"Lake Balaton. An hour from Budapest." Top 5 Page for this destination Balaton by dabidc

Balaton Travel Guide: 109 reviews and 231 photos

One day to see some of Lake Balaton.

The lake is about 90 kms from Budapest in a southwesterly direction. The new M7 motorway gets you there in less than an hour and the blue car of Gentleman 75 chewed those kms up like a hungry animal.

Then there are two choices, stay on the south side or drive along the east side of the lake and travel the north shore road. Or you can do a full circuit of Balaton, if you wish.

The lake is 77 kms long from N.E to S.W and has a width that varies from a narrow section of 4 kms to the widest part at 14kms. It is a relatively shallow lake.

If you have seen Neuseidler See on the eastern border of Austria, then you will notice some similarities. The shore line often has reeds growing long the edges and there are many Vineyards in the area.

The lake is a special place for the people of Hungary, it is the largest in Central Europe.

Notice the group of cyclists near the lake, there is an excellent bike/walking path alongside the lake.

There is also a train service and I have to admit that I have not tried it, however when using the internet to decide if I could take a train from Budapest to Graz in S.E Austria, I came across so many locations that started with Balaton that it was impossible to determine which way the train was going without a map of the lake. The journey would have taken all day.

Such places as Balaton Akarattya, Balaton Kenese, Balaton Fufzo, Balaton Almadi, Balaton Fured and so on. Wow a traveller's nightmare. .

Pros and Cons

Pros:A pleasant place to spend a leisurely few days.
Cons:Nothing wrong with taking life easy
In a nutshell:A place to unwind from the busy life in Budapest.

Last visit to Balaton: Oct 2004
Intro Updated Oct 30, 2004
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Reviews (20)

Look for and listen for the bird in the... Local Customs (1)

The Ciprian Restaurant is on the main street in Tihany. To help you find it easily look for the sign on the sidewalk and... more travel advice

Hungry Hungarian and Friend eat well... Restaurants (1)

It was warm enough to eat on the terrace, but we chose to dine inside. A quiet room with friendly attentive service,... more travel advice

Picturesque way of drying Paprika. Things to Do (18)

A great culinary delight in Hungary, it must be very difficult to live without that seasoning made from a type of red... more travel advice

A climb to the Abbey. Things to Do (18)

We stayed near the abbey but there is also a harbour to explore, where ferries from across the lake bring visitors to... more travel advice

Comments (6)

DPando Apr 30, 2008 at 8:26 AM Report Abuse

lovely place al this area form balatonfured..szeged !! so nice place and description page mate
TheWanderingCamel Nov 26, 2007 at 8:39 PM Report Abuse

Love the shot of the paprika drying on the roof. MrL often talks about driving around the shores of Lake Balaton - maybe we will one day. The castle looks very beautiful - leyle
Bwana_Brown May 12, 2007 at 6:17 AM Report Abuse

Eastern Europe is a spot I've always wanted to explore, so I really enjoyed this tour around Lake Balaton! You saw some great castles, both historic and ruined, and the views are spectacular!
olja1234 Mar 18, 2007 at 4:11 PM Report Abuse

I'm visiting Balaton next month. It'll be the third time, and it's great to revisit it through your page again. Thanks David.
matcrazy1 Jan 5, 2007 at 3:34 PM Report Abuse

Great tips and page. I spent summer holidays in a tiny village called Balatonlele when I was 3 and 4 years old, I can remember only steam train down the cottage we stayed in.
RACCOON1 Nov 24, 2004 at 6:58 AM Report Abuse

Nice Presentation. About 14 years ago we were close to taking a trip to Hungary and Lake Belaton. Never made it.