Badacsony and the Káli Basin: Wine, Hikes and Stone Seas
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A Volcano Covered in Vines, and the Quiet Basin Behind It
Badacsony rises straight out of the north shore of Lake Balaton like a flat-topped wedding cake: a volcanic table mountain with vineyards climbing its lower slopes, a crown of dark basalt cliffs, and a lookout tower on top with the whole western lake below it. It is part of the Balaton Uplands National Park, the walking is free, and on the way down every second gate seems to lead to a wine terrace.
Most visitors stop there, which leaves the best surprise for you. Behind the hill lies the Káli Basin, a quiet valley of stone villages, old press houses and fields of weathered boulders called stone seas. It hardly shows up in English travel writing, yet it is a short drive from the lakeshore. This guide covers both: the hike, the wineries and how to get there, then a practical tour of the basin, with what is open in autumn and what to save for summer.
Photo: Illustratedjc, CC BY-SA 4.0, resized. Badacsony seen across the vineyards of Folly Arborétum in Badacsonyörs.
📋 At a Glance
| 📍 Where | Badacsony, on the north shore of Lake Balaton, with the Káli Basin just behind it, in Veszprém County (Google Maps) |
| 🚆 Getting there | Direct train from Budapest-Déli at :05 on odd hours, 2 hours 57 minutes, 3,130 Ft; last direct train back 17:53 |
| 🥾 The hill | Free to walk; 4 km national park trail; hill taxi 7,000 Ft per car one way up |
| 🍷 Wine | Laposa Borterasz open daily all year, flights from 2,690 Ft; most small wineries by appointment |
| 🪨 Káli Basin | Szentbékkálla stone sea free all year; Salföldi Major 2,500 Ft, open until 1 November 2026 |
| 📅 Best time | Autumn for wine walks and quiet trails; July and August for boats, festivals and long evenings |
| 🚫 Skip if | You do not drink wine and do not like steep climbs, or you want a sandy beach town (try Siófok) |
The Hill and the Hike
The classic walk starts in the village and climbs through the vineyards to the Kisfaludy house, a thatched basalt press house that once belonged to the poet Sándor Kisfaludy’s estate. Next to it stands the white Szegedy Róza house, built in 1790, now a small museum with the fireplace where Kisfaludy wrote. The Kisfaludy house is a restaurant again under a new operator, Kisfaludy-Ház Skybar & Étterem, so check its current opening times before you plan lunch around it.
Above the houses the path gets serious. Rózsakő (Rose Stone) is the hill’s iconic basanite boulder, with a romantic legend attached. Higher up, the Kisfaludy lookout tower is an 18 m steel and Scots pine tower, first opened in 2011, with views over the lake and the surrounding volcanic hills. Kőkapu (Stone Gate) is a viewpoint on the rim of an old basalt quarry, behind a wooden railing, where the hill’s columns of dark rock are easy to see. Before a trip planned around the tower, check with Tourinform Badacsony that it is open.
Photo: Zajza, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Panoramio, resized. The view from the Kisfaludy lookout over the lakeshore.
The national park’s Ring of Fire nature trail (Tűzgyűrű tanösvény) on the hill is 4 km, and the park asks for proper hiking clothes and shoes on all its trails. There is no fee for the hill or its trails. Give the hill a good half day with stops.
What to know before you climb:
- The first stretch above the houses is the hard part: steep and stepped. Take your time.
- Carry water. There is no water or food on the way up through the forest.
- Wear hiking shoes. The stone-paved paths get slippery when wet or muddy, so skip the climb right after heavy rain.
- Follow the painted trail marks rather than your phone’s map, which can send you onto private vineyard land.
- There are no toilets or bins along the trails, so use the facilities in the village first.
- The road up to the upper car park is steep and narrow. If you are not confident on that kind of road, park below or take the hill taxi.
The hill taxi. Jeeps wait on the Dísztér in Badacsony and can be ordered ahead. One trip up the hill costs 7,000 Ft (about $21.60) per car, and a 15 to 20 minute hill tour is 17,000 Ft per car, booked ahead. Badacsony Hegyi Taxi has its rank behind the station and picks up at the station or the pier. In summer, the free BaBu electric minibus links Badacsonyörs, Badacsonytomaj and Badacsony (it ran from 15 June to 30 September in 2026).
Down in the village, look out for the Szent Imre church in Badacsonytomaj, built of basalt in 1931 and 1932, and the Ranolder cross on top of a basalt tower, consecrated in 1857.
