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Ten days at Lake Balaton: what was there to do?

The actual goal of our trip: ten days at Lake Balaton in Hungary: what was there to do?

Cycling

At first glance, Balaton has a surprising number of ingredients for a beautiful stay, but is above all a cycling destination.

After ten days at Lake Balaton, that really seemed to me to be the core.

What stood out in particular:

• The south side of the lake: flatter, pleasant cycling and beautiful views.
• The north side: more interesting, more landscape, but much more difficult due to the steep slopes.
• Kis-Balaton (the small lake Balaton): especially interesting to discover by bike: dikes, water, birds, island, a beautiful old bridge and buffaloes. A completely different landscape than the more densely built-up Lake Balaton. More authentic too. Especially that.

Sun, lake and beach

Sunbathers can go to the many beaches around the lake.

On the south side and in the bay of Tihany we saw freely accessible beaches but on the north side you mainly have fenced beaches.

Many municipal beaches charge an entrance fee during the high season.

From September onwards, it will be a lot quieter everywhere. In many places the gates were wide open and you could just go to the water.

What do you do on a rainy day?

Then suddenly a lot of possibilities disappear.

Castles, museums, towns

A castle, museum or city visit can be an alternative, but we have noticed that from the beginning of September almost everything is closed and that the towns are quite compact so you have seen it quickly.

That leaves you: wellness and wine tasting.

Wellness

We saw a lot of wellness institutes in the area, but the thermal lake of Hévíz is really special, especially if you are looking for an authentic experience.

A critical eye will notice that a refresh here and there would not hurt. It is true, the interior still breathes the 60s and 70s of the last century.

But maybe that’s what makes it so special. People have been bathing here in the warm thermal water for over 230 years.

Although there were quite a lot of people on Sunday, it didn’t feel crowded anywhere.

With a swimming noodle that you can rent on site, you can float around quietly on the lake, among the water lilies, with your feet in the algae on the bottom.

And because the audience is mainly a bit older, there is a quiet, almost peaceful atmosphere.

In any case, we loved it. After a while in the warm water we felt completely relaxed.

With sun loungers on the sunbathing lawn and in the pavilions, a cafeteria and wellness treatments for just about every taste, you can easily spend a whole day here.

If you come with children or prefer a more active spa, you can go to Zalakaros Thermal Spa on the edge of the Kis-Balaton area.

In addition to the thermal baths, there are also many recreational opportunities for families. For children, we think that is a lot more suitable than Hévíz.

Wine tasting

Around Szigliget, Badacsony and Tapolca you can go to winegrowers for wine from the Badacsony wine region.

Badacsony generally has a good reputation for wine, especially for white wine.

Typical are the ‘Olas-Riesling’, dry and fresh, the ‘Szürkebarát’ – the Pinot Gris of the region – and the ‘Kéknyelű’, rather spicy, with mineral and slightly salty notes, which are associated with the volcanic basalt soil in the region.

In Balatonszőlős, near Balatonfüred, is the Balaton Wines Visitor Center. Wines from no less than 75 wineries and more than 350 wines are brought together there.

You can discover different wine regions and grapes side by side without having to drive from one winery to another.

Castles and historical sites

Plenty of choice: Keszthely with its beautifully preserved castle, Veszprém with its compact complex of historic buildings and Szigliget with its castle ruins.

You can combine Keszthely Castle with a walk to the lakeside promenade, right through the center and the park. A nice way to get a taste of the town right away.

And of course there is also the highly hyped abbey of Tihany. The current church dates largely from the 18th century and is richly decorated in Baroque style.

However, we found Tihany as a whole to be less impressive than its reputation suggested.

Hiking

A nice walk is the one from Szigliget to the station of Badacsonytördemic.

With the train back you don’t have to walk the same way back and you immediately make it a combination of walking and public transport.

The short walk along the watermills and the lake in the center of Tapolca is also very photogenic.

While you’re there, you can immediately visit the underground caves, right in the middle of the town. A great tip for an outing with children or for a rainy day.

Exploring by car

For days when you don’t want to cycle, head into the Káli Basin (at the top of the lake), a region of small villages and wide, open countryside.

A possible round trip: Szigliget → Ábrahámhegy → Salföld → Kékkút → Szentbékkálla → Kővágóörs/Köveskál → back.

Along the way you will see old farmhouses, ruins, impressive basalt formations, and a spring.

You will also find many mapped out walks:

But don’t expect spectacular things. This is where it comes down to letting your imagination work. Interest in geology is also an asset.

Probably they are trying to let the interior benefit from the tourism around Lake Balaton, but that does not seem to have really succeeded yet.

If you like markets, you can also visit the Saturday market of Kaptalantoti, 7 km from Tapolca, in the hills and with a large car park.

Kis-Balaton: island, wooden bridge, water buffalo and spa

My super tip for you:

You can also easily fill a whole day around the Kis-Balaton. The church of Zalavár, the wooden bridge of Kányavári Island and the buffalo farm can be nicely combined with an afternoon in Zalakaros Thermal Spa.

And if you end the day with a dinner at Zold Elefant, you immediately have a nice, varied trip.

You can find more tips on the site VisitBalaton365.

Next page: Cycling on the way to Hungary