Villány and Siklós: Red Wine, Cellar Rows and a Castle
On this page
Cellars, Cabernet Franc and a Castle in the Far South
Villány sits in the far south of Hungary, below Pécs, and it is where the country makes its serious red wine. The town is small, the hills around it are striped with vines, and one whole street is lined with press-houses that now pour their makers’ wine with plates of local ham and cheese. Up the road in Villánykövesd, white cellar houses climb a hillside in three tiers, like seats in an old theater.
Add a castle and you have a weekend. Siklós, about 13 km away, has a castle that can fill an afternoon, a 16th-century Ottoman mosque, and Harkány’s thermal bath on its doorstep. This guide covers the wine, where to taste it and what it costs, the two cellar rows, the autumn events still ahead, Siklós and Harkány, and how to get down here without a car.
Photo: Takkk, CC BY-SA 3.0, resized. The tiered cellar row in Villánykövesd.
📋 At a Glance
| 📍 Where | Villány, Villánykövesd and Siklós in Baranya County, southern Hungary, about 35 km by road from Pécs (Google Maps) |
| 🚆 Getting there | No direct train: IC from Budapest-Déli plus a local train from Pécs, 3 hours 28 minutes, 5,080 Ft; last train back 18:22 |
| 🍷 Wine | Cabernet Franc (Villányi Franc), Portugieser and red blends; Gere's daily tasting 9,000 Ft; the Villány cellar row is walk-in all year |
| 🏰 Siklós castle | Daily 9:00 to 17:00, adult 3,900 Ft; give it half a day |
| ♨️ Harkány | Thermal spa daily 10:00 to 18:00, Saturday adult ticket 8,000 Ft |
| 📅 Best time | Early October for the Red Wine Festival; November for St Martin's new wine and Franc & Franc |
| 🚫 Skip if | You do not drink red wine and only have a single day; Pécs alone is the easier trip (see our Pécs guide) |
The Wine
Villány is red-wine country. The region’s flagship is Cabernet Franc, which grows here in high-lime loess and plenty of sun. In 2014 the winemakers launched Villányi Franc, a regional brand for Cabernet Franc in the premium and super-premium categories, and today the grape makes up 18% of the region’s black-grape plantings. The local association likes to quote the wine writer Michael Broadbent: “Cabernet Franc has found its natural home in Villány.”
The traditional grape is Portugieser (Kékoportó), the variety Jackfall calls Villány’s own. Jackfall makes a premium single-vineyard version, Gere an organic one, and Tiffán pours a young Portugieser and a Portugieser rosé. The big houses are known for Bordeaux-style blends: Tiffán’s Emericuvée (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc), Gere’s icons Kopar, Solus and Attila, and Ruppert, who says they think in wine styles, not grape varieties. Look out too for REDy, a shared “bistro wine” label made by a group of young Villány winemakers.
Jackfall calls this Hungary’s sunniest wine region, with a sub-Mediterranean microclimate. Above the town, the wooden Templom-hegy lookout on Villány’s highest point is open around the clock and looks over the town, the Szársomlyó hill and the Villánykövesd cellar row. Szársomlyó itself (442 m) is protected; its summit can only be hiked Wednesday to Sunday with a qualified guide.
Photo: Szajci, CC BY-SA 4.0, resized. Villány seen from the Templom-hegy lookout.
Grape and region details from villanyiborvidek.hu and the wineries’ own websites; lookout details from villany.hu, read 21 October 2026.
Wine Tasting in Villány
Villány has two speeds. The cellar row (next section) is for wandering in and ordering a glass. The well-known estates run fixed tastings and cellar tours, and most of them show visitors around only by prior booking, so plan those before you arrive.
