Ferto-Hansag National Park

Lake Ferto is the eastern end of a very shallow steppe lake shared with Austria, where it is called Neusiedler See. Its water is slightly saline, rarely more than a metre or two deep, and it is edged by one of the largest continuous reed belts in Europe: on the Hungarian side the reed is wider than the open water. Behind it lie the Hansag marshes, mostly drained for farmland in the nineteenth century and now being partly rewetted. The park works with saline meadows, grazing grey cattle and buffalo, and a bird list that runs to hundreds of species. A flat cycle route circles the whole lake and crosses the border, which is how many people see it.

What you actually see

• The reed belt - a dense band of reed wider than the open water, cut by channels and hide paths.
• Observation towers - timber platforms over the saline meadows for waders, geese and harriers.
• Saline grassland and grazing herds - salt meadows managed by grey cattle and water buffalo.
• The lakeside cycle route - a flat marked circuit that runs around the lake and crosses into Austria.

When to go

Spring migration in April and May, and autumn passage from September, give the strongest birding. Summer is the cycling season, warm but windy, and the wind here is relentless enough to decide which direction you ride first. Winter brings geese and stark light but most facilities close. Guided walks into restricted meadows need booking through the park.

Honest expectations

Open water is hard to reach on the Hungarian side because the reed belt stands between shore and lake, so this is not a swimming or scenic-lake destination. It is exposed, and the wind can make cycling genuinely hard work. Birding needs a scope and patience. Mosquitoes are bad in still weather. The visitor infrastructure is thinner than on the Austrian shore.

Nearby

Sopron with its medieval centre lies south-west, and the Esterhazy palace at Fertod sits just east of the park.