Tokaj
©
Tokaj

Tokaj

Small Hungarian wine town where the Bodrog and Tisza meet in Tokaji Aszú country

Tokaj is a small town in northeastern Hungary where the Bodrog and Tisza rivers meet, and the centre of the Tokaj wine region — a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape. Tokaji Aszú, the region's legendary sweet wine made from botrytised grapes, has been called "the wine of kings and the king of wines" since Louis XIV declared it so.

The town itself is compact and quiet, centred on a main square with the Tokaj Museum in a handsome 18th-century Greek trading house. The museum covers the history of winemaking in the region and has a cellar system beneath the building where you can taste wines from the major producers. The castle, which played an important strategic role when Hungary was divided between the Ottomans, the Habsburgs, and Transylvania, is worth a visit for the views.

The real attraction is visiting the wine cellars. Many of the region's best producers — Disznókő, Royal Tokaji, Oremus, Hetszőlő — offer tastings, and the cellars themselves, some centuries old, are atmospheric in their own right. The surrounding hills are beautiful in autumn when the vineyards turn gold. Walk south from the main square to find the confluence of the Bodrog and Tisza rivers, where the landscape opens up across the water toward the vine-covered hills.

Guide

Eating Out

Tokaj is a small town and the restaurant options reflect that — a handful of reliable places around the main square and along the waterfront. The food leans Hungarian: grilled meats, rich soups, and desserts that pair well with Aszú. Quality varies, but the local wine makes almost any meal worthwhile.

Guide

Getting There

Tokaj is about 200 km northeast of Budapest, roughly three hours by train. Intercity trains from Budapest Keleti to Nyíregyháza stop at Tokaj station, which is about a 15-minute walk from the town centre. A few direct trains per day make the journey without requiring a change. By car, the M3 motorway takes you most of the way and the drive is under three hours.

Day trips from Miskolc (54 km) are straightforward by train or car, and the city is an easy base for exploring the wider Tokaj-Hegyalja wine region, which includes the wine villages of Mád, Tarcal, and Bodrogkeresztúr.

Guide

Things to Do

Tokaj is a compact town but packs serious depth into a small area. The wine cellars are the main draw — ancient stone vaults carved into the hillsides where Aszú ages slowly under a coat of noble mould. Walk the main square, visit the museum, and then lose an afternoon in one of the tasting rooms.