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Lake Balaton

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Europe : Central Europe : Hungary : Lake Balaton
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Balaton (Plattensee in German) is major lake in Hungary and the biggest lake in Central Europe.

[edit] Get In

Frequent trains from Budapest Déli and Budapest Keleti run down the south side of Lake Balaton. Intercity trains stop at main stations such as Siófok, Balatonföldvár and Fonyód. Slower trains stop at all stations. Allow between 2.5 and 4 hours for the journey, and about 3000HUF (approx €13) for the one way fare (First Class). There are discounts for families (33%) and students (65%). Not all ticket windows at the main terminals accept credit cards so you should check the signs.

Flybalaton airport at Sármellék (SOB) at the south-west end of the lake is about 20 minutes drive from Keszthely and Balatonmáriafürdő. The airport is no longer served by international airlines.

[edit] Get around

Major cities around

Other places of interest around

  • Tihany - nice peninsula with an inner lake and church visible from most of the lake.
  • Szigliget - with the ruins of a Castle on the hilltop.
  • Badacsony - most famous winehill for its wine, on the northern coast, but rather touristic.
  • Szent György-hegy - perfect for hiking, visit the basalt organs.
  • Hévíz - Hungary's no.1 thermal spa.

[edit][add listing] See

The Balaton Uplands National Park [1] is located about 40 km from Zalaegerszeg, to the north of Lake Balaton, the largest (more than 70 km long) freshwater lake of Central Europe.
Exhitibion Sites: Arboretum Zirc, House of Forests Bakonybél, Lóczy Cave Balatonfüred, Hegyestű Geological Exhibition Site Monoszló, Manor Salföld, Lake Cave of Tapolca, Kotsy Watermill Zalaszántó, Matula Hut and István Fekete Memorial Site Diás Island, Folk House Vörs, Buffalo Reserve Kápolnapuszta, Csodabogyós Cave Balatonederics, Kőlik Cave of Szentgál,Disused Sand Quarry Várpalota

[edit][add listing] Do

  • Hiking in the northern hills.
  • Exploring wine cellars. A well worn trail is the climb up Badacsony Hill, which is peppered with small wine growers selling their wines by the glass and bottle. Much of it is mediocre but you may find some gems. Treat it like a pub crawl and have fun.
  • Cross-Balaton Swim Contest. [2] In 2010 it will be held on 24 July(Saturday), with the first people starting at 0800 and the last starters at 1400. Over 8000 people are expected. The race goes from Révfülop on the north shore to Balatonboglár, about 5.3km. It may be cancelled in case of bad weather, so better check weather forecasts in advance. If you're taking part you can get discounts on the ferry back. The organisers transport your clothes across, so you can change when you arrive.
  • Relaxing in thermal spas. The two best known are at Héviz [3] and Csisztapuszta (just south of Fonyód).
  • Sailing. There are several annual sailing races for those prefering competition. For boat rental Fonyod, Balatonlelle and Balatonfüred are the best places. A 8m yacht from about HUF 70,000/day.
  • Swimming. Summer water temperatures range from about 16C to the mid 30s; because the lake is shallow, yesterday's air temperature will be a good guide to the warmth of today's water. There are many places to go down waterslides and just take in a bit of shallow bathing, but be aware that the shallow banks of Balaton are very murky. You can scarcely avoid getting silt everywhere. Beaches on the north shore tend to have more facilities, but have an entrance fee.The shore here tends to be rocky and the water deepens rapidly to a mximum of about 14 metres. Most beaches on the southern shore are free, though large sections of the shore are privately owned by hotels and campsites. The lake shelves slowly, so you can walk out for 500m or more before you are out of your depth, so it's very safe for children. Large free beaches are at Zamárdi, Balatonboglár, Fonyód and Balatonfenyves. There are many hundreds of access points to the shore, so you are unlikely to have to walk far to find a pleasant place to swim.

Since the lake is shallow, summer storms can create very large waves, and people have drowned in most years. A system of warning beacons around the lake alerts bathers to expected strong winds and storms: 30 flashes/minute, colour white/yellow means winds 40-60 km/h, and you should move close to the shore. 60 flashes red/white means winds over 60 km/h. Time to get out quickly!

  • Kite surfing. On windy days this is an exciting sport, but it takes a few days to learn to stop falling off. Needs a reasonable level of fitness. Centres are Balatonboglár and Balatonfenyves.

[edit][add listing] Buy

Buy wine of course!

[edit][add listing] Eat

One kind of local food is lángos, a bread-like pastry usually sold on beaches. It is offered with different toppings like cheese, sour cream, and ham, or often plain just with garlic-sauce on top. Another common "beach food" is cooked corn on the cob (főtt kukorica), grilled sausages (sült kolbász) and of course, ice cream (fagylalt, or more colloquially, fagyi).

