Sirens Valley Eger Hungary
March 24, 2010 by Travel Guide Greg
Filed under Travel Guides
When we drove into Eger, Hungary we found ourselves looking for Sirens Valley… Or was it the “Valley of the Beautiful Women”? Or should we follow the signs to the “Nice Ladies Valley?”
It’s all the same place… just depends on which guide book or sign you’re reading… and how they translate the Hungarian! Whatever you want to call it, it is the epicenter of Eger wine tasting.
Yes, we were looking for the Sirens Valley, but since we didn’t have a detailed map, we had to stop and ask some locals for help…. They were so helpful that they told us to follow them, and they led us right to it! It’s not a big broad valley…. It’s more like a little notch in the mountains.
This cozy valley has dozens of caves and small wine cellars carved into the mountain. These small tasting rooms line the valley in a horseshoe shape. They are packed side by side, ready and willing to show off their wines. Tasting fees are very reasonable. There are restaurants and picnic benches available. Locals as well as tourists flock here, especially on weekends. The whole little valley has a happy, festival feeling.
Each winery has several varietals to try, and each, of course, has their own version of the local specialty… Bikaver or Bull’s Blood Wine. Some of the wine pourers are the cellar owners. It’s fun to talk to them… and yes, many of them do speak some English.
After sampling at many cellars, we bought a bottle at Sandor Pince to take to our hotel and drink… but the owner said no… we should keep it and age it. Instead he poured each of us a large glass and said, “Sit outside and enjoy.”
Well, the picnic benches were occupied, but two Hungarian men invited us to join them. We chatted a bit, then we ended up sharing their picnic. So we bought a carafe of wine. Then we shared wine and food with some tourists from Prague.
Our conversations were in Hungarian and English and Czech and Russian. We made good friends over more wine and food. Finally I said to my hubby, “I think we should say good-bye and go to our room…. I’m beginning to understand the Russian!”
You can’t buy that kind of fun. You have to be willing to talk to strangers…. but sharing food and wine certainly helps!
We stayed at a hotel right at the entrance to the Sirens Valley. There is a small tourist train that takes you to and from town if you’d rather stay there. You want to take advantage of one or the other option because there is a zero tolerance for drinking and driving in Hungary…. just don’t do it.
If you’re visiting Hungary, Eger is a great little town to visit, but if you’re a wine lover, Eger and Sirens Valley…. that Valley of the Beautiful Women or Nice Ladies Valley shouldn’t be missed.
