Do you want to discover Hungary’s wines, but don’t have much time? Or, do you have several days to devote to exploring the wide-ranging variety of Hungarian wines and regions? Either way, we can help you. We specialize in private, personalized tours to the best Hungarian winemaking regions, for individual travelers and small groups. Trips can be as short as a day trip from Budapest, but can extend for as long as you’d like. One of the great things about Hungary’s compact size is that nearly any part of the country can be visited on a day trip. Our customers have included complete wine novices, as well as restaurateurs and owners of some of the world’s greatest wine estates. No matter what your level of wine knowledge is, our tours can be customized for you.
Email us to find out about creating a custom tour for you. We welcome last-minute bookings, but we recommend contacting us in advance of your trip to Hungary in order to ensure availability (we are a small company!)
What can you expect on a Taste Hungary private tour?
Our wine tours are full-day experiences which will leave you with a great deal of knowledge about Hungarian wine (and wine in general, if you are new to visiting wineries). You can expect plenty of beautiful scenery, delicious local food, good company, and of course, great wine. All of the wineries you visit will be carefully chosen, and will be among the best in the country. We believe that spending a day touring the countryside and meeting the country’s wine personalities is the most authentic introduction to Hungarian life outside of Budapest.
You will be picked up from your hotel/apartment in Budapest between 8-9:30am (depending on the region you choose to visit), and will return between 7-9pm (with the exception of the Market + WIne Tour, which requires less driving time). If you are a small group, your English-speaking wine-specialized guide will also be your driver for the day. Larger groups will be transported by mini-van with a dedicated driver.
Our wine tours include visits and tastings at three wineries per day, during which we tour the winemaking areas and discuss the winemaking process, the history, and the wines. Whenever possible, tours are led by the winemaker or a member of the family. Tastings include generous pours of between 5-8 wines. Some wineries are modern and stylish with dedicated tasting rooms and attached hotels. Others are old and musty—strictly family affairs where the winemaker does everything from pick the grapes to pour the wine. We like to show a mixture of the traditional, the experimental, and the modern, in order to give you a complete picture of the state of Hungarian wine.
The first, late-morning/early afternoon tasting of the day will provide you with an overview of the region. Afterwards you’ll be ready for lunch, which is always one of the most memorable parts of the day. In some regions we can arrange multi-course, home-cooked Hungarian meals at one of the wineries. Sometimes they are even served in an old mold-covered cellar. In other cases, we dine at carefully-chosen restaurants where you can be sure that your meal will be among the food highlights of your trip. If lunch is served at a winery, it will be preceded by a tour of the facilities and accompanied by wine pairings.
After lunch there will be time to sightsee in the nearby villages/towns, as well take a walk in the vineyards to see firsthand where and how the grapes are grown. By this time you should be ready for another wine tasting. In all, the day will include three winery tours and tastings. We believe that tasting the local foods is essential to the experience of tasting the wine at its source, so the final tasting of the day will be accompanied by a selection of cold local products such as artisanal cheese or cured meats. By the day’s end, you should feel like a specialist in the region you have visited. Now, back to Budapest.
Once you book your tour with us, we will work closely with you during the planning-process to ensure that the trip perfectly suits your travel-style and interests. We will send you a brief questionnaire to fill out, and we will also send you the completed itinerary in advance of the tour. On longer trips, other activities such as hiking, kayaking, bird watching, visits to cheese makers, festivals, thermal bath houses, etc. can also be arranged.
Where can a Taste Hungary tour take you? Read about our favorite regions. Take a look at some of the itineraries for our group tours for further examples of what a day spent wine touring with us looks like.
Read customer reviews of our tours on Trip Advisor.
What is included in our private tours?
- Pick-up and drop-off from your hotel/apartment
- Tours and generous tastings (5-8 wines per tasting) of good wines at three wineries per day (with the exception of the Market + Wine Tour, which includes two tastings).
- Bottles of mineral water and pogácsa/light snacks for the car rides (with the exception of the Market + Wine Tour, which includes food tastings at the markets)
- Tasting sheets for you to take wine notes to keep for your memories/records
- English-speaking, knowledgeable, wine-specialized tour guide
- A cold plate of local products (cheese, meat, etc.) to accompany the final tasting of the day (and to fortify you for the ride back to Budapest)!
- The price of overnight tours does not include accommodation (but we will help you make the arrangements)
Which Region Should You Visit?
That is great if you already have some familiarity with Hungarian wines and know exactly where you would like to go. But if you don’t (and most people don’t), we would be happy to tell you more about our favorite places, and help you decide which region might be the best for you based on your interests, wine preferences, and availability. Hungary has 22 wine regions, click here to read about some of our favorites. Or, email us if you are still undecided!
How Much Does a Private Day Tour Cost?
For the Wine + Market Tour, see here for more information
1-day private full-day tours to all regions:
1 person 95,000 HUF
2 people 50,000 HUF person
3-4 people 45,000 HUF per person
5-6 people 42,000 HUF per person
2, 3, and 4-day private full-day tours to all regions:
1 person 120,000 HUF per person per day
2 people 62,000 HUF per person per day
3-4 people 53,000 per person per day
5-6 people 48,000 HUF per person per day
In order to book a day trip we require a 25 percent non-refundable booking deposit paid through paypal or bank transfer. The remainder of the tour fee must be paid for in cash on the day of the tour, or in advance of the tour through paypal or bank transfer. We accept euros or the equivalent amount in Hungarian forints.
Please contact us for pricing information for special requests, larger groups, or longer trips.
Read our Terms and Conditions.