ST805 Tab - Törökkoppány

The ST805 Tab – Törökkoppány is a point-to-point stage of the 2,500 km Sultans Trail in Somogy County, Hungary, crossing the rolling Outer Somogy hills with roughly 250–350 m of cumulative elevation gain across a single day's walk. Rated expert because of sparse waymarking and limited services, it links two historic market towns along the long-distance pilgrim route from Vienna to Istanbul.

About the ST805 Tab – Törökkoppány

The ST805 Tab – Törökkoppány stage belongs to the Sultans Trail, a 2,500-kilometre long-distance footpath that runs through nine countries from St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna to the Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul. The full trail is carried on the International Walking Network (IWN) and partly overlaps the E8 European long-distance path, placing this short Hungarian segment inside one of the most significant cultural hiking corridors in Europe.

The route is named after Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, who marched from Istanbul to Vienna in 1529 — a 141-day campaign that ended in his first defeat. Today the Sultans Trail Foundation, a Netherlands-based NGO, maintains the path as a route of peace and interfaith meeting rather than a military memory. The ST805 stage sits in the southern Transdanubian section, where the trail threads through Somogy County between Lake Balaton's southern shore and the Kapos valley.

This particular leg connects Tab, a small market town of around 4,000 residents in Outer Somogy (Külső-Somogy), with Törökkoppány, a village whose name preserves its Ottoman past — "Török" meaning Turkish in Hungarian. The walking is undemanding underfoot, following field tracks, forest roads and quiet asphalt, but the "expert" rating reflects thin waymarking, long gaps between villages, and the need to navigate confidently with GPX rather than rely on signposts. Loaded GPX planning through tools like the HikeLoad route planner makes a real difference on under-marked Hungarian stages like this one.

Route Overview & Stages

The ST805 is itself one numbered stage within the Hungarian Sultans Trail. The table below places it among the neighbouring southern Transdanubian stages so you can see how it fits a multi-day itinerary. Distances are approximate where the Foundation has not published an exact figure.

Most walkers complete ST805 in a single day of 5–7 hours. The terrain rolls between roughly 130 m and 280 m above sea level, with no sustained climbs but a steady accumulation of short ascents through the dissected loess hills of Külső-Somogy.

Highlights & Points of Interest

• Tab town centre — the starting market town, with a Baroque Roman Catholic church and the last reliable shops and cafés before Törökkoppány.
• Outer Somogy loess ridges — gently corrugated farmland and oak woodland between 200 and 280 m, offering long views over the Koppány basin.
• Koppány stream valley — the meandering watercourse that gives the destination village its name, lined with willow and alder.
• Törökkoppány village core — a former Ottoman administrative seat (a Turkish kaza), one of the few inland Hungarian settlements to keep "Török" in its name.
• Törökkoppány Reformed and Catholic churches — modest village landmarks marking the historic confessional mix of the region.
• Ottoman mosque foundations — archaeological traces near Törökkoppány recall the 16th-century garrison that occupied the valley.
• Somogy oak forests — shaded stretches of the stage pass through mixed broadleaf woodland rich in roe deer and wild boar.
• Field-track viewpoints — open agricultural crests where the Sultans Trail's red waymarks (where present) cross the watershed toward the Kapos.

Best Time to Hike the ST805 Tab – Törökkoppány

The single best month to walk ST805 is May. Spring brings firm field tracks, leafy oak woodland, daytime highs around 18–22°C, and the lowest mud risk after the loess soils have dried from the winter wet. As of 2026, Hungarian meteorological norms still show late spring as the most stable window in inland Somogy, with long daylight and limited thunderstorm activity before the summer heat.

September and early October form a strong second choice: harvest is in, temperatures ease back to 15–20°C, and the deciduous forests turn. Avoid July and August, when Transdanubian heat can exceed 32°C and there is almost no shade across the open farmland sections. Winter walking (December–February) is feasible but the unpaved tracks turn to heavy clay after rain, and the expert-grade navigation becomes harder with short daylight and snow obscuring the sparse waymarks. Spring snowmelt in March can leave the Koppány valley locally waterlogged.

Practical Information

Accommodation

This is a thinly served rural stage, so plan beds in advance. Tab offers a couple of guesthouses (panzió) and rural rooms from roughly €30–45 per night for a double. Törökkoppány has limited village accommodation — a small guesthouse and seasonal rural tourism rooms (falusi szállás) typically €25–40 per night; confirm by phone ahead, as openings are seasonal. There are no staffed mountain huts on this stage. Wild or tent camping is the practical fallback in the Outer Somogy woods, and the Sultans Trail Foundation notes that parts of Hungary require carrying a tent; always seek the landowner's permission on private farmland. Budget around €60–90 per day including food if you stay indoors.

