Tokaj Eastern Plains
5
Day Itinerary •
Hungary
Five days in Tokaj and the Eastern Plains takes you to Hungary's most celebrated wine region and the extraordinary Great Hungarian Plain beyond. Tokaj, the UNESCO World Heritage wine region at the confluence of the Tisza and Bodrog rivers, produces the most famous dessert wine in the world. Louis XIV of France called Tokaj Aszu the wine of kings and the king of wines. This route covers the complete Tokaj and Eastern Plains experience. The extraordinary Tokaj wine town and cellars, the remarkable Puszta horseman culture of the Hortobagy National Park UNESCO World Heritage Site, the fine Debrecen with its Great Church, the outstanding Nyiregyhaza, the remarkable Sarospatak castle and the extraordinary Zemplen Hills wine villages.
Best Time To Visit
September to October for harvest, May to June for storks
Getting There
Train from Budapest to Tokaj, 2.5 hours
Getting Around
Rental car essential for eastern Hungary
Budget Per Day
Approx 10,000 to 25,000 HUF per person per day
Difficulity
Easy
DAY 1
TOKAJ UNESCO WINE TOWN
MORNING
TOKAJ TOWN AND UNESCO WINE REGION
Tokaj, the small town at the confluence of the Tisza and Bodrog rivers, is the most famous wine town in Hungary and the centre of the UNESCO World Heritage wine region. The remarkable yellow loess hillsides covered with Furmint and Harslevelu vines, the extraordinary network of ancient wine cellars beneath the town and the fine Tokaj Wine Museum telling the remarkable story of Hungary's greatest wine are all outstanding. Entry museum approx 1,500 HUF. Travel: 2.5 hours from Budapest
MIDDAY
TOKAJ ASZU WINE CELLAR TASTING
Tasting Tokaj Aszu in the extraordinary ancient cellars beneath the town is the finest wine experience in Hungary. The remarkable Aszu, made from grapes individually harvested one by one after noble rot, produces the most extraordinary sweet wine in the world. The fine Tokaj dry Furmint, the outstanding Szamorodni and the legendary Aszu from 3 to 6 puttonyos in the remarkable cellar atmosphere are all exceptional. Tasting approx 3,500 HUF. Travel: 10 min walk
AFTERNOON
TOKAJ VINEYARD WALK
The remarkable walk from Tokaj town up through the extraordinary UNESCO protected vineyards on the Kopasz Hill above the town gives the finest view of the Tisza-Bodrog confluence and the remarkable wine landscape. The outstanding traditional wooden wine press buildings, the fine loess cellar entrances carved into the hillside and the extraordinary view of the plain beyond the river make the vineyard walk the finest in the Hungarian wine country. Free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Tokaj Aszu Essencia, the rarest and most expensive wine in Hungary, is made only from the free-run juice of botrytised grapes and can age for 200 years. A small taste at the finest cellars is the most extraordinary wine experience in Europe.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Budapest or train cafe Good breakfast before the Tokaj train. | Lunch: Tokaj wine restaurant Traditional Hungarian food with the finest Tokaj dry Furmint. | Dinner: Tokaj cellar dinner Outstanding Tokaj Aszu with Hungarian desserts in the remarkable cellar.
