Eger & Tokaj - North-Eastern Hungary
10 Hours
Probably everybody heard about the famous Tokaj wines but have you heard the name of EGER? On this tour you can get acquainted with the history of mediaeval Hungary, viticulture and wonderful landscapes. We leave Budapest towards the East and drive along the bordering region of the Great Hungarian Plain and the North - Hungarian Mountain range. In summer you can see cornfields of golden colour and yellow sunflower plantations, green mountains with shady forests. In winter snow covers the landscape. While your guide tells you about land and the people, about traditions and folks habits you can enjoy the scenery passing by. After one and a half hours driving you arrive to the city of Eger, situated in a valley between the Mátra and Bükk Mountains. It is a 1000 - year old episcopal seat - today an archiepiscopal centre - with a glorious historical past. István Dobó, one-time castellan, gave the town the title "patriotic town" for its month long resistance in 1552 against Ottoman Turkish forces that had a superiority of 20 - times against Dobo's small army. Eger has many attractions beside the fortress: medicinal baths, historical monuments and fine wines. Another famous product of the region is Bull's Blood, the legendary full bodied red wine, a cuvee of red grapes. The mystery around the wine is kept as secret, but if you are curious, come and visit Eger to find it out! Your guide will take you for a historical walk in the mediaeval castle and in the old town. After this short walk we visit the Valley of the Beautiful Woman to have delicious lunch and taste wine, see those typical wine cellars dug into the hillside standing next to each other in close succession.
Heading further to the East, we pass by Mezőkövesd, a settlement that is famous about its folk's art. The next place to visit is then town of Tokaj, also centre of the Tokaj - Hegyalja historical wine region (part of the Unesco World Cultural Heritage) where the world-famous Tokaji Aszú is produced. It is the most famous wine producing region in Hungary, also well known outside Hungary among wine lovers. Even though the viticulture in this area is a thousand years old, it became world famous only in the 17th century, when the Tokaji Aszú, a remarkable rare phenomenon resulting from typically late harvesting and special manufacturing processes, achieved wide recognition. As its fame grew, it reached more and more people. The Tokaji Aszú was awarded the title of "The king of wines, the wine of kings" in the court of Louis 14th, but was also well-liked by the court of the Tsar and by the Polish nobility. In Tokaj we visit the famous Rákóczi Wine Cellar; here we will do a cellar visit with a professional guide that will explain us everything about the production and background of the famous wine. Of course there will be a wine-tasting out of the best wines of the region. If you wish to spend more time in this area, we gladly organize accommodation on request. After this memorable program return transfer to Budapest.