Getting There & Back

The nearest large transport hub is Lake Balaton's southern shore. Tab lies about 20 km south of Siófok, which sits on the Budapest–Nagykanizsa main railway line; Budapest to Siófok takes roughly 1 hour 30 minutes by direct train. From Siófok, regional Volánbusz services reach Tab in around 30–40 minutes. Törökkoppány is served by sparse rural buses toward Tab and Dombóvár — check timetables carefully, as some run only on schooldays. Dombóvár, two stages on, has a mainline station for the return to Budapest (about 2 hours 15 minutes). The nearest international airport is Budapest Ferenc Liszt (BUD), roughly 2.5–3 hours from Tab by combined train and bus.

Permits & Fees

No permit or entry fee is required to walk the ST805 Tab – Törökkoppány stage; the Sultans Trail is a free, publicly accessible long-distance route. You may purchase the Foundation's official guidebook and waymark maps to support trail maintenance, and a pilgrim passport (stamp credential) is available for those walking longer sections. Respect Hungarian access rules on private farmland and forestry tracks, and follow any seasonal hunting closures posted in the Somogy oak forests.

Gear & Packing List

Because services are sparse, treat ST805 as a self-sufficient day on a remote-feeling route. Carry at least 2 litres of water — there are no reliable refill points between Tab and Törökkoppány — plus enough food for the full day, since both endpoints have limited opening hours. A 35–50 litre pack comfortably handles a day's load with camping fallback; the Fjällräven Abisko Hike 35 suits a fast single-day push, while the Osprey Aether 65 works if you are carrying a tent for a multi-stage Sultans Trail traverse. Ultralight walkers chaining several stages favour a frameless option such as the Hyperlite Mountain Gear 2400 Windrider.

Other essentials: sturdy trail shoes with grip for clay tracks, a phone or GPS with the GPX loaded (waymarking is unreliable), sun protection for the open farmland crests, and rain gear for spring showers. Plan your day's energy needs realistically — see how many calories you need hiking a full day — and pack high-density snacks. For longer Sultans Trail itineraries, our guide to the best ultralight backpacks of 2026 compares load-carrying options for multi-week cultural routes.

Similar Trails You Might Like

If the historic, long-distance character of the Sultans Trail appeals, several other Hungarian routes share its cross-country feel and expert-grade navigation. The Camino Benedictus links Benedictine sites across Transdanubia, while a cluster of expert Sultans Trail stages continue the Vienna-to-Istanbul corridor through the Danube plains and Kalocsa wetlands.

• Camino Benedictus, Tihany–Pannonhalma–Lébény–Mosonmagyaróvár–Rajka
• ST307 Nagylók – Mezőfalva
• ST311 Kalocsa – Bóni-fok
• ST202a Čunovo – Lipót
• ST203a Lipót – Győr

For a contrasting mountain experience with the same point-to-point spirit, the Theth to Valbona trail in Albania trades Somogy's rolling farmland for the dramatic Accursed Mountains.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the best time to hike ST805 Tab – Törökkoppány?
May is the single best month. Spring delivers firm field tracks, leafy oak woodland, daytime highs of 18–22°C and low mud risk after the loess soils dry out. September and early October are a strong alternative with cooler air and autumn colour. Avoid the July–August heat, which can top 32°C with almost no shade on the open farmland sections.

How difficult is the ST805 stage?
It is rated expert, though the difficulty is navigational rather than physical. Cumulative climbing is only about 250–350 m across gentle Outer Somogy hills with no steep ascents. The challenge comes from sparse and unreliable waymarking, long gaps between villages, and few water or food points, so confident GPX navigation and self-sufficiency are essential.

How long does the Tab to Törökkoppány walk take?
Most walkers cover the roughly 18–22 km stage in a single day of 5–7 hours, depending on pace and navigation stops. The terrain rolls between about 130 m and 280 m elevation with no sustained climbs, so a reasonably fit hiker carrying a day pack manages it comfortably within daylight if they start in the morning.

Where can I stay along the route?
Tab has a couple of guesthouses from around €30–45 per night, and Törökkoppány offers limited seasonal village rooms at roughly €25–40. There are no staffed mountain huts. Book ahead by phone, as rural openings are seasonal. Carrying a lightweight tent is a sensible fallback, since the Sultans Trail Foundation notes parts of Hungary require camping.

Do I need a permit to hike ST805?
No permit or fee is required. The Sultans Trail is a free, publicly accessible long-distance route maintained by the Sultans Trail Foundation. You can optionally buy the official guidebook, maps or a pilgrim passport to support upkeep. Respect Hungarian access rules on private farmland and forestry tracks, and observe any seasonal hunting closures posted in the Somogy forests.

For official route details and waymark updates, consult the Sultans Trail Foundation, and check connections through Hungary's national rail operator MÁV before you travel.