• Get In
• Get around
• Do
• Buy
• Eat
• Drink
• Sleep
• Pictures

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 (First Class) for the one way fare. There are discounts for families (33%)and students (65%). Not all ticket windows at the main terminals accept credit cards so you better 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. Frequent services operate from Frankfurt, Cologne, Berlin, London Stansted and Zurich. www.flybalaton.hu has timetables.

[edit] Get around

Major cities around

• Siófok - one city competing for the title "Capital of Balaton"
• Balatonfüred - the other city competing for the title "Capital of Balaton"
• Fonyód
• Keszthely
• Tapolca - Nice small town, Cave Lake.

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] Do

• Hiking in the northern hills.

• Exploring wine cellars.

• Cross-Balaton Swim Contest. [1] In 2008 it will be held on 26 July, 2008 (Saturday), starting at 0800. 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.

• Relaxing in thermal spas. The two best known are at Héviz 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.

• Swim. Summer water temperatures range from about 16C to the mid 30s; beacuse 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 scarce avoid getting silt everywhere. Beaches on the north shore tend to have more facilities, but have an entrance fee. Most beaches on the southern shore are free, though large sections of the shore are privately owned by hotels and campsites. 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.

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] Buy

Buy wine of course!!!

[edit] 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.

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

[edit] Drink

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

[edit] 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 7 per person/night. Costs for a house with 3 bedrooms can run from about Euro200/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.

[edit] Pictures

Jetty in the sunset