28 Things To Do In Tokaj

Tokaj is a historic wine region comprising 27 villages in northeastern Hungary. Located 2.5 hours from Budapest by car, Tokaj is best-known for its complex sweet wines that are made with a benign fungus that attacks the grapes in the early-fall season. In this article, I detail the history of Tokaj and the winemaking process.

#1 - Go to a wine tasting

Tokaj is one of the unique wine regions of the world: with the help of a naturally occuring benign fungus and a meticulous manual harvest, delicious and complex sweet wines are made in this corner of northeastern Hungary. This is your chance to see the vineyards, meet the winemakers, try the wines. With advance booking, some of the bigger wineries offer tastings year-round such as Disznókő (email or +36 30 2899 449), Höldvölgy (email or +36 70 3914 643), and Sauska (email or +36 20 5353 000 ), as does Zoltán Demeter (email or +36 70 2004 035), pictured above. You could also peruse the full list of my favorite wineries and reach out to whoever piques your interest.

#2 - Spend a few hours in the city of Tokaj

The whole wine region was named after the city of Tokaj because of Tokaj's strategic position by the Tisza river – historically, the Tisza was an important transportation route and Tokaj a commercial hub. Today, the town feels a little deserted and run-down, but the old city is worth spending a few hours in. Start where the Bodrog and Tisza rivers meet, an arresting view from the bridge over them (even better from the Finánc-dombi lookout point, after a three-minute uphill hike).

The main street is named after Ferenc II Rákóczi, the powerful local feudal landlord, who organized a national revolution against the Habsburgs in the early 18th century (the revolution failed; Rákóczi lost all his possessions, including his vast vineyards, and spent the rest of his life in exile in Ottoman Turkey). As a testament to Tokaj's once diverse population, the city of Tokaj has five places of worship – a Roman Catholic, a Calvinist, a Greek Catholic, a Russian orthodox, and a Jewish – all within a five-minute walk from one another. (The Russian tsars maintained a dedicated Tokaj-based wine purchasing team in the 18th century, hence the Russian orthodox church.) More below on Tokaj's two museums.

One can fuel up on new-wave coffee at Kávé Manufaktúra. Hétszőlő Winery, one of the great labels, has a retail store on the main square that's open most days.

#3 - Visit the Wine and World Heritage Museum in the city of Tokaj (location)

I wish that this museum were a bit more exciting visually, but it nonetheless provides a helpful introduction to Tokaj's winemaking traditions. Essential wine terms, soil types, grape varieties, barrel-making, food pairing ideas, wine as a tool for political diplomacy are some of the featured themes.

#4 - Visit the Tokaj Museum in the city of Tokaj (location)

This charmingly old-school exhibition is located inside an 18th-century house on Tokaj's main street where a wealthy Greek wine merchant lived with his family. There are fascinating dioramas and models about Tokaj's wildlife and topology, but most enjoyable is the attic – filled to the brim with folk art pieces from eastern Hungary and Transylvania. Carpets, decorated pots, dowry chests, ornate flasks, textiles. Not to be missed.

#5 - Spend a few hours in the city of Sárospatak (location)

Located near the border with Slovakia, Sárospatak was a thriving city under the Rákóczi dynasty in the 16-17th centuries, dubbed the “Athens by the Bodrog River“ thanks to its renowned prep school. The Sárospatak Reformed College, which was founded in 1531, is still among the best in Hungary. The school's in-house museum and lavish Neoclassical library can be visited daily between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday (until 1 p.m. on Sunday).

Sárospatak's medieval castle is a palimpsest of history with Gothic, Renaissance, and Romantic elements. Inside, the permanent exhibition of the Rákóczi Museum is centered on Ferenc II Rákóczi and his War of Independence against Habsburg rule (1703-1711); the museum, which is a satellite institution of the National Museum, also contains astonishing clothes, maps, and armory. The furniture collection is especially stunning, from singular Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo pieces. The so-called Látványtár, a storage-room-cum-collection, features folk art, textiles, furniture, and manuscripts. (And the restaurateur Louis Szathmáry's peerless Kossuth collection, including a copy of the menu that was served by the city of New York in 1851 to honor Kossuth's visit.)