Guided hikes. Tourinform Badacsony (Park u. 20, +36 30 342 6540) runs guided walks that need advance registration, such as a hike into the evening on the hill on Saturday 21 November 2026, starting at 14:30, a Salföld monastery hike on 22 November, dawn bird-watching on Badacsony on 29 November, and a New Year’s Eve hike on 31 December.
Trail, taxi and guided walk details from bfnp.hu and badacsony.com, read 21 October 2026.
Wine Tasting in Badacsony
Badacsony’s wines are mostly white and grow on volcanic soil. Kéknyelű is the local signature: winemakers here say it grows nowhere else in the world but in the Badacsony region’s vineyards. Szürkebarát (Pinot Gris) is the other classic and one of the region’s best-known wines. Around them you will find Olaszrizling, Rajnai rizling (Riesling), Budai zöld and Ottonel muskotály. Villa Sandahl makes nothing but Rajnai rizling.
Most of the cellars are small family estates, and many have no fixed opening hours. Call or email before you go, especially outside summer.
| Winery | Where | Tasting hours | Tasting price | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laposa Borterasz | Badacsonytomaj, Bogyay Lajos u. 1. (hillside) | Every day, all year, 11:00 to 19:00 | Three 0.5 dl glasses for 2,690, 2,890 or 2,990 Ft; guided 3- or 6-wine tastings daily | Mention it when you book a table; 12.5% service charge |
| Folly Arborétum és Borászat | Badacsonyörs, Kápolnavölgyi út 25. | During garden hours, open all year | 2,900 Ft for three 0.5 dl glasses and a savory biscuit, on top of the garden ticket (adult 3,900 Ft) | Walk in |
| Sabar Borház | Káptalantóti, Sabari szőlő 2. | Mon to Thu 10:00 to 15:00, Fri and Sat 10:00 to 20:00, Sun 10:00 to 14:00, all year | On request | Phone or email before you come |
| Szászi Birtok | Hegymagas (Szent György-hegy), shop also in Szigliget | Hegymagas shop Mon to Fri 10:00 to 18:00, Sat 10:00 to 19:00, Sun 10:00 to 18:00; Szigliget shop daily 10:00 to 18:00 | Walk-in tasting in the shop; guided cellar tasting 11,500 Ft per person (6 wines), minimum 6 people | Appointment for the guided tasting |
| Gilvesy | b-üzem bar, Nemesgulács, Bányatelep 9. | Seasonal: Thu 18:00 to 22:00 from June, Fri and Sat 10:00 to 22:00 from May, Sun 10:00 to 15:00 | 4 wines 9,500 Ft at b-üzem; estate tastings from 12,500 Ft per person for groups of 6 or more | Required for all tastings |
| Villa Sandahl | Badacsonytomaj, Római út 203/1. | By appointment | On request | +36 30 530 4739 |
| Borbély Családi Pincészet | Badacsony, Római út 212. | By appointment | Packages of 6, 8 or 10 wines, priced on request | Required |
| Hableány (Laposa) | Badacsony, Park u. 26. (village center) | Ask ahead | On request | +36 20 316 01 63, hableany@laposa.hu |
If you only have one afternoon, Laposa Borterasz is the safe bet: it is open every day, it sits on the hillside among the vines, and the flights are cheap (2,990 Ft, about $9.20, for the Badacsony classics). Folly is the pick if you want a garden walk with your wine, and Sabar in Káptalantóti is open all year if you call ahead. For Szászi’s guided tasting (11,500 Ft, about $35.50), get a group of six together first.
Hours and prices from the wineries’ own websites, read 21 October 2026.
Wine Walks and Festivals
Guided wine walks (autumn 2026). Tourinform Badacsony runs two formats, each with a guide, three wines at every winery and snacks:
- Borséta (wine walk), Saturday 24 October, 10:30: Németh Pince, Patányi and Borbély Borterasz, 14,900 Ft (about $46) per person.
- Bortúra (wine tour), Saturday 7 November, 10:30: Málik, Éliás and Békássy, with jeep transport included, 17,900 Ft (about $55.20) per person.
- More borséta dates: 21 and 28 November, 5 and 12 December 2026.
VII. New Wine Festival, 21 November 2026. Laposa hosts the year’s first tastes of the new vintage at Hableány in Badacsony village. Early-bird tickets are on sale on laposa.hu.
Next door in Szigliget, the Süllőfesztivál (zander festival) runs on 24 and 25 October 2026, the same weekend as the borséta.