DAY 2
SAROSPATAK AND ZEMPLEN HILLS
MORNING
SAROSPATAK RENAISSANCE CASTLE
Sarospatak Castle, 30km north of Tokaj, is the finest Renaissance castle in northeastern Hungary. The remarkable Red Tower built in the 15th century, the extraordinary Renaissance loggia added by the Rakoczi family and the outstanding collection of Rakoczi family treasures make it the most important castle in the Zemplen region. The remarkable Comenius College in the town, where the Czech educational reformer taught in 1650, and the outstanding Calvinist church are both fine. Entry approx 2,500 HUF. Travel: 30 min drive
MIDDAY
ZEMPLEN HILLS WINE VILLAGES
The Zemplen Hills above the Tokaj wine region have the most extraordinary collection of wine villages in Hungary, each with its remarkable individual cellar traditions. The fine Erdobenye, the outstanding Tolcsva and the remarkable Olaszliszka, each producing extraordinary Furmint and Aszu wines in a remarkable rolling hill landscape, are all outstanding. The extraordinary wine road through the Zemplen gives the finest drive in northeastern Hungary. Tasting approx 2,000 HUF. Travel: 30 min drive
AFTERNOON
BOLDOGKO CASTLE AND ZEMPLEN VIEW
Boldogko Castle, the extraordinary medieval fortress perched on a volcanic basalt hill above the Hernád River valley with the remarkable Zemplen Hills visible behind and the plain ahead, is the finest castle viewpoint in northeastern Hungary. The remarkable approach through the volcanic landscape, the outstanding basalt columns on the hillside and the extraordinary view from the castle walls are all remarkable. Entry approx 1,200 HUF.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Karos, a tiny village near Tokaj where remarkable 10th-century Magyar burial mounds were excavated yielding the finest Magyar grave goods in Hungary, has the most remarkable early Hungarian heritage site in the Zemplen region. Free.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Tokaj hotel Good breakfast before the Sarospatak drive. | Lunch: Sarospatak castle cafe Traditional Hungarian lunch in the finest Renaissance castle town. | Dinner: Tokaj wine village dinner Outstanding Zemplen wine village cuisine in the finest cellar setting.
DAY 3
HORTOBAGY PUSZTA AND DEBRECEN
MORNING
HORTOBAGY NATIONAL PARK PUSZTA
The Hortobagy National Park, the largest protected steppe in Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the most extraordinary landscape in Hungary. The remarkable Hungarian Puszta, the flat grassland plain stretching to the horizon with its distinctive csarda inns, extraordinary sweep wells and the outstanding Racka sheep and Hungarian grey cattle herds, is unlike any other landscape in Central Europe. The fine Nine-Arch Bridge, the longest stone bridge in Hungary, is outstanding. Entry park free. Travel: 1.5 hours drive
MIDDAY
HORTOBAGY CSIKOSOK HORSEMEN SHOW
The Hortobagy csikosok, the extraordinary Hungarian horse herdsmen in their remarkable blue-and-white traditional costume, perform the most outstanding horse shows in Hungary on the Puszta plain. The remarkable five-in-hand standing drive, where the csikos stands on the backs of two galloping horses while controlling three more, is the finest equestrian display in Europe. The outstanding Hortobagy Csarda inn serves the finest traditional Hungarian Puszta cuisine. Show approx 2,500 HUF. Travel: 15 min drive
AFTERNOON
DEBRECEN GREAT CHURCH
Debrecen, the second city of Hungary and the capital of the Protestant Reformation in the country, has the most extraordinary Protestant church in Hungary. The remarkable Great Reformed Church completed in 1823, where Lajos Kossuth proclaimed Hungarian independence in 1849, the fine Calvinist College with the outstanding library and the extraordinary Csokonai Theatre are all remarkable. The fine Debrecen city centre is the finest in eastern Hungary. Entry church free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Hortobagy Bird Ringing Station, where ornithologists have ringed birds since 1908 and where the remarkable autumn raptor migration brings extraordinary numbers of eastern steppe birds, is the finest birdwatching site in Hungary. Free.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Tokaj hotel or Debrecen Good breakfast before the Hortobagy drive. | Lunch: Hortobagy Csarda Traditional Hungarian Puszta gulyás at the finest steppe inn in Hungary. | Dinner: Debrecen city restaurant Outstanding eastern Hungarian cuisine in the second city.
