Tokaj is the start-finish location of the Tour Horizont and the Hungarian Divide!

KLND and the Hungarian Cycling Tourism Association (Maketusz) are pleased to announce that the town of Tokaj is the official start/fininsh of Tour Horizont and Hungarian Divide events.

A close race between the towns of the Zemplén

Three outstanding towns of the Zemplén – Sátoraljaújhely, Sárospatak and Tokaj – were in the running when the location of the eastern end was chosen. The professional team of KLND and Maketusz visited the mayors of the towns in person. After wide-ranging consultations, email correspondence, detailed data collection and professional site visits, the organisers made the final decision together.

In the decision matrix and the evaluation criteria, Tokaj achieved the highest value score, so the town became the new eastern starting point and end point for bikepackers and Horizont tourers.

Why Tokaj? – Excellent features and services for cyclists

With its complex and outstanding infrastructure and its unbeatable tourist attractions, Tokaj proved to be the best choice. The values and services offered to tourers and their companions speak for themselves:

• International and domestic big name: The fame and prestige of the name Tokaj are unbeatable. From a marketing and destination-building point of view, it is an unmissable advantage for the international visibility of the region and the whole route.
• Perfect accessibility and transport ("The Gateway to the Zemplén"):
  • By rail: It can be reached from the capital in just 2 hours 47 minutes, with Intercity trains that leave every 2 hours and offer quality bicycle transport, which is excellent accessibility even by international standards.
  • By road: From the centre of Budapest it is just 2.5 hours on the M3 motorway, the 2-lane expressway between Miskolc and Szerencs, and the renovated country road from Szerencs to Tokaj.
• Premium multi-day experience hub: Tokaj is equally perfect for a multi-day finish or a starting point. Prepared to host families and groups of friends, it offers enough tourist, gastronomic and outdoor activities for several days. As one of the four featured tourism regions of Hungary (next to Lake Balaton, the Danube Bend and Eger), it is ready, inside and out, to enchant its visitors. Cycling plays a leading role in this: in just a few days it offers unique experience packages for any age group and any budget.
• A fantastically renovated historic town centre: The beautifully renovated main square and pedestrian street, the listed buildings including the Aranysas inn, and the world-class presence and high quality of the premium hotels and restaurants create an unparalleled atmosphere for arriving tourers.
• Unparalleled hospitality and accommodation: The region welcomes cycling tourism with the widest choice around. For accommodation, everything can be found from elegant hotel rooms through guesthouses and holiday homes to campsites. The gastronomic offer ranges from premium-rated restaurants through fish inns, modern brunch places, cafés and ice-cream shops to atmospheric terraces.
• The stronghold of wine tasting: In authentic, centuries-old surroundings, numerous wineries and small producers offer the "wine of kings – king of wines". Visitors can gain insight into winemaking in homely and artisanal settings too, thanks to the demonstrations of local museums and working farms.
• A wide range of outdoor activities: The confluence of the Bodrog and the Tisza, and Tokaj Hill, offer impressive active tourism opportunities. Riverside beaches, boat trips, kayak, canoe and SUP rental options, and a variety of hiking routes and cycle paths await visitors.
  

Living history and a fairy-tale treasure chest in the Zemplén

In the Zemplén region and in Tokaj, renovated castles, manors and period buildings welcome guests as living history. In their old splendour but equipped with modern functions, they offer a unique fusion to visitors. So much beauty and cultural treasure in one place and region is a real rarity, and in this offer Tokaj is nothing less than a fairy-tale treasure chest.

The geographical and historical significance of Tokaj has rightly enjoyed international fame for centuries. Its features are unique: Tokaj Hill, the southernmost, slightly isolated, 505-metre-high emblematic volcanic cone of the Zemplén, is the region's literally outstanding part. This is where the Great Plain and the hills meet, and where a bridge connects the landscapes at the confluence of the two rivers.

The cycling loop around Tokaj Hill is already finished and easy to ride, and in 2027 it will connect directly to the cycling infrastructure that is continuously being built towards the Zemplén. Arriving here or setting out from here is a prestigious, eventful and hospitable, cyclist-friendly experience.

One of the capitals of cycling culture

Tokaj stays human-sized, but with its services and the wonderful surroundings of the Zemplén Mountains it is a real gem among Hungary's offers. The Horizont route, which frequently passes the Zemplén castles, often winds through wild forests far from civilisation, but always arrives at a living, historic place, preserving the centuries-old traditions of the Zemplén. The lookouts, castles and hidden paths make this area one of the most distinctive and most exciting regions of Hungary, which from 2027 will be the eastern jewel of the Horizont route.

Acknowledgements

KLND and Maketusz hereby express their sincere thanks for the key roles they played in building the successful cooperation:

• György Posta, mayor of Tokaj – for his commitment, and for the successful coordination of the town leadership and cycling tourism and its progressive development.
• Tamás Pásztor, who as a local entrepreneur and an active, well-travelled cyclist helps the joint efforts and cooperation of KLND and the region with funding, sponsorship and his contacts.
• István Dévald, managing director of Tokaj Borvidék Fejlődéséért Nonprofit Kft., who takes an active part in the region's tourism, cycling and leisure developments.

Featured events and dates in 2027

It is now official that the 2027 Tour Horizont and Hungarian Divide will start from Tokaj! The organisers are planning the biggest Tour Horizont event so far, with several hundred participants.

The official start dates of the events:

• HUNGARIAN DIVIDE: 18 June 2027 (Friday)
• TOUR HORIZONT: 19 June 2027 (Saturday) with mandatory registration on Friday, June 18.

Registration information

Registration and sign-up open in December, 2026. We will keep you posted with details and further information.

Follow the official websites and Facebook channels of KLND, Maketusz and the Horizont! Members and past participants will also get a newsletter by email about the start of registration.

See you in Tokaj in the summer of 2027!
We are preparing a huge festival for you, put it in your calendar now!