The summer calendar. In 2026 the region’s big events were the Kéknyelű Blossom Festival (30 May), Badacsonyi Bor7 (24 July to 2 August), the Szent István Wine Days (19 to 22 August), the Badacsony Harvest Festival (11 to 13 September) and FügeFeszt, a fig festival (9 to 11 October). Expect a similar pattern next year: the wine week in late July, the harvest festival in mid-September. On Szent György-hegy, the neighboring hill, Hajnalig is an open-cellar day with a limited number of tickets; watch Szászi’s events page.
Művészetek Völgye (Valley of Arts). The big arts festival in Kapolcs, north of the Káli Basin, returns for its 36th edition from 23 July to 1 August 2027, with 10-day and flexible 5-day passes.
Walk and festival details from badacsony.com, laposa.hu, the Borbarangolás 2026 brochure, hegylakok.szaszibirtok.hu and muveszetekvolgye.hu, read 21 October 2026.
The Káli Basin
Drive inland from Badacsonytomaj and within ten minutes the lake disappears behind the hill. The Káli Basin (Káli-medence) is a wide, quiet valley ringed by old volcanic hills, with a handful of stone villages, walled gardens and press houses scattered through it. It is very easy to love on a slow autumn day.
Getting around. There is no railway in the basin (Zánka-Köveskál station is on the lakeshore, not in Köveskál), so you need a car or a bike. From Badacsonytomaj it is about 7 km to Salföld, 12 km to Kővágóörs and 14 km to Szentbékkálla, all 15 minutes or less by car.
The villages. Köveskál is the social hub, with Mi a Kő, the House of Káli Basin Wines, on its main street. Szentbékkálla is the gateway to the stone sea. Salföld has the national park farm. Kővágóörs, Kékkút and Mindszentkálla are smaller and quieter, good for a wander between the stone houses rather than a list of sights.
The Szentbékkálla stone sea (Kőtenger). The basin’s best-known sight is a field of huge, rounded sandstone boulders lying in the grass like stranded whales. It sits on the national park’s Theodora-Kékkő nature trail, an 8 km route that also takes in the traces of extinct volcanoes and Kereki Hill or Kopasz Mountain. The Káli Basin trails can be visited freely all year round, with no ticket. The boulder field itself is a short, easy walk from the car park, so it works with kids and dogs; allow 30 to 60 minutes. The stones are uneven, so wear sturdy shoes, and come on a weekday for the quietest visit. The park’s other trails here are the 8 km Theodora nature trail and the 1.1 km Path of Time.
Photo: Hollófernyiges, CC BY-SA 4.0, resized. The stone sea at Szentbékkálla in late spring.
Salföldi Major (Salföld Manor). The national park’s farm at the edge of Salföld keeps traditional Hungarian breeds, with a herb and spice garden, a playground, horse shows, pony rides and carriage tours. It is a family stop first: children love it, and the carriage ride is the highlight, while adults on their own may find it small.
| Salföldi Major | 2026 to 2027 |
|---|---|
| Autumn school break, 22 October to 1 November | Every day 9:00 to 17:00 (ticket office closes 16:30) |
| 2 November 2026 to 12 March 2027 | Closed |
| Summer (2026 pattern) | Every day 9:00 to 18:00 from mid-June to the end of August; mostly Thursday to Sunday in spring |
| Adult ticket | 2,500 Ft (about $7.70) |
| Child 3 to 14 | 1,200 Ft |
| Family (2 adults + 2 children) | 5,800 Ft, plus 700 Ft per extra child |
| Carriage tour | 3,500 Ft adult, 2,500 Ft child, per hour |
You can pay by card (not Amex) or in forint cash. Until 1 November 2026 there is daily pumpkin carving, and night carriage rides run on 30 and 31 October at 18:30. Green and blue marked trails lead to the farm.
Side trip: the basalt organ pipes on Szent György-hegy. The famous basalt “organ pipes” are not on Badacsony but on its neighbor in the Tapolca Basin, Szent György-hegy. The Bazaltorgonák nature trail is a 4 km loop with 7 stations that climbs to the 414 m summit; start at the old Raposka quarry, easily reached from Tapolca. It is free, and the boards are in Hungarian and German. Combine it with Szászi or Gilvesy for a full wine-and-rock afternoon.
Káli Basin trail, Salföld and basalt organ details from bfnp.hu and magyarnemzetiparkok.hu, read 21 October 2026.
