This morning we will go to the Jewish quarter for breakfast at the legendary Szimpla Kert. Once a factory, it now delights visitors with a bohemian environment, an open courtyard and a labyrinth of rooms.  It hosts a much loved farmer’s market and spectacular brunch on Sunday mornings. Deciding between the cornucopia of cheeses, the fresh fruit, artisanal yogurts and meats will be challenging!

From there, travel to the Buda side of the Danube River to visit the 13th century Buda Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After being razed and rebuilt over the centuries, history is written into the castle’s walls. Rooms with traces of its Renaissance, Ottoman, Habsburg and Communist past are to be seen throughout. The guided tour will include the newly-renovated St Stephan’s Hall, Matthias Church, and the Fisherman's Bastion. 

This afternoon, indulge in a cake tasting at Gerbeaud, a staple of Budapest's cafe scene since 1858. Besides learning about the legend and tradition of the cafe, we will taste three cakes: Dobos, Esterházy and Gerbeaud’s own slice, the zserbó szelet, invented by Emile himself. 

The rest of the afternoon and evening at leisure. 

Sleep in this morning as the day starts with a cooking class in a private home. On the menu is a three-course meal of traditional specialties. 

Budapest is one of the preeminent locations in Europe for Art Nouveau architecture. After lunch, take a walking tour around some of the most spectacular architectural samples of Art Nouveau. After the tour you will be able to spot Art Nouveau all across the city from simple apartment complexes to lavish, spectacular buildings. 

This evening, take in the illuminated highlights of Budapest during an hour-long  cruise on the Danube River. This will give you some of the best opportunities to snap photos of  the UNESCO World Heritage–listed riverbank in a glass-enclosed boat, toasting the sights with an included beverage. 

After breakfast, leave the city for our first wine region, Ászár-Neszmély, about an hour from Budapest. There is a long winemaking tradition here that goes back to Roman times. Most of the area lies on slopes overlooking the Danube with Slovakia on the other side. The Danube is an important factor in the region's microclimate, which leans cool/wet, and the wines are almost exclusively white (think Sauvignon Blanc). There are two main producers in the area, and the rest of the production is private.

Beginning in the village of Majk, our first stop will be the beautiful and tranquil Camaldolese Hermitage. Discover the buildings and grounds and learn about the history of the Camaldolese order during a private guided tour. 

Our guide will now take you to her own family vineyard for a unique experience: a goulash cooking lesson over an open fire among the vines! 

Before returning to the city, make one last stop at the recently-restored Esterházy Castle in Tata, located on the banks of Lake Öreg. Learn about the history of the Esterhazy family, one of the most important noble families of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and admire the furnished rooms where the family conducted their everyday activities as well as hosted important events and world leaders. Return to Budapest for the rest of the evening at leisure. 

Today, travel by train to Szeged in the southeastern part of Hungary. Szeged is Hungary's most atmospheric city and the region around it is renowned for two culinary specialties: paprika and fish soup. 

The first stop will be a visit with a family that makes one of the most prized paprikas in Hungary and one of the few which undertakes the entire paprika production process themselves. Their small production is located just a few minutes from their paprika fields outside Szeged. While there, learn how paprika is made and sample the different kinds that they make, including smoked. 

Halászlé (fish soup) is made with mixed river fish cooked in a broth that is heavily spiced with hot paprika. The fish—mainly carp, catfish, perch, or pike—is locally sourced from the Tisza and Danube rivers, and though halászlé may seem like a simple dish, this rich soup is the result of nuanced seasoning and care. Enjoy your soup lakeside at a local and much loved restaurant  considered the “pearl of fishing taverns” in the Szeged region. 

After lunch, take a walking tour of Szeged, which is beautifully set on the Tisza River. The walking tour will include the city center, the huge cathedral – with Roman, gothic, and Byzantine style elements –  and the second-largest synagogue in Hungary. Relax on the return journey to Budapest and enjoy the evening at leisure. 

