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Hungary and Lake Balaton: our experiences after 10 days
September showed weakness of Balaton
Our stay at Lake Balaton during the first weeks of September was very educational.
From September 1, Lake Balaton will apparently go into winter recess. Just like that.
September 1 seems to be the signal to close almost everything: the ferry services will stop, beach facilities will be cleaned up, and holiday homes and drink shops will close.
On weekdays, it seemed deserted at the top of the lake – with the exception of the cyclists.
On weekends, when the weather is nice, and then only along the cycle routes, some businesses dare to open their business for the weekend.
In July and August it would be busy here, which may be true, because we saw a lot of cyclists on the cycling routes during a nice weekend in the first half of September.
If you then consider that the catering industry is open in the summer months; the beaches are full; campsites and holiday homes are fuller; Then you can imagine that the various road users sometimes get in each other’s way.
In our opinion, the problem was not with the motorists. Hungarian drivers were remarkably considerate of cyclists and were usually very attentive.
Rather, it was some cyclists themselves who caused dangerous situations. We saw a striking number of cyclists on the track who clearly seemed to find speed more important than the traffic rules.
This is no different in Belgium, by the way.
Also among fat bikers and skaters we regularly saw speed demons who seemed to take little account of the rest of the traffic.
At such moments I thought: if it’s already so busy, I don’t want to experience it at all in July.
It doesn’t surprise us that a cyclist occasionally falls here. A few times we saw cyclists sitting on the side of the road with scraped hands and knees.
The cycling routes are not always suitable for the thin tires of racing bikes.
Very much for sale, abandoned or closed
At the top of the lake we saw a lot of empty buildings and signs with ‘for sale’ (elado) or ‘closed’, so we didn’t get the feeling of a lively holiday destination.
Before the fall of the Berlin Wall , Balaton was the holiday destination of Eastern Europeans. At that time, people did not expect much more than a house close to the beach.
Those holiday homes have now had their best time and are clearly no longer popular. On the other hand, there is a lot of construction going on in other parts along Lake Balaton and certainly at the bottom.
Our general impression of the region?
The landscape and the villages did not surprise us that much. We could just as well drive around in our home region here.
Apart from the language, which we find impossible to understand, the houses that are refurbished less beautifully from the outside and the motorists who are quite more attentive in traffic than with us.
We felt it lacked authenticity.
And what about the food?
As far as food is concerned, we mainly ended up with pizza, hamburgers, fast food and simple tourist meals, which made us wonder where that Hungarian cuisine is that you keep reading about.
And if a large part of the restaurants are closed, you don’t get a chance to adjust that image at all.
The restaurants that were still open often scored lower on Tripadvisor, so we took the pans out of the closet ourselves during our stay at the lake.
The supermarkets were no surprise either: Lidl, Tesco and Penny charge prices for many products that are approximately at Belgian level. Yet in the region of Lake Balaton.
Of course, many things are still slightly cheaper than with us, but that does not mean that a holiday in Hungary is cheap.
The image that many Western Europeans still have of Hungary as a ‘nice cheap holiday destination ‘ is no longer correct. Maybe it was very cheap to come to Hungary after the fall of the Berlin Wall, but that is no longer the case.
In fact, a Hungarian economic analysis explicitly concludes that Hungary is no longer the budget destination it once was. The real average daily spending of foreign tourists in 2024 was almost 65% higher than in 2010.
Slight nuance: in any case, it is still cheaper to eat out in Hungary than in Belgium or America: here – for the time being anyway – no taxes, service or gratuity fees. In the Czech Republic, on the other hand, it already is.
What we thought of the Hungarians as a people
Cycling around Hungary for ten days is of course far too limited to be able to characterize a people, but could it be that the Hungarian population is a bit distant?
The language barrier may have something to do with that.
It must also be said that they switch to German very quickly when they see that you don’t understand Hungarian. They themselves only speak Hungarian and German.
What also struck us was how attentive and friendly the motorists were towards cyclists.
It seemed as if they had been ordered by higher authorities to give cyclists priority everywhere. It was so natural and courteous. A breath of fresh air!
Have we fallen in love with the region?
Balaton is undoubtedly wonderful if you only come here for two weeks of swimming, cycling and sunbathing. We had beautiful weather and made beautiful bike rides. Nature is unspoilt in many places and is reminiscent of Flanders 60 years ago before it was built up.
The bike rides, the good weather and our nice holiday home in Szigliget made our stay.
We chose Cottage Csend Szigliget, an authentic holiday home that I had chosen especially for its nostalgic character.
It was just what I needed and I felt like I was catapulted back in time and found myself back in my grandparents’ house.
Still, after ten days a double feeling lingered: we had seen a lot, but had not really fallen in love with Lake Balaton…
Is that because we made a trip through America in spring this year, where everything is so much bigger and more impressive?
I dare not think so. You can’t compare the two. This trip through Eastern Europe was completely different.
Rather, we feel that we have not seen the authentic Hungary.
Perhaps because the Balaton region is so touristy, but we didn’t find it outside either.
Carine