Lake Balaton is impressively the largest lake there is in Central Europe, no wonder it became one of the top tourist destinations. It’s a freshwater lake, but due to its size, it was called the Hungarian Sea. Spas, resorts, various wildlife and wine regions can be found all around Lake Balaton.
credit: mypersonalbudapest.com
The lake itself is 50 miles long, if you’re not a good swimmer or if you have kids with you, then take a dip on southern shores. Waters get instantly deep at the northern shores and it has an entrance fee. Peak season starts in July and August, so expect big crowds and ridiculous prices. If you really don’t feel up to fighting your way through all of that, visit during June or September. Don’t worry because the water is still warm enough.
If you don’t feel like swimming, you should explore the lake via bike along its 200 kilometer bicycle path. Also, you have a choice of either windsurfing or sailing along the lake, why not try both?
Tons of other activities are available, so book a hotel ahead of time. Remember that this is a top tourist destination, so it’s likely that most of them will be full. Hévíz is a thermal lake located just 6 kilometers from Lake Balaton. It’s not just any thermal lake, in terms of hot-water lake, it’s the second largest in the world. And as we said, there are wine regions which you absolutely cannot miss. There’s Balatonfelvidék which is exclusive to white varieties, Csopak-Balatonfüredi wine region produces riesling and cabernet sauvignon, Balatonboglár-kőröshegy produced great fruity and light wines, lastly Badascony Pinot Gris produce varieties of local wine.
