Slovak and Hungarian Tokaj in 3 Days

Tokaj is one historic wine landscape that a border divides. The Slovak villages are its northern edge; the larger part, with the town of Tokaj, lies in Hungary. Slovenské Nové Mesto was part of the Hungarian town of Sátoraljaújhely until 1920, and the two still face each other across the border. This itinerary covers both sides in three days. It follows a thread that runs through both: the Rákóczi family, whose castle stands in Sárospatak and whose leader Francis II Rákóczi was born in Borša.

Only the Hungarian part is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (since 2002). The Slovak part has been on Slovakia's Tentative List since 2002.

At a glance

Duration: three days, two nights
Best for: travellers with a car who want the whole landscape, its history as well as its wine; May to October
Transport: car, with a designated driver who drinks nothing in either country; day one also works by train
Book ahead: two nights, tastings on the Slovak side, and a check of opening hours on the Hungarian side

Crossing the border

Where: the road crossing at Slovenské Nové Mesto – Sátoraljaújhely (I/79A to Hungarian road 37), 9 km and about 13 minutes from Malá Tŕňa.
Checks: this is an internal Schengen border without routine checks, but carry your passport or ID card.
Money: Hungary uses the forint (HUF), and attractions such as the Zemplén Adventure Park price in forints.
Driving: Slovakia and Hungary both have zero tolerance for alcohol when driving (0.0 ‰). If you hired your car in Slovakia, make sure the rental company allows trips to Hungary. Hungarian motorways need a separate e-vignette.
Phones: EU roaming rules apply on both sides for EU SIM cards.
Wine words: in Hungary you will meet Hungarian Tokaji and its own categories, such as aszú. In Slovakia, sweet wine made with added botrytised berries is called výber. The terms are not interchangeable; see Slovak and Hungarian Tokaj.

Day 1: the Slovak cellar villages

10:00 Arrive in Čerhov (the 09:07 train from Košice arrives at 10:06, or 57 km by car). Pick up maps at the Tokaj Tourist Information Office; call ahead, as it opens outside events by arrangement.
11:00 Malá Tŕňa: walk Medzipivničná street and taste at Tokaj & CO or Tokaj Macik Winery. Booking required.
13:00 Picnic or arranged lunch, then walk up to the barrel-shaped lookout tower. From the top you look across to Sátoraljaújhely, tomorrow's first stop.
16:00 Check in at a winery guesthouse in Malá Tŕňa or Veľká Tŕňa.
17:00 The Gazdovské pivnice of Veľká Tŕňa, with 33 stone portals and more than 100 tuff cellars. Taste with a family grower such as Víno Vdovjak or at J & J Ostrožovič (groups of four or more for both; book).
19:30 Dinner where you sleep.

Day 2: the Hungarian side

09:00 Across the border to Sátoraljaújhely

Drive the 9 km to Sátoraljaújhely. On the hills above the town, the Zemplén Adventure Park has a chairlift, a summer bobsled run, zip lines and the Bridge of National Unity, a pedestrian suspension bridge that opened on 4 June 2024. The operator gives its span as 723 m, 84 m above the valley; Hungarian press reports put it at about 700 m. The park lists daily hours of 09:00–16:00 (the ticket office closes at 15:30), which may vary by season, so go early. Tickets for the bridge start at 4,000 HUF.

11:30 Sátoraljaújhely or Széphalom

Choose between the town centre, with its Baroque town hall, Piarist and St Stephen churches and the tomb of Rabbi Moses Teitelbaum, and Széphalom on the edge of town. There the Museum of the Hungarian Language stands at the former home of the language reformer Ferenc Kazinczy, whose mausoleum is nearby.

13:00 Lunch

Eat in Sátoraljaújhely or Sárospatak, and pay in forints.

14:00 Sárospatak castle

Sárospatak is 21 km from Malá Tŕňa, about 25 minutes by car. Péter Perényi built the castle in 1534–1542 around the five-storey Red Tower, and the Rákóczi family later expanded it. It appears on the 500-forint banknote and houses the Rákóczi Museum of the Hungarian National Museum. Check opening hours before you go: listings we found suggest it is closed on Mondays, but we could not confirm this.

16:00 Tokaj town (optional)

If you still have energy, continue south to the town of Tokaj, about an hour from Malá Tŕňa, where the Bodrog meets the Tisza at the foot of Kopasz Hill. It is at the heart of the UNESCO-listed Tokaj Wine Region Historic Cultural Landscape. Walk to the river confluence and past the Rákóczi-Dessewffy castle, the synagogue and the historic cellars. This is the place to taste Hungarian Tokaji, including aszú. We do not cover Hungarian wineries, so ask locally. The driver, again, drinks nothing.

Evening

Drive back to your Slovak base (about an hour from Tokaj town), or stay the night in Sátoraljaújhely; our where to stay list includes hotels there.

Day 3: the Bodrog and Borša

09:30 Viničky on the Bodrog: taste at Tokaj Zlatý Strapec (Monday to Saturday 07:00–17:00 according to the winery, closed on Sundays; book) and walk to the Podkova oxbow lake.
12:30 Lunch at the restaurant in the Borša manor (daily from 12:00) or at the Zlatá Putňa guesthouse in Viničky.
14:00 The Rákóczi manor in Borša, just outside the wine region, where Francis II Rákóczi was born on 27 March 1676. After yesterday's castle in Sárospatak, the museum about the Rákóczi family closes the circle. 2026 marks 350 years since his birth. The exhibition is open April to October daily 10:00–18:00, and November to March Tuesday to Sunday 10:00–16:00 (last entry one hour before closing); adults pay 10 €.
15:30 The marker of Slovakia's lowest point (94.3 m) by the Bodrog at Klin nad Bodrogom (outside the wine region), where the river flows on into Hungary.
16:30 Head home: Borša has a station on the line to Košice, or drive.

Variations

Continuing to Budapest? Swap days two and three and finish in Tokaj town. Budapest is 268 km from Malá Tŕňa, about 3 h 15 min.
Cross the border by river. Splavujeme Bodrog in Ladmovce, just outside the wine region, rents kayaks for a 22 km trip down the Bodrog to Sárospatak (4–5 hours). Bringing the boat back costs 45 €, and payment is cash only. It makes a full day for confident paddlers.
Time it with a festival. The town of Tokaj holds its Wine Days in June, and the Zemplén Festival brings concerts to Sárospatak and the surrounding towns in mid-August. On the Slovak side, see events.

Before you go

Pack your passport or ID card.
Carry forints, or a card that works abroad, for the Hungarian day.
Check the opening hours of Sárospatak castle and the adventure park.
Tell your rental company you are driving into Hungary, and check vignettes if you will use a motorway.
Book the Slovak tastings and both nights.
Agree on who drives each day: zero tolerance applies in both countries.
If day three is a Sunday, pick another cellar instead of Zlatý Strapec.

One Tokaj, two countries: three days