets at no extra charge.
Palatinus Grand Hotel
Why we like it: The Art Nouveau grand hotel of 1915 on Király utca, with the hall where Bartók played in 1923, renovated with contemporary-style rooms and suites.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
Where to eat in Pécs
Reggeli
What to order: The pancakes with the fruit of the day or the Buddha bowl, with a cold brew.
Room Bistro & Club
What to order: Eat here between the Gyugyi collection and the mausoleum so you don't have to go back to the centre.
Closed on Sunday.
Takeaway and markets
Morzsa Konyha, Pécs
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Don't go from Monday to Wednesday in winter
The monuments close on Monday and the Zsolnay Quarter is mostly open only from Thursday to Sunday.
- 2Buy the right combined ticket
The Time Traveller PLUS adds Jakováli Hasan and is valid for two days.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is Pécs worth it from Budapest?
Yes, if you have five days or more in Hungary: it is the city most different from Budapest within three hours.
Do I need a car?
No. Train to the city and everything on foot, except the Zsolnay Quarter, a 20-minute walk away.
How many nights?
One is enough for the essentials; two, for the Zsolnay Quarter without rushing.