Where to Eat
| Place | Where | Hours | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laposa Borterasz | Badacsonytomaj, Bogyay Lajos u. 1. | Every day 11:00 to 19:00, all year | Hillside terrace, seasonal menu (duck leg 5,950 Ft, cheese selection 4,990 Ft); 12.5% service charge |
| Borbarátok Étterem | Badacsonytomaj, Római út 88. | Every day 11:30 to 21:00 from 1 October | Open into the evening every day |
| Folly Arborétum restaurant | Badacsonyörs, Kápolnavölgyi út 25. | Garden hours; hot food from 11:30 | You need the garden ticket even to eat; from 4 November, Monday to Thursday is coffee, wine and cakes only, the full menu runs Friday to Sunday |
| Hableány (Laposa) | Badacsony, Park u. 26. | Call ahead | Bistro in the village center (beef tartare 5,690 Ft) |
| Mi a Kő | Köveskál, Fő utca 25. | Tue to Thu 12:00 to 20:00, Fri 12:00 to 21:00, Sat 10:00 to 21:00, Sun 10:00 to 20:00; closed Monday | The Káli Basin lunch stop, with regional wines and rooms; tables by phone only; dog-friendly |
| frissTerasz (Laposa) | Badacsonytomaj, Kisfaludy út 1 to 3 | Summer venue | Street food and burgers, concerts from April to the end of September |
Book Mi a Kő by phone for autumn and spring weekends, and for any day in summer. In the Káli Basin, Kővirág in Köveskál now runs as a guesthouse with suites and breakfast rather than its old restaurant.
Hours and menus from the restaurants’ own websites, read 21 October 2026.
Getting There
By train. Direct trains leave Budapest-Déli at :05 on odd hours (07:05, 09:05, 11:05, 13:05, 15:05, 17:05 and 19:05) and reach Badacsony at :02, 2 hours 57 minutes later, with no change. A second-class ticket is 3,130 Ft (about $9.70), and no seat reservation is needed. The same trains stop at Badacsonytomaj four minutes earlier (handy for the basalt church). For an early start, the 04:05 gets you in at 08:02 with a change at Székesfehérvár.
Coming back, direct trains leave Badacsony at :53 on odd hours and take about 3 hours. The last direct train is the 17:53, arriving at Déli at 20:54. The 19:53 still works: change at Székesfehérvár at 22:26 and you are in Budapest-Déli at 23:24, for the same fare. Anything later only reaches Budapest the next morning. These are autumn timetable times and may change at the December timetable change; check the MÁV journey planner for your date.
Train times and fares from the MÁV journey planner, checked 21 October 2026 for 24 October and 7 November.
By boat. BAHART boats are a way to hop across the lake, not to arrive from Budapest. Scheduled boats from Badacsony run on weekends and holidays until Sunday 1 November 2026, the last sailing day of the year. The useful crossing is Badacsony to Fonyód on the south shore, 30 minutes, 2,150 Ft (about $6.60) for an adult; children 4 to 14 pay 1,075 Ft and a bike is 1,000 Ft. On Saturday 24 October boats leave Badacsony at 10:15, 11:45, 13:15, 16:15, 16:45 and 17:45, with a 10:45 to Szigliget and a 15:00 to Révfülöp. On 1 November there are only two, at 11:45 and 16:15. Tickets are valid only for the sailing printed on them.
Boat times and fares from bahart.hu, read 21 October 2026.
By car. Badacsonytomaj is about 171 km from central Budapest, roughly 2 hours 20 minutes without traffic. Parking in Badacsony is paid every day, 8:00 to 18:00 in spring and autumn (until 30 November) and 8:00 to 21:00 from June to August. The main car parks (Halászkert, ABC, Egry sétány, Móló, Strand) cost 400 Ft an hour, with day tickets of 2,000 to 2,400 Ft at some; Bogyay Lajos utca on the hillside is 500 Ft an hour. You can pay by SMS. A car is the easiest way to combine the hill with the Káli Basin in one day.
Parking rates from badacsony.com, read 21 October 2026.
Where to Stay
You can do Badacsony as a long day trip by train, but the Káli Basin really wants a night or two.
- Badacsony village (Badacsonytomaj-Badacsony): walk to the station, the pier, Hableány, Borbarátok and the trails. Quiet out of season.
- The hillside (Római út, Bogyay Lajos utca): vineyard views and the wine terraces on your doorstep; steep, so a car or the hill taxi helps.
- Badacsonyörs: quieter, close to Folly Arborétum.
- Szigliget and Hegymagas (Szent György-hegy): for Szászi, Gilvesy and the basalt organ trail; Szászi’s Hegy-lakók houses are open all year.
- The Káli Basin (Köveskál, Szentbékkálla, Salföld, Kővágóörs): stone-house villages and guesthouses; Mi a Kő has rooms every day of the year. You need a car.