| Winery | Where | When | Price | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.GERE Bor Bár & Shop | Villány, Diófás tér 4-12 | Every day at 15:00 except Saturday; Saturday 15:00 at the winery on Baross Gábor utca, with a cellar visit (Top flight only) | Six-wine flight (0.5 dl each, with water, bread and grape-seed products) 9,000 Ft per person; 12% service charge | +36 72 492 952, etterem@gere.hu or online |
| Sauska Villány: cellar tour | Villány, by the vineyards | Saturday 16:00, about 1.5 hours, 4 wines including 2 barrel samples | 8,500 Ft per person + 15% service; non-drinkers 5,000 Ft | Required online; minimum 2 people |
| Sauska Villány: Terroir tasting | same | Thursday to Sunday 10:30, about 1.5 hours, 6 wines with a cellar tour | 12,000 Ft per person + 15% service | Required; minimum 2 |
| Sauska Villány × Tokaj | same | Wednesday to Friday 16:00, about 2 hours, 8 wines with ham and cheese | 21,500 Ft per person + 15% service | Required; minimum 2 |
| Bock Pince: cellar walk | Villány, Batthyány u. 15 (meet in the hotel courtyard) | Open all year; ring for the day’s start times | 2,000 Ft per person with two wines, paid on site; under-18s free | +36 72 492 919 |
| Malatinszky: Maghari Borbár | Villány, Batthyány L. u. 27 | Friday and Saturday 16:00 to 22:00 | By the glass | Booking form or +36 70 934 7373 |
| Tiffán Imre és Fia | Villánykövesd, Pincesor utca 13-15 | By appointment | On request; cold platter or one-pot dish on pre-order | +36 30 227 2563, info@tiffan.hu |
| Jackfall Bormanufaktúra | Kisjakabfalva, Fő utca 23 (3 km from Villány) | By appointment | On request | +36 20 555 4207, jackfall@jackfall.com |
If you only have one afternoon, Gere’s 15:00 flight is the easy anchor: it runs six days a week in the town center and costs 9,000 Ft (about $27.80). On a Saturday, Sauska’s 16:00 cellar tour (8,500 Ft, about $26.20, plus service) fits nicely before dinner, and Bock’s cellar walk is the budget pick at 2,000 Ft (about $6.20). Gere also runs a vineyard tour in a vintage Frici bus from May to October, so save that for the warmer months.
The wine museum. The Villányi Bormúzeum sits in Gál Pince at Bem József utca 8, just below the cellar row, in the old press-house of the grape breeder Zsigmond Teleki. It keeps 19th-century presses, cooper’s tools and old bottling and corking machines in the cellar, and it is open all year; tastings there are by prior booking.
Tasting times and prices from gere.hu, sauska.hu (SevenRooms booking pages), pince.bock.hu, malatinszky.hu, tiffan.hu, jackfall.com and galpince.hu, read 21 October 2026.
The Cellar Rows
Villány cellar row (Baross Gábor utca). One long street of press-houses with short cellars dug into the hill, most of them now small wine taverns serving the makers’ own wine with homemade food. The town calls it perhaps the only cellar row in Hungary where you can go cellar to cellar from January to December without booking. Next door, the Virágos cellars are working press-houses with no hospitality, nice for a walk but not for a glass.
Villánykövesd historical cellar row. This is the one in the photos: a three-tier hillside of white cellar houses built by German settlers in the 18th century, after the 1687 battle of Nagyharsány emptied the area. It is open all year, and you will usually find one or two cellars open, but the better-known names here (Blum, Tiffán) want a call ahead.
Between the two. Villánykövesd is 3 km from Villány, about half an hour on foot past the Templom-hegy lookout and the Ammonite trail, or 3 minutes by train for 400 Ft (the :22 departures from Villány towards Pécs stop there). The two rows are easy to walk, which is exactly how to do an evening of tasting here.
Cellar row details from villany.hu; train times from the MÁV journey planner, read 21 October 2026.
Wine Events
Still ahead in 2026:
- St Martin’s programs (Márton-nap), 30 October to 27 November: new wine and goose across the region, ticketed.
- Bock’s St Martin’s New Wine Day, Saturday 7 November: the 22nd edition, at Bock Pince.
- Lantern parade, 14 November: Villány’s St Martin’s walk.
- Franc & Franc, 20 and 21 November: on Friday a TOP12 Villányi Franc masterclass and welcome event from 17:00 at Batthyány u. 15; on Saturday a tasting day around the cellars from 08:30. Paid.
- New Year’s Eve, 31 December: a town party and a Bock Szilveszter.
The Red Wine Festival. Villány’s big one, the Vörösborfesztivál, takes place in early October (the 2026 edition ran from 2 to 4 October). The rest of the year has spring wine picnics, a rosé festival in July and vineyard walks in summer, so the town calendar on villany.hu is worth a look before you pick a weekend.