The Gothic-style Saint Elizabeth Basilica is gorgeous, with a statue outside the church showing the moment when Hungary's most famous saint bids farewell to her hometown of Sárospatak. Those into (post)modern architecture might want to glimpse Imre Makovecz's Brutalist shopping mall, Bodrog Áruház from 1972, as well as Sárospatak's idiosyncratic cultural center made by the same architect. In Sárospatak I usually lunch at Vár Vendéglő, an old-school restaurant with traditional fare.

#6 - Visit the striking Sauska winery and restaurant (Tokaj, location; +36 20 535 3000)

Winemaking isn’t the most profitable line of business currently, which means that the Tokaj wine region often relies on mavericks who have made their money elsewhere and decided to spend it in this beautiful but desperately poor region of eastern Hungary.

One such maverick is the Hungarian-American businessman, Krisztián Sauska, who emigrated in the 1970s from Budapest to the United States where he has built a successful specialty lamps manufacturing business. Since the 1990s, Sauska has amassed vineyards in two of Hungary’s main wine regions, Tokaj and Villány.

Sauska’s latest project, which opened in 2023 after a decade of planning and construction, is a jaw-dropping winemaking facility, restaurant, and visitor’s center in Tokaj, between the villages of Rátka and Mád. Carved gently into the hillside, two intersecting circles announce themselves from afar and preside over the vineyards.

A Hungarian architecture firm – Bord Építész Stúdió – and the New York-based Adam Tihany were tasked with the interior details (Tihany is a famous restaurant designer, having fitted such fine dining temples as Thomas Keller’s Per Se). The complex offers winery tours, tastings, and Sauska wines and champagnes, of course. The restaurant, Padi, is quietly luxurious with a focused menu of French and Hungarian-leaning dishes (€15-20 mains).

#7 - Taste wine and enjoy the architecture of Disznókő winery (location; open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; +3647 569 410)

AXA Millésimes, the French wine conglomerate, is the owner of Disznókő, the famous Tokaj winery specializing in aszú wines. In 1993, Disznókő tasked architect Dezső Ekler, a disciple of Imre Makovecz, to design Disznókő's new winery complex. The project turned out to be a resounding success. There's a timelessness to both the sculptural tractor garage and the four elegantly converging winery buildings whose interior might be categorized as vernacular postmodernism. Bonus: a Neoclassical lookout point and a late-Baroque guard house hide within the vineyards!

As part of a wine tasting, one can tour Disznókő's facilities (advance booking at [email protected]). There's also a restaurant on the premises, Sárga Borház, as well as a wine store that sells Disznókő wines throughout the year. I never leave without a few bottles of szamorodni and aszú.

#8 - See the medieval churches of the wine region (all locations)

Medieval churches anchor many Tokaj villages, including Mád, Bodrogkeresztúr, Olaszliszka, and Bodrogolaszi. On Sunday mornings, services are still held in most of them, although the congregations are rapidly graying and dwindling.

#9 - Visit the synagogue and the Jewish cemetery of Mád (location; open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed on Saturday and Monday; +36 30 352 0031)

From the 18th century onward, Mád was home to a thriving community of orthodox Jewish wine merchants (more than twenty percent of Mád's population was Jewish). Few of them survived the Holocaust and even those have since left Hungary, but the renovated late-Baroque synagogue is open to visitors. The former yeshiva building behind the synagogue is a visitor’s center today. A ten-minute walk from here, perched on the hillside at the end of town, lies Mád's Jewish cemetery, also open to the public.

#10 - Buy sweets at Pavilon Édességbolt in Szerencs (location)

Szerencs has long been the capital of chocolate production in Hungary. While the main factory was acquired by Nestlé in 1991, a smaller Hungarian firm has carried on with the traditional products. From bonbons to marzipan to dark chocolate to candy to you name it. Their small retail store in Szerencs is fully stocked and joyously old-school.

#11 - Get a kick out of Ferenc Bán's vacation house in Tokaj (location; observable from the road outside)

Architecture fans might enjoy a peek at the summer house of Ferenc Bán (b. 1940), a prominent Hungarian architect who hails from Tokaj. The slender steel frames of the white building, which was erected in 2000, were inspired by the industrial structure located across the street along the Bodrog River's bank. The two amorphous objects dangling from the cantilevered roof are the playing rooms of the grandchildren. Tokaj's old Jewish cemetery flanks the building.

