Budafok — the cellar town

What it is

The southernmost district on the Buda side, and the only part of Budapest with a wine industry of its own. Limestone was quarried here for centuries to build the city; the quarries left behind a warren of tunnels at a constant twelve degrees, which turned out to be very close to ideal for storing wine.

Estimates of the total run past a hundred kilometres. Some of it is still in commercial use, some is sealed, and a small, well-marked portion is open to visitors.

What is here

The Törley story. József Törley learned the méthode champenoise in Reims and came home in 1882 to make sparkling wine in the Budafok cellars. The company still operates, and the Törley Mansion and the family mausoleum above the cellars are the district's landmarks.

The cave dwellings. Not a metaphor — families lived in rooms cut into the cliff face along Veréb utca and around it, some until the 1960s. A number of the façades survive.

Nagytétény Castle Museum, a Baroque palace at the far southern end holding the Museum of Applied Arts' furniture collection. It is a genuine country house and almost never crowded.

What it is like

Suburban and quiet, on a hillside, with the industrial Danube bank below. It does not feel like Budapest and does not try to.

Who it suits

Anyone with a real interest in wine, and anyone who has already seen the centre. It is a half-day trip, not a base.

The practical catch

Cellar visits are almost always by appointment. This is the thing that catches people out — turning up at a cellar door in Budafok on spec generally gets you a locked gate. Book ahead, and check whether the tour is running in your language.

Getting here is easy but not quick: the HÉV suburban railway or bus from Kelenföld, about half an hour from the centre.