Lake Balaton

Lake Balaton is the largest lake in Central Europe and Hungary's beloved inland sea, a long, shallow, warm lake of resort towns, beaches and vineyards. Its north shore is the more scenic, with the volcanic Tihany peninsula and its abbey, wine country and hills, while the flat south shore holds the busy family resorts and shallow swimming.

Background

Balaton is a freshwater rift lake in Transdanubia, 78 kilometres long and 14 kilometres wide, covering 600 square kilometres with 235 kilometres of shore and reaching a maximum depth of 12.2 metres. The Zala River supplies the largest inflow, while the only outflow is the canalized Sió. Wine has been made here for 2,000 years, since Roman times, helped by soil containing volcanic rock. Balatonfüred and Hévíz were early resorts for the wealthy, but only in the late 19th century did landowners whose vines were ruined by Phylloxera begin building summer homes to rent to the middle class. Railways in 1861 and 1909 brought more visitors, and in 1927 the country's first biological research institute opened on the shore.

Source: Wikipedia, "Lake Balaton"

What's there

• The Tihany peninsula - the volcanic peninsula with its abbey and lavender fields.
• The resort towns - Balatonfured, Siofok and the lakeside promenades.
• The wine hills - the vineyards of the Badacsony volcanic hills.
• Swimming and sailing - the warm shallow water for families and boats.

When to go

High summer for swimming, sailing and the full resort life; the lake is very much a summer destination, quiet and with reduced services outside. The wine harvest brings autumn colour to the north shore.

Good to know

It is a summer resort lake, so July and August are busy and prices rise, while out of season it is quiet and many places close. The south shore is developed and family-focused; the north shore holds the scenery and wine. The water is warm but shallow and can be murky.

Nearby

Budapest is ninety minutes away; the Heviz thermal lake lies at the western end.

Key facts