Budapest to host Hungary’s top wine festival
Hungary has a growing reputation for producing excellent wines and the annual Budapest International Wine Festival in September gives wine lovers the perfect opportunity for tasting some of them, whilst enjoying the stunning backdrop of the Buda Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The Wine Festival takes place from 9-13 September on the terraces of Buda Castle, overlooking the Pest side of city and it’s wonderfully lively time to visit one of the world’s most picturesque capital cities. The five day festival opens at 2pm on the 9th & 10th, 12pm on 11th and from 10am on 12th and 13th and is open until 11pm everyday – so there is plenty of time to sample as many wines as possible over a weekend stay.
Around 170 Hungarian wineries will exhibit as well as a few other wine producing countries and it’s a great opportunity to learn about the wines, as well as enjoy traditional food and festivities. Gastronomy is a huge part of the festival and there are plenty of Hungarian delicacies that can be tried including scones baked on site, many varieties of cheese and grilled meats.
There will be around 1,000 wines to sample, as well as a grape wine auction, grape harvest procession, plus cultural programmes including many musical concerts. On the Saturday there is a Harvest Parade starting at 1pm, with around 800 representatives from the various wine regions dressed in folk costumes and ending with a lovely show on the festival stage.
The weather is usually still very warm at this time of year; making September the perfect time to check out Budapest’s other highlights. For ideas on what else to do in the city visit Budapestadventure.com.
Entrance into the Budapest International Wine Festival costs around £10 per person for a day ticket that allows multi entries on the same day. The price includes a tasting glass, glass bearing bag and two tasting tickets plus entrance to a few of the museums that are close to Buda Castle. Extra tasting tickets can be purchased as necessary.
For more information on the wine festival visit Winefestival.hu.
GETTING THERE
Flights to Budapest are available from nine UK airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Bristol, Luton, Liverpool, Manchester, East Midlands, Glasgow and Dublin. Airlines include BA, Easyjet, Ryanair, Jet2 and Wizzair.
Stay at the luxurious five-star Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest (kempinski-budapest.com) on the Pest side of the city from just €102 per room per night in September, when taking advantage of their early booking rate, saving 20% off usual rates when booking at least 14-days. Price includes a buffet breakfast.
Or try the 4-star boutique hotel, the Buda Castle Fashion Hotel (budacastlehotelbudapest.com) that opened last year on the Buda side of the city. Offering just 25 large rooms and luxurious suites this hotel is ideally located for the festival in the historical Castle District. Advance purchase rates are around €127 per room per night in September. Price includes a buffet breakfast.
To find out more about Hungary visit Gotohungary.co.uk.