On January 1, 2026 at 16:00, the Budapest Ragtime Band hits Szekszárd’s Szent István Square (Szent István tér) 10 for a sparkling New Year’s concert featuring vocalist Éva Bolba. Entry is free but requires registration, and yes, there’s a champagne toast. Pick up registration tickets at the Babits Mihály Cultural Center box office, the Szekszárd Tourinform Office, or on site on the day of the event. Organizers reserve the right to change the time and program.
Where to Stay: From Wine Hotels to Easy Stopovers
Right in downtown Szekszárd, Hotel Merops**** sits next to the Mészáros wine house, just minutes from the city center. It leans into the calm of a small town and the vibe of the wine region, promising a reset whether you want quiet or active downtime. Expect distinctive interiors, a well-prepared team, and tailored, wide-ranging services. The hotel hosts eight rooms and two apartments for travelers and serves up plenty of foodie programs in town and around. Drop into the Main Street Bistro in the Nádasdy House (Nádasdy-ház) for a broad menu and standout flavors; the team also organizes wine tastings, and the cellar is ready for Szekszárd-style events, from birthdays and friendly dinners to corporate gatherings.
At the northern gateway of Szekszárd along Route 6, Sió Motel spreads out over 6.18 acres between the Szekszárd and Tolna wine regions, near the Gemenc Forest and Sárköz. It’s a practical base for explorations and road trips.
Hotel Zodiaco***, the only three-star hotel in and around Szekszárd, offers a modern, elegant setting built around one goal: guest satisfaction. The hotel keeps upgrading with new ideas year after year to make business stays and weekend escapes as smooth as possible.
Cellars, Estates, and Bold Local Flavors
Attila Estate (Attila Birtok) cultivates 34.6 acres of vines in the Baranya Valley, focusing on Kékfrankos, Kadarka, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Zweigelt. It’s a slice of Szekszárd’s classic red DNA.
At Bodri, the kitchen led by chef Norbert Makk chases harmony between food and wine, showcasing the variety of Hungarian cuisine—refreshed and modernized but firmly focused on Hungarian dishes. The Bodri Winery spans 247.1 acres and doubles as a tourism center: winery, event venue, restaurant, show kitchen, and guesthouses, all tucked into a valley on Szekszárd’s southern edge. The main cellar covers 19,375 square feet with twelve domes. A 3,229-square-foot aging cellar opens for guided tours, while the 15,069-square-foot rosé facility handles larger volumes at high quality. The estate’s polished guest rooms sleep 61 people. A thermal-water underground domed Roman bath, jacuzzi, and sauna add the soak factor. At the Optimus Restaurant, expect a modern take on the breadth of Hungarian cuisine.
Hidden Corners and Handcrafted Tradition
Borfaragó Cellar (Borfaragó Pince) welcomes guests in the heart of the so-called “upper town,” on the site of a former joinery and woodcarving workshop. Think wine tastings, artisanal bottles, and folk woodcarving masterpieces. It’s just off the main drag—discreet yet easy to reach—for meetups with friends or colleagues.
The estate center currently sits on Várdomb Hill (Várdomb). Kékfrankos takes the lead for its versatility, quality, and reliability, starring solo and as a backbone for blends. Other spotlight grapes include Rhine Riesling, Cserszegi Fűszeres, Kadarka, Kékoportó (Portugieser), Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah.
A local artisanal winery grows everything it makes, largely in the Porkoláb Valley. The wines skip the industrial toolbox: no commercial yeasts, malolactic cultures, enzymes, fining agents, colorants, or flavor/aroma/acid tweaks, and no filtration, sterilization, oxygen dosing, or heat treatment. Every wine is bottled.
Another cellar leans into Szekszárd traditions while experimenting with new blends. Almost every available red becomes a rosé, with strong results at international competitions. The reds stay proudly local, anchored by Kékfrankos and Kadarka, rounded out by global names like Merlot, Cabernet, and Pinot Noir. If you want something different, head up the vineyard hill, switch off, lean back, and let the wine do its work.
Family Roots, Awards, and Tasting Tables
With Swabian and Serbian roots, the Eszterbauer family runs a tradition-rich winery in Szekszárd. In their representative wine house and show cellar, family members lead tastings. The wine-and-guesthouse setup serves 8 to 50 people with pairings from simple bites to multi-course dinners. Their web shop stocks a lineup of award-winners to browse at home.
A family winery farms 16.3 acres across four distinct sites in the Szekszárd region, planting Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Kékfrankos.