Event dates from villanyiborvidek.hu, villany.hu and bock.hu, read 21 October 2026.
Siklós Castle and the Mosque
Siklós castle is the reason to cross the hill. The brick gate and the round bastion make a fine entrance, and inside, one ticket covers a surprising amount: the castle chapel, a Gothic oriel, the prison and torture chamber, Renaissance furniture, medieval weapons, a panorama terrace, a Vinotéka and an interactive exhibition on the wine region, plus smaller collections from a WWI room to a witch’s house. Staff in period costume add to it. Give it half a day; it fills an afternoon easily.
Photo: Pasztilla aka Attila Terbócs, CC BY-SA 4.0, resized. Siklós castle and its gate in early spring.
| Siklós castle | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Address | 7800 Siklós, Vajda János tér 8 |
| Opening hours | Every day 9:00 to 17:00, last tickets 16:30 |
| Holidays | Closed 24 December; 31 December 9:00 to 14:00 (tickets until 13:30); closed 1 January |
| Adult ticket | 3,900 Ft (about $12) |
| Student or pensioner | 2,600 Ft |
| Child 6 to 10 | 1,800 Ft; under 6 free |
| Visitors 70+ | 700 Ft support ticket |
The castle is dog-friendly, and SZÉP cards are accepted. Guided tours can be arranged by email (titkarsag@siklosivar.hu). The Várkávézó, the castle café with Zsolnay decor, is a lovely spot for a coffee on the terrace; plan lunch in town.
Parking. Two small car parks sit right in front of the castle, and two larger ones are about five minutes’ walk away (off Felszabadulás utca and next to Baross Gábor utca 3, where coaches park too).
The Malkocs bey mosque. In town stands the Malkocs bey mosque, built between 1543 and 1565 for Malkocs bey. It lost its minaret, served as a house for a long time and was partly demolished in 1901; excavation started in 1969, and the restoration won a Europa Nostra award in 1993. Inside, the 12.2 by 12.2 m prayer hall has a mihrab with a stalactite vault and objects lent by the Ankara Ethnographic Museum, and a small Muslim community still prays here. The mosque ticket is sold at the castle ticket desk, where staff will also tell you how to get in. A guided tour, “In the Shadow of the Crescent”, costs 5,000 Ft plus entry and is booked in advance.
Castle and mosque details from siklosivar.hu, read 21 October 2026.
Harkány Next Door
Harkány’s sulfur-water spa is right next to Siklós, which makes it the natural way to end a castle day. The indoor thermal spa (Gyógyfürdő) is open every day 10:00 to 18:00; the open-air lido and slide parks are closed for the season. Weekends count as peak days, so a Saturday adult day ticket is 8,000 Ft (about $24.70), against 7,500 Ft on an off-peak weekday, and an afternoon ticket from 15:00 is 6,800 Ft on off-peak days. Our Harkány thermal bath guide has the pools and the full price list.
Harkány hours and prices from harkanyfurdo.hu, read 21 October 2026.
Where to Eat
| Place | Where | Hours | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| A.GERE Restaurant & Bor-Bár | Villány, Diófás utca 4-12 | Mon to Wed 18:00 to 22:00; Thu 12:00 to 15:00 and 18:00 to 22:00; Fri and Sat 12:00 to 15:00 and 18:00 to 23:00; Sun 12:00 to 15:00 and 18:00 to 21:00 | Cold and cheese platters daily 12:00 to 18:00; book online |
| Bock Óbor Étterem | Villány, Batthyány u. 15 | Mon to Thu and Sun 11:00 to 22:00, Fri and Sat 11:00 to 23:00 | Kitchen closes an hour before; usually full at weekends, so book; vegetarian options |
| Sauska 48 | Villány, by the vineyards, a minute from the center | Wed 12:00 to 22:00 (kitchen from 18:00); Thu to Sat 10:00 to 22:00 and Sun 10:00 to 16:00 (kitchen from noon); closed Mon and Tue | 48 seats and a big terrace facing Szársomlyó; listed by Michelin and Gault&Millau; few tables, so book early |
| Tiffán borozó | Villánykövesd, Pincesor u. 13-15 | Pre-order | Cold platter of stifolder, ham, kulen, brawn and local cheese, or a one-pot dish, ordered ahead |
| Két Sirály Étterem | Siklós, Mária utca 3 | Mon to Sat 9:30 to 17:30 | Everyday lunch place near the castle, menu online |
Saturday is the day to be here. On Sunday afternoon things thin out: Sauska 48’s kitchen closes at 16:00, Maghari is shut, and so is Két Sirály in Siklós.