You can also try a special Lake Balaton fish called fogas (pike-perch or Zander), served roasted.

[edit][add listing] Drink

The hills north from Balaton are know for their wine. The best you can do is going for a wine spotting tour.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

Lake Balaton has been the holiday playground of ordinary Hungarians for over a century, and most of the accommodation is in private houses and apartments rented by the owners, often through agencies. All along the road there are signs for "Tourist information" which are really agents for accommodation and tours, rather than the official tourist offices (called Tourinform). Many visitors arrive without booking and can usually find rooms for around Euro 15 per person/night. Costs for a house with 3 bedrooms can run from about Euro300/week to over 1,000 (luxury house right on lake shore).

It's worth to book the accommodation before arriving because in July and August most of the places are totally full and it is hard to find a free room.

High season for Hungarians is the school holidays, from mid-June to the end of August, but many people go home by St Stephen's Day (20 August). The whole place becomes very much quieter by mid-August, and you can easily find accommodation. On the downside, lakeside bars and restaurants also close for the season.

[edit] Pictures

[edit] Tourist information (tel:0036/)

  • Tourinform Keszthely, 8360, Kossuth L. u. 28., Tel./Fax: 83/314-144, Tel.: 83/511-660, E-mail: keszthely@tourinform.hu, http://www.keszthely.hu
  • Tourinform Hévíz, 8380 Rákóczi u. 2., Tel.: (83)540-131, Fax: )83)540-132, Email: heviz@tourinform.hu, http://www.heviz.hu
  • Tourinform Zalakaros, 8749, Gyógyfürdő tér 10., Tel/Fax: 93/340-421, E-mail: zalakaros@tourinform.hu, http://www.zalakaros.hu

  • Tourinform Badacsony, 8261 Badacsony, Park u. 6., Tel/Fax: 87/431-046, E-mail: badacsony@tourinform.hu
  • Tourinform Balatonalmádi, 8220 Balatonalmádi, Városház tér 4., Tel: 88/594-081 Fax: 88/594-080, E-mail: balatonalmadi@tourinform.hu
  • Tourinform Balatonfüred, 8230 Balatonfüred, Petőfi S. u. 68., Tel: 87/580-480 Fax: 87/580-481,E-mail: balatonfured@tourinform.hu
  • Tourinform Balatonkenese, 8174 Balatonkenese, Táncsics M. u. 24., Tel/Fax: 88/594-645, E-mail: balatonkenese@tourinform.hu
  • Tourinform Balatonvilágos, 8171 Balatonvilágos, Aligai út 1., Tel/Fax: 88/446-034, E-mail: balatonvilagos@tourinform.hu
  • Tourinform Révfülöp, 8253 Révfülöp, Villa Filip tér 8., Tel/Fax: 87/463-092, E-mail: revfulop@tourinform.hu
  • Tourinform Tapolca, 8300 Tapolca, Fő tér 17., Tel: 87/510-777 Fax: 87/510-778, E-mail: tapolca@tourinform.hu
  • Tourinform Tihany, 8237 Tihany,Kossuth u. 20., Tel/Fax: 87/448-804, E-mail:tihany@tourinform.hu
  • Tourinform Alsóőrs, 8226 Alsóörs, Sirály park 1., Tel/Fax: 87/575-001,
  • Tourinform Balatonboglár, 8630 Balatonboglár, Erzsébet u. 12-14., Tel./fax: 85/550-168, e-mail: balatonboglar@tourinform.hu
  • Tourinform Balatonföldvár, 8623 Balatonföldvár, Széchenyi Imre. u. 2.

Tel.: 84/700-036, Tel./fax: 540-220, 8623 Kőröshegyi út 1 Tel.: 84/700-036, Tel./fax: 540-220, Fax: 84/340-916, e-mail: balatonfoldvar@tourinform.hu

  • Tourinform Buzsák, 8695 Buzsák, Fő tér 1/a., Tel./fax: 85/530-070, buzsak@tourinform.hu
  • Tourinform Fonyód, 8640 Fonyód, Ady E. u. 1., Tel./fax: 85/363-170, e-mail: fonyod@tourinform.hu
  • Tourinform Siófok, Siófok, Víztorony Pf. 75., Tel.: 84/315-355, Fax: 84/310-117, e-mail: siofok@tourinform.hu
  • Tourinform Zamárdi, 8621 Zamárdi, Kossuth u. 16., Tel: 84/345-291, fax: 84/345-290, e-mail: zamardi@tourinform.hu
Jetty in the sunset
Jetty in the sunset

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