#12 - Climb up to the Boldogkő Castle (location; open daily, HUF 3,300 admission)

Ringed by scenic rows of apricot trees, this medieval fortress sits on a steep cliff and overlooks the rolling hills of the Zemplén Mountain and the charming village of Boldogkőváralja. As with other medieval castles in Hungary, the Habsburg King, Leopold (1640-1705), ordered that they all be destroyed in an effort to root out further revolutionary activity by the feudal lords following Rákóczi's independence war. A narrow wooden path juts out from the fortress and leads to a lookout point.

#13 - Visit the eye-catching wine cellars in Hercegkút (location)

Rows and rows of underground wine cellars, only with their triangular stone entrances rising from the earth – the village of Hercegkút, one of the 27 in the wine region, offers two such eye-catching hillsides: the Kőporosi and the Gombos-hegyi. In the mid-18th century, the local landlord settled here German peasants who built these cellars in order to store wines and vegetables (as they still do today). Feel free to bring your food and wine and prepare an ad hoc picnic while enjoying the views.

#14 - See the tombstone of Rabbi Yeshaya Steiner in Bodrogkeresztúr (location; open all day; call +36 20 353 9111 if closed)

Before WWII, the area near Tokaj was a hotbed of various Hasidic communities, led by charismatic rebbes with large followings. After the Holocaust, the few survivors fled abroad. Cut to the present day, when tens of thousands of ultra-orthodox Jews from the U.S. and Israel descend every year on the town of Bodrogkeresztúr to commemorate the legendary Rebbe Yeshaya Steiner, who died here in 1925. They pray to rebbe and leave wish lists on his tomb. A couple of minutes away from the Jewish cemetery is a fabulous lookout point onto the Bodrog River.

#15 - Visit the Holocaust memorial & grave of Tzvi Hersh Friedman in Olaszliszka (location; call +3630 925 1808 for access to the memorial and +3620 593 1283 to the cemetery)

Olaszliszka used to be an important center for Hasidic life in Hungary in the 19th century. In the village's Jewish cemetery rests Rebbe Tzvi Hersh Friedman, the founder of the Liska dynasty. After the Holocaust, Olaszliszka ceased to have a Jewish community and its synagogue was dismantled. In 2015, using the one remaining wall and a new front, the town erected a memorial for the victims. The Liska Hasidic group lives on in Brooklyn today and its members regularly visit the grave of their founding rebbe.

#16 - Grab new-wave coffee at Tokaji Kávépörkölő Manufaktúra (Tokaj, location; +36 47 552 008)

This spacious café in downtown Tokaj is the main place for specialty coffee in the wine region. Need anything more be said? Morning pastries are also available if you get there early.

#17 - Grab new-wave coffee at Recepció in Mád (Mád, location; +36 70 335 9963)

Mád has recently joined the villages of the wine region with its own specialty cafe. Recepció is located inside a playfully restored midcentury shed at the end of town. Tea, bags of locally roasted coffee beans, and Tokaj-made IPAs are also sold. For now, opening hours are limited to Friday through Sunday.

#18 - Visit Zoltán Demeter's vinoteca (Tokaj, location; +36 70 200 4035)

Zoltán Demeter needs little introduction to Tokaj fans; he is a legendary winemaker and a great patron of Tokaj’s historical and cultural legacy. For decades, only a small circle of insiders earned the privilege to enter his polished winery-residence in the city of Tokaj. A couple of years ago Zoltán bought the neighboring building which in 2025 he transformed into a striking wine store and wine bar. Between Thursday and Sunday, Zoltán’s wife, Anett, provides wine tastings at 3 p.m. together with freshly baked breads and delicious cold cuts.

#19 - Buy cheese from a local vendor (Tarcal, location; +36 20 536 1757)

Zempléni Sajt was recommended to me by a local winemaker who is a repeat customer at Tibor Szilágyi’s small cheese manufactory in the village of Tarcal. Using cow’s milk, there are four options: fresh gomolya, smoked cheese, a creamy Camembert-style, and a semi-hard, slightly nutty “mountain cheese.” Open Monday to Friday and until noon on Saturday!

