Day 9 to 12 of my 2-week road trip

Tropical Islands – Sachsenhausen – Berlin – Dresden – Prague – Vienna – Devin Castle – Sandberg – Bratislava – Lake Balaton – Bokodi – Budapest

Lake Balaton is a beautiful freshwater lake, located in western Hungary. It is almost 50 miles long, making it the biggest freshwater lake in central Europe. It is a popular place for Hungarians to visit during their summer holidays.

We spent a total of 3 nights in the area. It was not long enough to explore the full lake, however, it gave us a great taster to the area.

Hotel

We stayed at Hotel Füred Spa & Conference, located in Balatonfüred. The hotel was amazing! Not only did we have a fantastic view from our room balcony, but the hotel also had its own private beach, an indoor and an outdoor pool. We stayed half board and the food was great. If I ever get a chance to revisit Lake Balaton, I will be staying here again.

Food

Whenever I travel to a different country, I love to try their local food. Here in Lake Balaton, I had the opportunity to try some Langos. Langos are basically deep-fried bread, covered with a topping of your choice. They are delicious! I had a Langos covered in cheese, ham, and Ketchup. If you do not fancy a savory one, that’s ok. They do sweet ones too.

Getting Around The Lake

The best way to explore Lake Balaton is by car. There is a road that takes you right around the lake. However, the drive around the lake can be long and slow going, along the windy roads. If you are staying near Tihany or Siófok, there is a car ferry that takes you across the narrowest part of the lake. It goes from Tihanyrév to Szántódrév We used this car ferry on our day trip to Siófok. The ferry crossing only takes around 5 minutes and we did not need to book in advance.

Places To Visit

The best way to explore Lake Balaton is by car. The lake is surrounded by lots of beautiful towns, villages, and lookout points. Here’s how my partner and I, spent our time exploring around the lake:

Tihany

Tihany is a beautiful village, located on the northern shore of Lake Balaton. The village is located on a 3-mile-long peninsula. To reach a village, you need to be prepared to climb up a hill. The village is situated 25 metres above the lake. The village is beautiful; full of character and thatched-roof houses.

Szigliget Fortress

Szigliget Fortress is a beautiful medieval fortress, located at the top of Várhegy Hill, 239 metres above sea level. As you climb up to the fortress, you will be provided with some fantastic panoramic views.

To visit, it will cost just over £2 (800 HUF) for an adult ticket and just over £1 (400 HUF) for a child ticket. You need to be prepared to climb lots of steps to reach the summit of the fortress.

Sziget Lookout

Sziget Lookout is just one of many lookouts along Lake Balaton. Some lookouts require you to climb up hills or steps, this one doesn’t but still provides lovely views across Lake Balaton.

The lookout is free of charge.

Kohegyi Kilato

Kohegyi Kilato is a lookout tower, located just outside the town, Siófok. There is a short walk up to the lookout tower, on a steep incline, then a few steps up to the top. However, do not let the climb put you off. As you arrive at the top of the lookout tower, you will be rewarded with fantastic views across Lake Balaton, seeing for miles and miles.

Siófok

Siófok is a small town located on the opposite side of the lake to Tihany. The town is one of the most popular holiday spots along Lake Balaton. It was my least favourite place to visit along Lake Balaton. The town is not very pretty, compared to other towns I visited around Lake Balaton. It was busy, areas were looking run down and there did not seem to be a lot to do. However, do not let this put you from visiting. This was just my opinion. We did, however, enjoy lovely ice cream for lunch, next to the water tower, which you can pay to go up. We also saw a very unique-looking church. The front of the church was designed to look like something. I’m not sure what! I will let you make up your mind from the photo below.