Pécs and Osijek Become the Center of European Cultural Routes

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Alisa Oberan
CEO
05.06.2026 12:00

Pécs and Osijek Become the Center of European Cultural Routes

In the first week of June, Pécs and Osijek, Croatia, jointly took center stage on the professional map of European cultural tourism: the 13th Training Academy of the Council of Europe's Cultural Routes will be held here between June 2 and 5, 2026. This news is not about a mass tourism attraction, yet it is an important signal for Hungarian travelers: Southern Hungary and Eastern Croatia are thinking in terms of slower, more meaningful, cross-border routes that link city visits, heritage sites, gastronomy, and wine tourism into a single, better-plannable travel experience.

According to the event's official page, the venue for the 13th Training Academy on Cultural Routes is Pécs and Osijek, scheduled for June 2-5, 2026. The program is organized by the European Institute of Cultural Routes and the Route of the Roman Emperors and Danube Wine, in cooperation with the Zsolnay Heritage Management Nonprofit Ltd. in Hungary and the Osijek-Baranja County tourism organization. The theme of the event is "Shaping Confidence and Diversity"; the program is professional and by invitation, but the organizers promise to publish the results on the official platform of the cultural routes.

At first glance, this may seem more like a piece of policy and tourism management news than a classic travel update. However, it is interesting for the Hungarian reader because Pécs does not appear simply as a host city. The center of the southern Transdanubia, with the Cella Septichora Visitor Center, the Kodály Center, the Zsolnay Quarter, the Roman Sopianae heritage, and the proximity of the Villány-Baranya wine regions, sets an example where cultural heritage is not an isolated museum visit, but a multi-day travel motivation. Osijek complements this picture with its urban heritage along the Drava, the proximity of Baranya, and the eastern region of Croatia.

What Exactly Happened?

The training academy of the Council of Europe's Cultural Routes program is held every year in late spring or early summer, always in cooperation with a certified cultural route. According to the official description, the goal is for route operators involved in cultural heritage management and tourism development to receive practical training on current professional issues. The 2026 academy is the 13th edition of this series and is particularly noteworthy because it connects cities in two neighboring countries.

The event's program venues include the Cella Septichora Visitor Center and the Kodály Center in Pécs, as well as Osijek. Cella Septichora is a particularly strong symbolic choice: the early Christian catacombs of Pécs are among the UNESCO World Heritage sites and clearly demonstrate how an archaeological and religious history monument can be transformed into a contemporary urban tourism experience. The Kodály Center indicates that cultural routes today no longer mean just a sequence of historical points, but also a network of conferences, cultural events, music programs, urban spaces, and services.

The host route, the Route of the Roman Emperors and Danube Wine, has held the Council of Europe's cultural route certification since 2015. According to the official presentation, the network passes through ten European countries, including Hungary and Croatia, and connects 23 sub-destinations and 12 wine regions. The essence of the concept is that the Roman-era Danube border region, the late antique imperial heritage, archaeological sites, and the history of wine together provide a travel framework.

Why Is This Important for Hungarian Tourism?

Hungarian tourism has long been heavily Budapest-centric, while provincial cities and border regions also have significant appeal. In this respect, Pécs is a particularly good example: a university city, a cultural center, a world heritage site, a starting point close to wine regions, and the southern gate toward Croatia. The academy will not bring crowds on its own, but it gives professional visibility to the idea that Pécs and its surroundings can be interpreted as an independent, multi-day cultural travel destination.

This perspective is also useful for Hungarian travelers. More and more people are looking for European trips that are not just about a capital city weekend or a seaside accommodation. The logic of cultural routes helps the traveler not to receive a list of separate sights, but a story: Roman heritage in Pécs, a detour to the wine regions around Villány or Siklós, an urban experience along the Drava in Osijek, and then further travel toward Slavonia, Baranya, or even the Croatian coast.

Another important element is sustainability. Cultural routes do not promise that every visitor will arrive at the same overcrowded place at the same time. Rather, the essence is distribution, extending the season, and including smaller sites. This is particularly relevant in the summer of 2026, when several major European cities are simultaneously struggling with overcrowding, heat risks, high accommodation prices, and transport uncertainty. Southern Transdanubia and Eastern Croatia can offer a quieter but more meaningful alternative in this regard.

