The unlikely culinary and spa experience in the countryside of Hungary

Villány is a small village in the south of Hungary, close to the Croatian border. It has a specific micro climate for cultivating wine (mostly dry red), it's been a tradition for centuries here. The interesting thing, is that many families kept their small businesses producing their own wine and selling them at the cellars of "pincesor" which translates to "cellar street". Also there are bigger producers, they have high quality selection and all of them have restaurants that provide great food that matches the wine, and you can take a sneak peak into their cellars as well. 

We rented a small house in Villány, and used it as our base. During the days we took our car and did daytrips nearby and in the afternoons/evenings we visited different wineries. So this was a foodie-trip.

The first company we visited is the Bock Pincészet. As a guest of the restaurant you can take a tour in their cellar for free (the guides speak English too). During the tour you'll see the impressive 100 meter long cellar full of barrels and also and underground event center that looks like a sanctuary for wine. I recommend booking a table in advance (especially for weekends) because their restaurant is very popular.

The second was Gere Pincészet (Mandula Restaurant) here we went full on fancy and tried the degustation dinner that included tastes of six wines with a six-course menu perfectly designed for the wine. As of 2022 this menu is 20 500 HUF (around 55 EUR) per person, it's far below the prices of the capital, and the services are even better. So if you want to pamper yourself a bit, it is the perfect place to try out something special.

The Sauska Pincészet is the "youngest" of all, but they caught up in the race quite fast despite being newcomers. Their restaurant is at the edge of the village, overlooking the vineyards on the hills, a prefect place to watch the sunset.

So there you have it! All the fancy stuff we tried on our trip!

Harkány is a village with a natural thermal spring that has a very high concentration of carbonyl-sulfide (COS) this is a dissolved gas, that has many health benefits for people with arthritis, and has a good effect on any type of inflammation, also gives the water a very particular sulfuric smell.

The Thermal Spa has a retro feel to it, but it you're not afraid of trying out something different with a smelly water, you can have a lot of fun. Apart from the pools, there are saunas, jacuzzis, and massages available. In case you fall in love with the smelly water you can purchase cosmetics made from the thermal water here. The particular thing about Hungary is that it has loads of natural not springs, and we love to construct spas on them! In total we have 157 thermal spas (including the smallest ones). The water is a bit different in each, and it has proven health benefits, so it sometimes happen that people get prescriptions from their doctors to go to the spas. How cool is that?

If you are longing for a spa experience but you prefer modern surroundings, the Thermal Spa of Siklós is the place for you. The water is hot but not sulfuric, so the smell is not funny at all. The spa is quite new, you will be able to enjoy your time in modern surroundings. Personally I prefer the Harkány spa, because it feels more local and special, but it is not for everyone.

In Siklós I highly recommend to take 1-2 hours to check out the fortress. It has a visitor center and you can also check their website for events, because form time to time they have special tours and reenactment of historic events or costume plays, to show the visitors what life used to look in the medieval ages.

Pécs is the center of the region, its a picturesque city with a great history. The center is super nice, you will find a mixed architecture of Turkish and classical buildings. The classical buildings are from the times when Hungary used to be part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The two countries were very wealthy back then, thus a lot of infrastructural development and residential building construction took place. This is why you see similarities between Budapest and Vienna, but you find this style in the countryside as well. The other type is from the medieval ages: the Ottoman empire used to stretch to Europe as well, dividing Hungary. Pécs used to be a part of it, and still has the Mosque and the Minaret. The mosque is used as a christian temple since centuries, but it has the original Turkish architecture.

In the spring and summer time there are loads of cultural activities: concerts, open air theater and many more. The city also has a big university with a very nice and modern campus. Might be a great destination for Erasmus studies as well!