Szekszárd is rolling into 2026 with a cultural one-two: bite-sized lectures under the Kultúrkortyok banner at the Mihály Babits Cultural Center (Babits Mihály Kulturális Központ) and a full-blooded Art History Free University at the House of Arts (Művészetek Háza). It’s the kind of winter–spring program that pairs perfectly with a glass of local red and a notebook full of big thoughts.
2026.01.13. – Kultúrkortyok Free University opens with The Don Disaster in Szekszárd, a hard-hitting historical talk that digs into one of Hungary’s most tragic military chapters. Expect context, human stories, and a sober look at loss and responsibility.
2026.01.14. – “Bare Eternity…” – The Roman School arrives in Szekszárd, tracing a key Hungarian art movement that reframed 20th-century modernism with spiritual and metaphysical tones. The title hints at stripped-down, essential forms and timeless presence.
2026.01.28. – “A dwarf poplar grove by the inn…” – The Alföld School in Szekszárd explores painters of the Great Hungarian Plain, with its big skies, long horizons, and grounded realism. Rustic motifs meet refined brushwork, where landscape mood shapes identity.
2026.02.11. – “In the cross-sections of time…” – Szentendre lands in Szekszárd, celebrating the town that became a cradle for avant-garde, folklore-infused modernism and lyrical abstraction. Think cobbled streets, Danube light, and artist colonies buzzing with experiment.
2026.02.25. – “Clustered, chained, dancing, dashing…” – The European School in Szekszárd looks at the postwar group that bridged Hungarian artists with continental ideas, threading surrealism, constructivism, and freedom of form into a charged, intellectual practice.
2026.03.11. – “Below: the roaring of monsters…” – Naives, amateurs, altered states in Szekszárd throws the doors wide to outsider visions, trance-born images, and the raw power of making beyond the academy. It’s a plunge into instinct, pattern, and inner storms.
Stay Where the Wine Flows
Hotel Merops**** sits in downtown Szekszárd, next to the Mészáros wine house and a few minutes’ walk from the city center. It’s a wine hotel with a calm small-town vibe and full wine-region atmosphere—ideal for both slow-down weekends and active escapes. Expect a distinctive interior, a trained team, and tailored, wide-ranging services.
There are 8 rooms and 2 apartments for travelers bound for Szekszárd, plus a spread of gastronomic programs in the city and nearby. In the Nádasdi House, Main Street Bistro charms locals and visitors with a broad menu and standout plates. Wine tastings are on offer, too. Their cellar hosts events steeped in Szekszárd character—birthdays, friendly dinners, company nights—all turned into memory-makers.
Sió Motel marks Szekszárd’s northern gateway along Route 6, straddling the Szekszárd and Tolna wine regions, close to the Gemenc Forest and the Sárköz area, on 6.18 acres of land. It’s practical, well situated, and built for easy in-and-out access.
Hotel Zodiaco*** is the only three-star hotel in and around Szekszárd, welcoming guests in a modern, elegant setting. The philosophy is simple: satisfaction. Year after year, the team rolls out fresh, innovative upgrades so business trips and weekend breaks feel as smooth as possible.
Cellars, Valleys, and Bold Blends
Attila Birtok lies in the Baranya Valley with 34.6 acres of vines. In the cellar, they work with Kékfrankos (Blaufränkisch), Kadarka, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Zweigelt—local soul and international backbone bottled together.
At Bodri, harmony between food and wine takes center stage. Chef Norbert Makk sends out pairings that sing with Bodri bottles, showcasing the variety of Hungarian cuisine, refreshed and modernized but firmly focused on Hungarian flavors.
The 247-acre Bodri Winery doubles as a tourism hub on Szekszárd’s southern rim, tucked in a picturesque valley. The grand 19,375-square-foot cellar spans twelve domes, while a 3,229-square-foot aging cellar opens on guided tours. The 15,069-square-foot rosé facility turns out larger volumes at high quality. Up to 61 guests can stay across the estate’s refined rooms. A thermal-water underground Roman bath with domes, a jacuzzi, and a sauna add serious unwind energy. At Optimus Restaurant, expect Hungarian classics reimagined with a smart modern twist.
Borfaragó Pince, in the heart of Szekszárd’s “upper town,” occupies a former carpentry and woodcarving workshop. It hosts tastings, pours craft wines, and displays folk woodcarving gems. If you want to gather with friends or colleagues off the main drag but still easy to reach, this is your spot.
From Várdomb to Porkoláb and Beyond
One winery’s base lies on Várdomb Hill, where Kékfrankos (Blaufränkisch) plays a lead role—versatile, reliable, and high-quality—appearing solo and as the backbone of blends. They also tend Riesling, Cserszegi Fűszeres, Kadarka, Kékoportó (Portugieser), Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah.
A craft cellar in Szekszárd, mostly in the Porkoláb Valley, processes only estate-grown fruit. The wines skip industrial shortcuts: no selected yeasts, malolactic starters, enzymes, fining agents, colorants, flavor or acid tweaks; no filtration, sterilizing processes, oxygen dosing, or heat treatment. Every bottle is filled at the estate—honest, unvarnished, and vivid.
Another house leans into local and traditional grapes, loves to experiment, and rolls out fresh blends. They craft rosés from nearly all available red varieties, winning serious international medals, while their reds stay proudly rooted in Szekszárd character—Kékfrankos (Blaufränkisch) and Kadarka complemented by Merlot, Cabernet, and Pinot Noir.
Break the routine: switch off on a vineyard hill, lean back, and let good wine do the rest.
The Eszterbauer family, with Swabian and Serbian roots, runs a tradition-rich family winery in Szekszárd. Their showcase wine house and viewable cellar host tastings led by family members. In their wine and guest house, tastings and food are offered for groups of 8 to 50, from simple bites to multi-course dinners. Their webshop lines up award-winners for home delivery.
One family cellar farms 16.31 acres across four parts of the Szekszárd region. Main plantings: Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Kékfrankos (Blaufränkisch).
Organizers reserve the right to change dates and programs.