What Does All This Mean for Travelers?

Anyone planning a trip to Pécs or Osijek should think in terms of a multi-day, flexible route. Pécs alone can provide a long weekend: early Christian catacombs, a walk in the city center, the Zsolnay Quarter, museums, cafes, and evening programs. If Villány, Siklós, or the Mecsek mountains are added, the trip can easily become a four-to-five-day cultural and gastronomic break. Continuing toward Osijek, the city on the Drava, the Baranya wine region, and nature-oriented programs add another layer.

From a transport perspective, Hungarian travelers can consider several starting points. For those arriving by international flight, Budapest Liszt Ferenc Airport is the most important gateway, from where one can proceed toward Pécs by car, train, or long-distance bus. For those looking for information specifically related to Southern Transdanubia, the Pécs-Pogány Airport page may also be useful, even if reaching the city for most travelers continues to happen by road or rail. For the continuation in Croatia, the Osijek Airport page can provide initial information on the region's air connections.

In the case of travel by car, the greatest advantage is freedom: Pécs, Villány, Siklós, Mohács, Osijek, and the smaller settlements of Baranya can thus be more easily combined. However, due to border crossings, parking, the location of accommodations, and wine region programs, advance planning is necessary, especially on summer weekends. For those arriving by plane in Budapest and continuing from there, Budapest airport transfer, car rental at Budapest airport, and accommodation near the airport can be particularly useful if arrival is late in the evening or if they do not wish to start their departure to southern Hungary the next day in a rush.

Why Are Cultural Routes Coming to the Fore?

The Council of Europe's Cultural Routes program started in 1987 with the aim of presenting the common European heritage through travel, stories, and local cooperation. According to the official page presenting cultural routes in Hungary, Hungary joined the program in 2013 and is involved in several routes. Hungarian participation is not just a matter of prestige: it is an opportunity for smaller cities, museums, church and archaeological sites, wine regions, craft communities, and local service providers to be placed in a European context.

One advantage of such routes is that they do not build exclusively on the most famous attractions. The Route of the Roman Emperors and Danube Wine, for example, connects Roman heritage and wine. This fits particularly well with Pécs and the surrounding southern Transdanubian region, where the remains of Roman Sopianae, the historical urban structure, and the nearby wine regions together provide an interpretable travel product. The inclusion of Osijek shows that the visitor does not necessarily think in terms of national borders, but in terms of experience regions.

This change is also a message to tourism service providers. A cultural route works well when accommodation, transport, guided tours, museum opening hours, restaurant offerings, wine tasting, and digital information do not appear separately, but reinforce each other. The 2026 Pécs-Osijek academy is therefore not just a professional meeting: it is also a test of how well the region can speak a common language about heritage, the traveler's experience, and sustainable development.

What Should Those Planning a Trip to Southern Transdanubia or Slavonia Pay Attention To?

  • Do not plan only one city. Pécs, Villány, Siklós, Mohács, and Osijek together can provide a much stronger route than a single quick city tour.
  • Check transport times. The region is well-combinable by car, but schedules are important for rail and bus connections, especially on weekends and public holidays.
  • Book in advance for peak weekends. During cultural events, wine programs, and summer festivals, the better accommodations can fill up quickly.
  • Account for the characteristics of cross-border routes. Croatia's Schengen membership has simplified crossing, but it is still worth checking identification documents, insurance, car rental conditions, and mobile data usage.
  • Look for local guided programs. Roman and wine heritage is much better understood if the traveler discovers it not just with a map, but with local explanation.

Conclusion

The Pécs-Osijek cultural route academy is not the kind of news that brings new flights, new visa exemptions, or an immediate mass increase in demand from the next day. Its significance is subtler, but may be more important in the long run: it shows that Hungary's southern region and Eastern Croatia can jointly represent a European-level cultural tourism theme. For Hungarian travelers, this sends a message that when planning summer and autumn trips, it is worth paying attention to nearby, history-rich regions alongside the large, overcrowded destinations.

Pécs and Osijek together are not just two cities on the map, but a possible travel axis: with Roman heritage, wine, urban culture, cross-border experience, and slower-paced discovery. If more well-organized, easily bookable, and clearly communicated programs are created after this professional event, it will be a real gain not only for the tourism profession but also for the everyday traveler.