Day-by-day estate-visit plans for Tokaj: weekend, first-timer and deep-cellar editions.
Day-by-day plans
Three-day Tokaj village circuit: Tokaj town, Mád and Tarcal ★ 4.7
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Day 1
- Morning
- Arrive in Tokaj town and walk down to the Tisza-Bodrog confluence for the panoramic view of the Hegyalja hills. Visit the Tokaj Museum on Bethlen Gábor utca for the history of Aszú production before the first tasting appointment.
- Afternoon
- Enter the Rákóczi Cellar beneath Tokaj town for the candlelit heritage cellar walk and Aszú tasting. The cellar tunnels run for several hundred metres and maintain a constant cool temperature for Aszú maturation.
- Evening
- Dinner in Tokaj town followed by an evening tasting at one of the cellar bars in the main square.
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Day 2
- Morning
- Drive 15 km west to Mád for a morning appointment tasting at one of the village's leading estates. Mád's single-vineyard Furmint producers including Holdvölgy, Barta Pince and Szepsy are the focus of the visit.
- Afternoon
- Walk the Nyulászó and Betsek vineyard rows above the village in the afternoon; vineyard walking maps are available at Holdvölgy and Royal Tokaji Mád locations. Optional second tasting appointment at a second Mád producer in the late afternoon.
- Evening
- Return to Tarcal or stay in Mád for the evening; the village has limited accommodation but the night quietude and stargazing above the vineyard is exceptional.
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Day 3
- Morning
- Morning visit to the Disznókő estate at Tarcal for the full cellar tour and tasting, including the underground barrel cellar and the panoramic terrace above the Lapis vineyard.
- Afternoon
- Drive north to Erdőbénye or Tolcsva for a final afternoon appointment at a smaller estate, then loop back south via the Bodrog valley road to Tokaj for the return journey to Budapest.
- Evening
- Train or car return to Budapest, arriving by 21:00.
Weekend Aszú deep dive: Royal Tokaji, Disznókő and Oremus ★ 4.8
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Day 1
- Morning
- Morning appointment at Royal Tokaji in Mád for the full Aszú vertical tasting, including the estate's single-vineyard Nyulászó and Szt. Tamás Aszú bottlings alongside the Late Harvest and dry Furmint.
- Afternoon
- Drive 15 km east to Tarcal for an afternoon appointment at Disznókő. The cellar tour covers the barrel cellar, the Lapis vineyard parcels and a comparative vertical of Aszú across recent vintages.
- Evening
- Dinner in Tarcal or Tokaj town; Szamorodni száraz with fish as the pre-dinner aperitif.
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Day 2
- Morning
- Drive 30 km south along the Bodrog valley to Tolcsva for a morning appointment at Oremus, the Vega Sicilia-owned estate. The tasting focuses on the estate's Mandolás dry Furmint, Szamorodni and the Aszú range.
- Afternoon
- Return north along the Bodrog valley road stopping at the Bodrogkisfalud and Bodrogolaszi riverbank viewpoints before joining the motorway south to Budapest.
- Evening
- Budapest arrival by early evening.
Mád single-vineyard pilgrimage: Szepsy, Holdvölgy and Barta ★ 4.9
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Day 1
- Morning
- Begin with an appointment tasting at Szepsy István's cellar in Mád for the single-vineyard dry Furmints (Betsek, Úrágya and Nyulászó) alongside the Aszú bottlings. This is the originating cellar of the dry Furmint renaissance.
- Afternoon
- Walk the Nyulászó and Betsek vineyard rows above the village before a 15:00 appointment at Holdvölgy for a comparative single-vineyard Furmint tasting from their Mád parcels. Optional third appointment at Barta Pince for the Öreg Király and Vén Király single-vineyard bottlings if time allows.
- Evening
- Return to Budapest or overnight stay in Mád.