Hours from the restaurants’ own websites, read 21 October 2026.
Getting There
By train. There is no direct train. The IC leaves Budapest-Déli at :05 on even hours (06:05, 08:05, 10:05 and so on to 18:05) and reaches Pécs in 2 hours 33 minutes, where a local train leaves at :50 and gets to Villány at :33. Door to door it is 3 hours 28 minutes and 5,080 Ft (about $15.70) one way in second class: a 4,430 Ft ticket plus a 650 Ft IC seat reservation, which is compulsory. A late 20:05 gets you in at 23:26. The Budapest station for these trains has changed more than once in 2026, so check the MÁVPlusz app on the day.
Coming back, trains leave Villány at :22 on even hours, change at Pécs and reach Déli 3 hours 32 minutes later. The 18:22 is the last one that gets you to Budapest the same evening, arriving at 21:54. After that, the next train is at 04:19.
From Pécs. Direct local trains take 41 to 43 minutes and cost 745 Ft, every two hours at :50 from Pécs. In the other direction they run until later than the Budapest connection: the 20:22 from Villány reaches Pécs at 21:07.
Train times and fares from the MÁV journey planner, checked 21 October 2026 for 24 October and 7 November. Timetables may change at the December timetable change.
To Siklós. Siklós has no railway station, so you go by bus. On Saturdays, direct buses leave Villány station at 11:24, 17:06 and 18:01 and take 24 minutes for 500 Ft; there is also an 08:20 with a change. Back from Siklós bus station to Villány station: 13:40 (direct), 16:00 and 17:10. If you are aiming for the 18:22 train to Budapest, take the 16:00 or the 17:10. Buses from Siklós to Pécs are frequent and take 45 to 50 minutes.
By coach to Siklós. Volánbusz runs direct coaches from Budapest Népliget at 07:05 and 11:05, about 4 hours 10 minutes, 4,200 Ft, no change. Back to Népliget: 14:25 and 16:30. The train-and-bus route via Pécs costs 5,250 Ft, and its last connection leaves Siklós at 17:45.
Bus and coach times from the MÁV journey planner, checked 21 October 2026 for Saturday 24 October.
By car. Villány is about 214 km from central Budapest, roughly 2.5 hours, and Siklós about 227 km, roughly 2 hours 45 minutes. From Pécs it is about 35 km (40 minutes) to Villány, and Villány to Siklós is about 13 km (15 minutes). A car makes Siklós and Harkány easy, but leave it parked on tasting days: the cellar rows are made for walking. Our car rental guide covers hiring one in Budapest.
Where to Stay
A night here turns a long train day into a proper trip. The one rule: sleep within walking distance of the cellars.
- Villány town: the obvious base, with the station, the cellar row, Gere, Bock and Polgár all on foot. Wine-estate hotels and small guesthouses.
- Villánykövesd: quieter, at the foot of the three-tier cellar row, one train stop or a 30-minute walk from Villány.
- Kisjakabfalva: a tiny Swabian village 3 km away, where Jackfall has guesthouses; best with a car or for walkers.
- Siklós or Harkány: for a castle-and-spa weekend. Villány is 15 minutes by car, but buses between them are sparse.
- Pécs: the biggest choice of rooms and the railhead for Budapest, 41 to 43 minutes from Villány, with trains back until after dinner.
The Verdict
Villány is the place to taste Hungary’s best red wine where it grows, and it rewards anyone who gives it a night. Book a tasting at Gere or Sauska, spend the evening walking the cellar row, and climb to the Templom-hegy lookout for the view over the vineyards. The next morning, take the bus or drive to Siklós for the castle, then finish in Harkány’s warm water. November is a great time to come, with new wine for St Martin’s and Franc & Franc on 20 and 21 November; in early October the Red Wine Festival fills the town. If you only have one day and no taste for red wine, go to Pécs instead. For more wine country, see our Tokaj and Badacsony guides.