#20 - Have a panoramic meal at Dereszla Bisztró (Bodrogkeresztúr, location; +36 30 678 2273)

This stylish timber-clad restaurant located right along the Bodrog River serves truly delicious dishes within a modern setting. Head chef Bence Bém prepares fish soup, túrógombóc, mangalica, and other local standouts. The windows and the outdoor terrace overlook the gently drifting river and the peaceful ancient woodland behind it. €12-18 mains.

#21 - Have Naples-style pizza at Karám (Bodrogkeresztúr, location; +36 30 292 7356)

Karám Bisztró is a polished restaurant in a centuries-old stone building in the village of Bodrogkeresztúr. The Naples-style pizzas arrive from a wood-burning oven and could rival any I have had in Budapest. The rest of the menu is seasonal, the service notably friendly. Karám is open every day of the year!

#22 - Dine at the anchor-restaurant of the wine region: Sárga Borház (Mezőzombor, location; +36 47 369 029) 

Sárga Borház is the longstanding restaurant of Disznókő, a leading winery whose sweeping vineyards blanket the surrounding hills. The place is located at the entry point of the wine region, which is why things get busy around lunchtime with both visitors and local winemakers in attendance. After a meal, one could explore Disznókő’s vineyards and pick up some wines at their retail store located behind the restaurant. Note that Sárga Borház is open year-round.

#23 - Try Winestone restaurant inside the Tokaj Mercure (Tokaj, location; +36 47 352 344) 

Winestone is the ground floor restaurant of the four-star Tokaj Mercure, one of my favorite hotels in the region. While a hotel restaurant always runs the risk of being a bit staid, this place is one of the few options for a nice sitdown meal in the city of Tokaj. €12-17 mains and a deep wine list.

#24 - Have a traditional meal at Lebuj Fogadó (Bodrogkeresztúr, location; +36 20 944 9351)

Lebuj is a beloved classic of the wine region, known for its traditional vibes and traditional food. Naturally, tables are covered with red-and-white tablecloths and the portions are completely oversized (observe the wall decorations, too). The fish soup is especially good and there are plenty of goulash and schnitzel-variations. €10-12 mains.

#25 - Have a traditional meal at Vár Vendéglő (Sárospatak, location; +36 47 311 370)

Another old-school restaurant with traditional Hungarian fare, Vár Vendéglő is located on the other end of the wine region, in Sárospatak, about a half-hour drive from the city of Tokaj. Don’t be surprised if Slavic chatter drifts from the surrounding tables – many customers here come from Slovakia, across the nearby border. The fisherman’s soup (halászlé) and the cottage cheese noodles drizzled with pork cracklings (túróscsusza) are both tasty; judging by the frequency with which the pálinka is ordered, so is their fruit brandy.

#26 - Stay at the four-star Mercure Tokaj Center (Tokaj, location; [email protected]; +36 47 352 344)

The 55-room Mercure is the one and only nice hotel within the city of Tokaj (four-star superior). The rooms are comfy and sizable and come with high-quality furnishings and bathroom appliances. Some of them provide a panoramic view onto the confluence of the Bodrog and Tisza Rivers. A wellness room with sauna and pool, a restaurant (Winestone), and private parking are available.

#27 - Stay at the boutique Hotel Botrytis (Mád, location; [email protected]; +36 47 348 017)

Botrytis is an 18-room boutique hotel complete with a sauna, jacuzzi, and tennis court. The generous breakfast is most enjoyable from the outdoor terrace presiding over Mád, one of the centers of the wine region. On Sunday mornings, you can watch locals gather for service at the medieval Roman Catholic church across the street from the hotel.

#28 - Stay at the Rákóczi-Aspremont Estate manor house (Mád, location; [email protected]; +3630 324 2521)

This 17th-century manor house, once part of the Prince Rákóczi family's possessions, now features three lavish suites with many of the original details – three-foot-thick walls, ceiling frescoes, wooden flooring – and period furniture. Attached to the building is a modern winery, which also belongs to the Barta family and offers a free tasting to hotel guests. A comfortable guest house on the other side of the estate provides more modest accommodation at lower price points.