This morning we begin with a very special culinary walking tour around Nagyvásárcsarnok, the Central Market Hall, and Budapest's largest and grandest of them all. So loved by the citizens of Budapest, major repairs after the war included reproductions by Szolonay of the original roof tiles they. made. One of the main reasons the hall was built was to improve the quality of food in a rapidly-growing Budapest. Today many Budapest's still prefer to shop in a market where the produce changes with the seasons and artisan meats and cheeses are readily available. There will be tastings of cheeses, meats, even the unique-tasting unicum, which is a bitter liquor made from over forty herbs and spices. 

Afterward, enjoy a gourmet lunch hosted by Carolyn Bánfalvi, author of Food, Wine Budapest, in the cellar of her wine shop. 

Enjoy some free time until this evening. Tonight is the first night of the Budapest Wine Festival!  We'll take a curated walk through the cobblestoned streets of the Buda Castle District, sipping wine with the breathtaking views of the Danube with the Chain Bridge and Pest opposite. We will sample wines from every region of Hungary: Olaszrizling from Lake Balaton, a Cabernet Franc from Villány, Kéfrankos form Szekszárd, etc. Our guide will take us through the festival and escort us along the tasting “stations”.  Stay for dinner (not included, but there are lots of food trucks/stands around the festival) and soak up the atmosphere! 

After breakfast, depart for the Tokaj region in Hungary’s northwest. En route, stop at the small village of Tard in the heart of the Matyó region. The magnificently embroidered costumes of the women have beautiful lines.  Matyó embroidery is designated by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Locals welcome you with palinká and pogatcha (traditional unleavened bread). See how they make their traditional embroidery in a short presentation then design your own piece and try it yourself! The home-cooked menu for lunch is the traditional chicken paprikas. Participate in preparing lunch by making the traditional fresh pasta. 

Continue to the UNESCO Historic Cultural Landscape region of Tokaj, famous for its long tradition of wine production in its low hills and river valleys which result in their own microclimate. While it is most well known for its sweet wine, especially aszú (which is more a liquid dessert than a wine), dry unoaked furmint is perfect with savory dishes and cheeses and comes in all shapes and sizes.

 Check into the four-star Degenfeld Castle Hotel and enjoy a tour of their winery. The Gróf Degenfeld estate cultivates the three main grape varieties of the Tokaji wine region (Furmint, Hárslevelű, Yellow Muscat) as well as the three supplementary grape varieties, Kövérszőlő, Zéta and Kabar. All their vines have been organic since 2009. We will enjoy some of their best vintages at a special degustation dinner. 

After breakfast, we will make the cross-country trip to Lake Balaton in Western Hungary. Lake Balaton is central Europe’s largest lake at over 230 square miles, but it’s only about six feet deep at its deepest point. The region is known as the “Hungarian Mediterranean” because of its rolling hills and relaxed southern European atmosphere, and it is the country’s main holiday resort in the summer. Surrounded by romantic little villages, wineries, abbeys, castles, and national parks, the area has much to offer. 

En route stop at a pálinka distillery for a tour and tasting. There's an old folk saying that goes "pálinka gives you strength", which is why people in rural areas used to have a sip with breakfast. These days it's an aperitif before family celebrations and holidays - occasions where there is a large meal! It's also become a hobby for collectors, and "pálinka culture" is definitely on the rise. We'll enjoy a guided tour of the distillery and take a ’spiritual journey’ of the fruit from the orchard to the glass. Enjoy a tasting followed by a light lunch. 

Continue to Lake Balaton for two nights a boutique inn that was once named one of the top 100 hotels in Europe. Located in the Káli Basin of the Balaton Uplands National Park, it is a beautiful property with several stone buildings set in a lush garden. After checking in enjoy some time to relax, perhaps in their "natural-water" pool or strolling the grounds. Dinner will be a four-course meal made from fresh, local ingredients. Breakfast at this boutique inn is also a treat.

After breakfast, check out of the hotel and travel to the beautiful UNESCO World Heritage site of Pannonhalma Abbey. The Benedictine Order, founded in 996 and gently dominating the Pannonian landscape, had a major role in the diffusion of Christianity in medieval Central Europe. These Benedictine monks founded the country's first school in 1055, they wrote the first document in Hungarian language.  Enjoy a guided tour of the abbey, church and herbal garden. 

Afterwards, lunch will be at a rural wine cellar nearby. 

Return to Budapest for a festive farewell dinner.