Szekszárd rolls into 2026 with a double dose of brain food and culture: Kultúrkortyok popular lectures at the Mihály Babits Cultural Center (Babits Mihály Kulturális Központ) and an Art History Free University series at the House of Arts (Művészetek Háza). The lineup runs from January through March, mixing history, Hungarian art movements, and the country’s beloved wine-country vibe. Dates, themes, and venues are set across the city—though organizers reserve the right to adjust the schedule and programs.
Key dates and themes
– 2026.01.13. KULTÚRKORTYOK SZABADEGYETEM – A doni katasztrófa (The Don Disaster), Szekszárd
– 2026.01.14. Pőre örökkévalóság… – A Római Iskola (Bare Eternity… – The Roman School), Szekszárd
– 2026.01.28. A csárdánál törpe nyárfaerdő… – Az Alföldiek (At the Roadside Inn a Dwarf Poplar Forest… – The Alföld Group), Szekszárd
– 2026.02.11. Az idő metszeteiben… – Szentendre (In the Sections of Time… – Szentendre), Szekszárd
– 2026.02.25. Fürtös, láncos, táncos, nyalka… – Az Európai Iskola (Clustered, Chained, Dancing, Dapper… – The European School), Szekszárd
– 2026.03.11. Lent: a rémeknek harsogása… – Naivok, amatőrök, módosult tudatállapotok… (Below: the Roaring of Monsters… – Naïfs, Amateurs, Altered States…), Szekszárd
Stay: wine hotels and easy escapes
Right downtown, Hotel Merops**** sits beside the Mészáros wine house, a few minutes’ walk from the city center. It leans into the calm of a small town and the Szekszárd wine region’s mood, aiming at both unplugged downtime and active weekends. Expect a distinctive interior, a prepared team, and tailored, wide-ranging services. The hotel runs with 8 rooms and 2 apartments for travelers heading to Szekszárd, plus a spread of gastronomic programs in the city and nearby. In Nádasdi House, the Main Street Bistro spoils locals and visitors with a broad menu; the team also organizes wine tastings. The cellar hosts pitch-perfect Szekszárd-style events—birthdays, friends’ dinners, company gatherings—designed to be memorable.
At the city’s northern gateway along Route 6, Sió Motel lies between the Szekszárd and Tolna wine regions, close to the Gemenc Forest and the Sárköz area, on a 6.18-acre plot. Easy access, close to nature, and well-placed for tastings and trails.
Hotel Zodiaco*** is the only three-star hotel in Szekszárd and the area, serving guests in a modern, elegant setting. The philosophy is satisfaction first: year after year, innovations fine-tune stays for both business travelers and weekenders seeking a smoother, nicer time.
Vineyards, tastings, and cellars
Attila Birtok spreads across the Baranya Valley in Szekszárd, with 34.6 acres under vine. In the cellar, they process Kékfrankos, Kadarka, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Zweigelt. It’s classic Szekszárd with a local focus and a knack for blending.
At Bodri, the restaurant pairs dishes to Bodri wines under chef Norbert Makk, modernizing Hungarian cuisine while keeping the flavors front and center. The Bodri Winery spans 247 acres and doubles as a tourism hub in a picturesque valley at Szekszárd’s southern edge: a winery, event center, restaurant, show kitchen, and guesthouses. The main cellar covers 19,375 square feet under twelve domes; a 3,229-square-foot aging cellar opens during tours. The 15,069-square-foot rosé facility handles larger volumes without skimping on quality. The estate’s tasteful rooms sleep 61 at once, and a thermal-water underground domed Roman bath, jacuzzi, and sauna add comfort. Optimus Restaurant showcases Hungarian cuisine with a contemporary touch.
Borfaragó Pince sits in the heart of the local Fősőváros district on the site of an old carpentry and woodcarving workshop. It hosts tastings, pours artisanal wines, and displays folk woodcarving masterpieces—an off-center hangout that’s still easy to reach without being in everyone’s line of sight.
From Várdomb to Porkoláb Valley
One estate anchors its center on Várdomb Hill, giving star billing to Kékfrankos for its range, quality, and reliability, both solo and as the backbone of blends. They also tend Riesling (Rajnai Rizling), Cserszegi Fűszeres, Kadarka, Kékoportó, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah, with careful attention across the board.
A local artisanal winery farms mostly in Porkoláb Valley and processes only estate-grown grapes. Their wines skip industrial yeasts, malolactic cultures, enzymes, fining agents, colorants, and additives adjusting flavor, aroma, or acidity. They also avoid filtration, sterilization, oxygen dosing, and heat treatment—every wine is bottled unadorned and honest.
Another producer leans into the region’s traditional and local varieties while experimenting with blends. They make rosés from nearly all available red grapes, winning serious international awards, and they’re proud of their reds. Local heroes like Kékfrankos and Kadarka carry Szekszárd’s signature, rounded out by Merlot, Cabernet, and Pinot Noir.
Family traditions, modern cellars
The Eszterbauer family, with Swabian and Serbian roots, runs a traditional family winery in Szekszárd. In their show cellar and representative wine house, family members lead tastings. The wine and guest house offers tastings and food for 8 to 50 people, from simple bites to multi-course dinners. Their webshop carries a lineup of award winners.
A family winery cultivates 16.3 acres across four blocks in the Szekszárd region, planting Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Kékfrankos. It’s a tight circuit of vineyards that keeps the focus on character, craft, and the region’s unmistakable taste.
The organizers reserve the right to change dates and programs.
