On Wednesday, February 11, 2026, Szekszárd kicks off a year of smart, conversational learning under the banner of the Free University. The Mihály Babits Cultural Center (Babits Mihály Kulturális Központ) pours the “Culture Sips” talk series, while the House of Arts (Művészetek Háza) hosts the Art History Free University—two platforms, one mission: accessible knowledge with a local flavor. Venue address: 7100, Szent István Square (Szent István tér) 28.
Dates, themes, and where to go
February 11 opens with “In the Cross-Sections of Time… – Szentendre,” a tour through the layers of a riverside art town, seen from Szekszárd. Then February 24 pours a stronger vintage: Culture Sips Free University – Soviet Terror in Hungary, 1944–1945, on the occupation’s machinery and its local aftermath. The very next day, February 25, comes “Clustered, Chained, Danced, Dapper… – The European School,” unpacking an artist group that shook up postwar modernism. On March 11, “Below: The Roaring of the Monsters… – Naives, Amateurs, Altered States…” traces outsider currents, raw visions, and trance-like creation. By April 21, Culture Sips sets out for “Ethiopia, or Candlelighting at the Erta Ale Volcano,” a field diary of heat, ash, and awe. All events are in Szekszárd. Organizers reserve the right to change times and programs.
Wine stays in the city center
Hotel Merops**** is a wine hotel in downtown Szekszárd, next door to the Mészáros wine house, just a few minutes’ walk from the city center. It leans into small-town calm and the wine region’s mood, a reset for those who want quiet or an active break. Expect a singular interior, a well-drilled team, and services tailored widely and personally.
With 8 rooms and 2 apartments, it welcomes travelers to Szekszárd and lines up plenty of gastro programs in and around town. Main Street Bistro at the Nádasdy House (Nádasdy-ház) dazzles locals and visitors with a wide selection and well-executed plates. Wine tastings are on the menu, too. Down in the cellar, you can stage a Szekszárd-flavored event—birthday, friends’ dinner, or a corporate gathering—memorable and easy to organize.
Arrivals by the northern gate
Sió Motel sits at Szekszárd’s northern gate along Route 6, between the Szekszárd and Tolna wine regions, near the Gemenc forest and beside Sárköz, on a 6.18-acre site. It’s a straightforward base for road-trippers and anyone who wants riverbank nature and wine country within reach.
Three stars, steady upgrades
Hotel Zodiaco*** is the only three-star stay in and around Szekszárd, modern and elegant by design. Its philosophy is simple: satisfaction. Year after year, the hotel folds in innovations so business trips and weekend escapes feel smoother, lighter, and more comfortable.
Vineyards, kitchens, and vaulted cellars
Attila Birtok lies in the Baranya Valley in Szekszárd, farming 34.6 acres of vines. In the cellar they process Blaufränkisch (kékfrankos), Kadarka, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Zweigelt—varieties that sketch the region’s classic red spine.
At Bodri, the restaurant plays matchmaker—wine and food in harmony, led by chef Norbert Makk. Expect the full palette of Hungarian cuisine, gently remodeled and modernized, with a spotlight fixed on familiar Hungarian flavors. Bodri Winery itself spans 247.1 acres and doubles as a tourism hub: winery, events center, restaurant, show kitchen, and guesthouses at Szekszárd’s southern edge in a postcard valley. The 19,375-square-foot grand cellar ripples under twelve domes; the 3,229-square-foot maturation cellar opens during tours. Their 15,069-square-foot rosé plant is built for volume and quality. Up to 61 guests can rest in polished rooms. A thermal-water, underground domed Roman bath, jacuzzi, and sauna look after comfort. The Optimus Restaurant carries Hungarian classics forward with a modern touch.
Cellars with character
Borfaragó Cellar (Borfaragó Pince) anchors the “upper town” in Szekszárd, on the site of an old carpentry and woodcarving workshop. Come for tastings, handcrafted wines, and folk woodcarving gems. It’s tucked away from the city’s center-stage bustle, but easy to reach on good roads—ideal for friends and colleagues to meet without a scene.
The estate center now sits on Várdomb vineyard hill. Blaufränkisch (kékfrankos) takes the lead—versatile, high-quality, reliable—bottled solo and as the backbone of blends. Still, Rhine Riesling (rajnai rizling), Cserszegi Fűszeres, Kadarka, Blue Portuguese (kékoportó), Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah get star treatment, too.
A handcrafted winery in Szekszárd, mostly in the Porkoláb Valley, vinifies only estate-grown fruit. Their wines skip industrial additives—no commercial yeasts, malolactic starters, enzymes, fining agents, colorings, or aroma and acid tweaks—and avoid filtration, sterilization, oxygen dosing, and heat treatments. Every wine is bottled.
Another cellar works broadly with Szekszárd’s traditional and local grapes. They love to experiment, spinning up new blends often. Almost every red variety in the house becomes a rosé, and those pinks have stood tall at major international contests. The reds are a point of pride as well, leaning on Blaufränkisch (kékfrankos) and Kadarka’s Szekszárd markers and weaving in international grapes—Merlot, Cabernet, and Pinot Noir.
Family lines and tasting lines
The Eszterbauer family, rooted in Swabian and Serbian heritage, runs a tradition-based family winery in Szekszárd. In their representative wine house and show cellar, family members themselves host tastings. The wine and guest house welcomes a minimum of 8 and a maximum of 50 people for tastings and good food—from simple wine bites to multi-course dinners. Their webshop lines up award-winners for home delivery.
A family estate farms 16.3 acres across four Szekszárd subregions, led by Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Blaufränkisch (kékfrankos). Plans may change; the swirl of programs might, too—organizers reserve the right to alter schedules and details.