The Verdict
Badacsony is one of the best day trips from Budapest for anyone who likes wine and does not mind a climb: the train drops you at the foot of the hill, the walk up to Rózsakő and Kőkapu earns you the view, and Laposa or Folly is waiting on the way down. Autumn is the sweet spot, with the Saturday wine walks and the New Wine Festival on 21 November. If you have a car and a second day, cross into the Káli Basin for the stone sea, a long lunch at Mi a Kő and an evening with no one else around. In summer, add a boat to Fonyód, Bor7 in late July and Művészetek Völgye in Kapolcs. For more of the lake, see our Tihany guide and Keszthely day trip.
Sources: MÁV journey planner, checked 21 October 2026; BAHART: scheduled boats and boat search; badacsony.com: Badacsonytomaj sights, hill taxis, BaBu bus, parking, guided hikes, wine walks and the Borbarangolás 2026 brochure; Badacsonytomaj municipality; Badacsony Hegyi Taxi; Balaton Uplands National Park: Tapolca Basin trails, Káli Basin trails, Salföld Manor and autumn-break opening hours; Bazaltorgonák trail; wineries: Laposa Borterasz, Laposa and New Wine Festival, Hableány, Sabar, Szászi tastings and events, Gilvesy, Villa Sandahl, Borbély, Folly Arborétum; restaurants: Borbarátok, Folly restaurant, Mi a Kő, frissTerasz, Kővirág; Művészetek Völgye, all read 21 October 2026.
Prices are in HUF, which is what you pay at the counter. Converted at 1 USD = 324 HUF, the ECB rate on 15 October 2026. Rates move, so treat the converted figures as indicative.
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Good to know
How do I get to Badacsony from Budapest?
By direct train from Budapest-Déli, which leaves at :05 on odd hours (07:05, 09:05, 11:05 and so on to 19:05) and reaches Badacsony 2 hours 57 minutes later, with no change. A second-class ticket is 3,130 Ft and no seat reservation is needed. The same trains stop at Badacsonytomaj four minutes earlier. Coming back, direct trains leave Badacsony at :53 on odd hours; the last direct one is 17:53, arriving at 20:54, and the 19:53 reaches Déli at 23:24 with a change at Székesfehérvár. By car it is about 171 km, roughly 2 hours 20 minutes without traffic.
Where can I taste wine in Badacsony?
The easiest walk-in option is Laposa Borterasz on the hillside in Badacsonytomaj, open every day of the year from 11:00 to 19:00, with three-glass flights from 2,690 to 2,990 Ft. Folly Arborétum in Badacsonyörs is also open all year and adds a 2,900 Ft tasting to the garden ticket. Sabar Borház in Káptalantóti, Villa Sandahl and Borbély on Római út, and Szászi's guided cellar tastings on Szent György-hegy all work by booking, so call or email first.
What grape is Badacsony known for?
Kéknyelű is the local signature: winemakers here say it grows nowhere else in the world but in the Badacsony wine region's vineyards. Szürkebarát (Pinot Gris) is the other classic and one of the region's best-known wines. You will also find Olaszrizling, Rajnai rizling (Riesling), Budai zöld and Ottonel muskotály on most tasting lists.
How long is the Badacsony hike?
The national park's Ring of Fire nature trail (Tűzgyűrű tanösvény) on the hill is 4 km. Most people combine the climb past the Kisfaludy house to Rózsakő, the lookout tower and the Kőkapu viewpoint, and give the hill a good half day with stops. The first stretch is steep and stepped, there is no water or food on the way up, and the stone paths get slippery after rain, so wear hiking shoes and carry water.
What is the Káli Basin?
The Káli Basin (Káli-medence) is a quiet valley between the Badacsony hill and the Balaton Uplands, about 10 to 15 minutes by car from Badacsonytomaj. It is known for its stone-built villages (Köveskál, Szentbékkálla, Salföld, Kővágóörs, Kékkút, Mindszentkálla), its stone seas of weathered sandstone boulders, and slow lunches with local wine. There is no railway inside the basin, so you need a car or a bike.
Is the Kőtenger free?
Yes. The Szentbékkálla stone sea (Kőtenger) lies on the national park's Theodora-Kékkő nature trail, and the Káli Basin trails can be visited freely all year round, with no ticket. The boulder field is a short, easy walk from the car park, good with kids and dogs, but the stones are uneven, so wear sturdy shoes. Weekdays are the quietest.
Is Badacsony worth visiting in autumn?
Yes, autumn is many people's favorite season here: the vineyards turn gold, the hill is quiet, and the guided wine walks and the New Wine Festival (21 November 2026) fill the calendar. Laposa Borterasz, Folly Arborétum, Borbarátok and Mi a Kő stay open, but BAHART boats stop after 1 November and Salföldi Major closes from 2 November, so plan around those.