Sources: MÁV journey planner, checked 21 October 2026; wine region: Villányi Franc, wine route, events, Gere listing, Jackfall listing and Blum listing; Villány town: cellar rows, Villánykövesd cellar row, cellar tours, Templom-hegy lookout and 2026 events calendar; wineries: A.GERE tasting, A.GERE cellar visits, Sauska tastings, Bock cellar, Bock events, Malatinszky Maghari Borbár, Tiffán tastings and price list, Jackfall, Ruppert, Gál Pince wine museum; Siklós castle: opening hours, prices, mosque, café and getting there; Harkány: opening hours and 2026 prices; restaurants: A.GERE Restaurant, Bock Óbor and FAQ, Sauska 48, Két Sirály; stays: Hotel Cabernet, 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.
📱 Been to Villány?
Tasting times, bus connections and event dates change. Tell us what you found and we fix the page.
Related Articles
Good to know
How do I get to Villány from Budapest?
By train with one change at Pécs. The IC leaves Budapest-Déli at :05 on even hours (06:05, 08:05 and so on to 18:05) and reaches Pécs in 2 hours 33 minutes; a local train leaves Pécs at :50 and arrives in Villány at :33. The whole trip is 3 hours 28 minutes and costs 5,080 Ft one way in second class, including the 650 Ft IC seat reservation, which is compulsory. Coming back, trains leave Villány at :22 on even hours; the 18:22 is the last one that gets you to Budapest the same evening (Déli 21:54). By car it is about 214 km, roughly 2.5 hours.
Where can I taste wine in Villány?
For a walk-in evening, stroll the Villány cellar row on Baross Gábor utca, a street of press-houses that now work as small wine taverns. For a proper tasting, A.GERE pours a six-wine flight for 9,000 Ft every day at 15:00 in its Bor Bár (Saturdays at the winery), Sauska runs booked cellar tours and tastings from 8,500 Ft plus service, Bock has a cellar walk for 2,000 Ft with two wines, and Malatinszky's Maghari Borbár is open Friday and Saturday 16:00 to 22:00. In Villánykövesd, Tiffán and Blum take visitors by appointment.
Do I need to book wine tastings in Villány?
For the cellar row in Villány itself, no: the town says you can go cellar to cellar there all year without booking. For named wineries, yes. Most estates show visitors around only by prior arrangement, Sauska's tastings require a booking, and at weekends it pays to reserve both your tasting and your dinner before you leave Budapest. Bock's restaurant asks even hotel guests to book, especially at weekends.
What wine is Villány known for?
Red wine, above all Cabernet Franc. Since 2014 the region has sold its premium Cabernet Franc under the Villányi Franc brand, and the grape makes up 18% of the region's black-grape plantings. Portugieser (Kékoportó) is the traditional local grape, and the big houses are known for Bordeaux-style blends of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
Is Siklós castle worth visiting?
Yes, and give it half a day rather than a quick stop. One ticket (adult 3,900 Ft) covers the castle chapel, the Gothic oriel, a torture chamber and prison, a panorama terrace, a Vinotéka, a wine-region exhibition and a long list of smaller collections. It is open every day from 9:00 to 17:00, with the last tickets at 16:30, and it is dog-friendly. The 16th-century Malkocs bey mosque in town is a short walk away; its ticket is sold at the castle desk.
Can I combine Villány with Pécs or Harkány?
Easily. Pécs is 41 to 43 minutes from Villány by direct local train (745 Ft), and trains run later towards Pécs than towards Budapest, so a Pécs base lets you stay for dinner. Harkány's thermal bath sits next to Siklós, about 15 minutes from Villány by car. A good weekend is a night in Villány for the cellars, then Siklós castle and an afternoon soak in Harkány.
Is Villány a good day trip from Budapest?
It can be done, but it is a long day: the 08:05 from Déli gets you in at 11:33 and the 18:22 back puts you in Budapest at 21:54, so you spend about 7 hours on trains for under 7 hours in Villány. Spend at least one night, ideally within walking distance of the cellar row, and add Siklós the next morning.