DAY 4
NYIREGYHAZA AND EASTERN HUNGARY
MORNING
NYIREGYHAZA SKANZEN OPEN-AIR VILLAGE
The Nyiregyhaza Open-Air Village Museum is the finest outdoor folk architecture museum in northeastern Hungary, its remarkable collection of traditional Nyirseg farmhouses, the outstanding thatched barns and the fine craft workshops demonstrating traditional techniques all preserved in the extraordinary Sostos forest park. The remarkable Nyiregyhaza thermal lake complex adjacent to the museum is outstanding. Entry approx 1,800 HUF. Travel: 45 min drive
MIDDAY
NYIRSEG HAJDUSAG REGION
The Nyirseg, the remarkable sandy plain region around Nyiregyhaza with its extraordinary plum orchards, the fine birch forests and the outstanding traditional farmsteads, is the most distinctive regional landscape in eastern Hungary. The remarkable Kisvarda castle in the Kisvarda town to the north and the outstanding Taktaharkany stork village are both remarkable. The extraordinary Hungarian white stork in every village from April to August is the finest natural spectacle of eastern Hungary. Free. Travel: 30 min drive
AFTERNOON
TOKAJ FINAL CELLAR TASTING
A final afternoon in the extraordinary Tokaj cellars, perhaps visiting the remarkable Hetszolo estate, the most important single vineyard in Tokaj producing the finest Furmint and Aszu, or the outstanding Disznoko winery with its remarkable hilltop chateau. The fine final tasting of Tokaj Aszu, the wine that made Hungary famous across Europe, is the perfect farewell to the Eastern Plains. Tasting approx 3,500 HUF.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Mateszalka in the far northeast of Hungary, the gateway to the Szatmar region with its remarkable wooden churches and the finest traditional Hungarian village architecture in the country, is the most authentic corner of eastern Hungary. Free to explore.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Debrecen hotel Good breakfast before the Nyiregyhaza drive. | Lunch: Nyiregyhaza museum cafe Traditional lunch in the finest outdoor village museum. | Dinner: Tokaj wine evening Return to the wine town for a final extraordinary cellar dinner.
DAY 5
KECSKEMET AND SOUTHERN PLAINS
MORNING
KECSKEMET AND THE PUSZTA SOUTH
Kecskemet, the extraordinary Art Nouveau city in the heart of the Great Plain south of Budapest, has the most remarkable collection of Secession buildings outside Budapest. The outstanding Town Hall by Ödön Lechner, the fine Ornamental Palace and the remarkable Kecskemet Hungarian Folk Art Museum are all outstanding. The extraordinary apricot brandy of Kecskemet, the finest palinka in Hungary, and the fine Kecskemet racehorse tradition are both remarkable. Entry museum approx 1,500 HUF. Travel: 2 hours drive south
MIDDAY
KISKUNSAG NATIONAL PARK
The Kiskunsag National Park, the southern Puszta UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the most extraordinary semi-arid steppe landscape in western Hungary. The remarkable salt lake pans, the extraordinary bustard birds of the steppe and the fine juniper-covered sand dunes of the Kiskunsag are all outstanding. The remarkable Bugac Puszta horsemen show near Kecskemet is the finest in southern Hungary. Show approx 2,500 HUF. Travel: 30 min drive
AFTERNOON
RETURN TO BUDAPEST
Return to Budapest through the extraordinary Great Plain landscape, perhaps stopping at the fine Cegled, the hometown of Lajos Kossuth with its remarkable Kossuth Museum, or the outstanding Ceglédberceli with the finest traditional Great Plain inn on the Budapest road. The extraordinary experience of five days in Hungary's wine country and steppe landscape makes the Eastern Plains one of the most remarkable and least visited regions in Europe. Free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Hajos wine cellars, the largest underground wine cellar settlement in Hungary with 1,200 carved rock-face cellars in the southern Great Plain, is the most remarkable wine village architecture in the country. Entry to cellars free.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Tokaj hotel Good breakfast before the Kecskemet drive. | Lunch: Kecskemet old town restaurant Traditional Hungarian Great Plain food with outstanding apricot palinka. | Dinner: Budapest return dinner Farewell to the extraordinary eastern Hungary.
Where To Stay
Tokaj town, Nights 1 to 2 The finest base in the wine region. Approx 10,000 to 20,000 HUF per night. Debrecen or Nyiregyhaza, Nights 3 to 4 Good eastern Hungary base. Approx 10,000 to 18,000 HUF per night. Booking ahead September harvest weekends in Tokaj fill completely. Book months ahead.
Top Tips
1. Tokaj Aszu 6 puttonyos is the finest and rarest expression of the wine. Taste it in a cellar.
2. The September Tokaj harvest is the finest time to visit. Book accommodation months ahead.
3. The Hortobagy csikos horsemen show is extraordinary. The five-in-hand drive is unmissable.
4. Sarospatak castle and the Zemplen wine road are almost entirely free of foreign tourists.
5. Eastern Hungary is the finest value region in the country. Excellent food and wine cheaply.
6. The stork migration in spring brings extraordinary numbers to the eastern plain villages.
Total Budget
18,500 to 43,000 HUF/day