Budapest to Tokaj weekend by train ★ 4.5
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Day 1
- Morning
- Take the morning Intercity from Budapest Keleti station to Tokaj (approximately 2 hours 30 minutes). On arrival, check in at the hotel and walk to the Tisza-Bodrog confluence and the Tokaj Museum.
- Afternoon
- Afternoon candlelit tasting at the Rákóczi Cellar beneath Tokaj town, followed by a walk through the historic town centre and up to the Tokaj hill viewpoint overlooking the vineyards.
- Evening
- Dinner in Tokaj town with the local Hétszőlő Furmint and Tokaj Trade House Aszú paired with traditional Hungarian dinner dishes.
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Day 2
- Morning
- Hire a local taxi or bicycle to reach Tarcal (3 km from Tokaj town) for a morning appointment at Disznókő. The estate has a well-structured visitor programme.
- Afternoon
- Return to Tokaj town station and catch the afternoon Intercity train back to Budapest Keleti.
- Evening
- Budapest arrival by early evening.
Harvest week: Aszú berry-picking experience ★ 5.0
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Day 1
- Morning
- Arrive in Mád and check into accommodation. Orientation visit to the first estate (Royal Tokaji Mád) for a harvest briefing, covering the Aszú berry selection criteria and the day-by-day progress of botrytis in the vineyards.
- Afternoon
- First Aszú berry-picking session in the Nyulászó vineyard; pickers select individual shrivelled botrytised grapes by hand. An hour of picking typically yields a small puttony basket.
- Evening
- Estate dinner with the harvest team; fresh grape must and previous vintage Aszú poured alongside traditional harvest food.
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Day 2
- Morning
- Second morning picking session in the vineyard; continue Aszú berry selection with the estate team. The picking typically runs from 08:00 to 13:00 before the afternoon heat makes the grapes less firm.
- Afternoon
- Cellar observation session: watch the Aszú paste preparation and the maceration of the botrytised berries in Furmint base wine. The winemaker leads the technical explanation.
- Evening
- Free evening in Mád village.
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Day 3
- Morning
- Travel to Tarcal for two nights at Disznókő. Morning vineyard walk through the Lapis parcel above the estate to observe the botrytis progression on the Furmint clusters.
- Afternoon
- Aszú berry-picking session at Disznókő; the estate uses large estate-wide teams and visitors join a single picking row. Followed by a barrel-cellar walk to see the previous vintage Aszú in cask.
- Evening
- Estate dinner at Disznókő.
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Day 4
- Morning
- Rest morning or optional visit to Tokaj town for the museum and Rákóczi Cellar tasting.
- Afternoon
- Afternoon Aszú tasting vertical at Disznókő cellar: five vintages of Aszú 5 puttonyos to compare the harvest character year by year.
- Evening
- Farewell harvest dinner at a Tarcal restaurant with local Zemplén cuisine and a bottle of Disznókő Aszú.
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Day 5
- Morning
- Morning drive or train to Budapest; the harvest season leaves the Hegyalja valley particularly golden in morning light. Stop at a roadside fruit stand for the seasonal Zemplén plums.
- Afternoon
- Optional Tokaj wine shopping at Bortársaság Budapest before the journey home.
- Evening
- Drop-off at Budapest.
Itineraries in Tokaj, FAQ
When is the best time to visit Tokaj for wine?
Peak wine-travel season in Tokaj is spring through autumn, with harvest the standout window.
Do I need an appointment to taste at Tokaj estates?
classified-growth and grand-cru estates require booking days to weeks ahead; smaller family domaines often take walk-ins midweek.
What hours do Tokaj cellars and tasting rooms keep?
most estates open 10:00 to 17:00 by appointment, often closed Sunday and Monday.
How does tipping work at Tokaj tastings?
tipping is not expected at tastings; buying a bottle from the cellar door is the customary thank-you.
What is the one wine to try in Tokaj?
Ask the next local you meet what they would order. Tokaj rewards trust.