Tour to the 'Hungarian Sea' - Lake Balaton
9 Hours
Option 1
Travelling half an hour towards the West, we pass by the second largest lake of Hungary, called Velence Lake. It is situated at the foot of the Velence Mountain Range and is a popular holiday area for Hungarian families. The shallow water is ideal for swimming and fishing. After further half an hour we reach the largest fresh water lake of Middle - Europe, named Balaton. It has a length of 76 and an average width of 10 kilometres. Along the southern coastline there are the most popular holiday resorts of Hungary, fine beaches and romantic, peaceful little villages. The southern part is totally flat, the water is very shallow and that is why so many families with small children prefer this area. At the northern part of the lake the Balaton Upper-Land Mountain Range offers lovely diversity in the landscape. The climate of the region is very mild, the soil is fertile and so perfectly suitable for growing vegetables, fruits and grapes but major income provides to most of the locals tourism.
After crossing lovely little holiday resorts and wine yards, we reach Tihany Peninsula situated on the northern shore of the lake. Here your guide shows you the baroque Benedictine Church and Abbey founded in 1055 by Hungarian King András 1st. During the Turkish occupation the area was completely devastated including the original Romanesque church, but later in the 18th century a new baroque church was built upon the remains of the Romanesque crypt. The copy of the foundation document, which is the earliest written example of the Hungarian and Finno-Ugric languages, is displayed in the crypt. Outside, from the church terrace the view of the lake is wonderful. After spending some time in the street of the craftsmen looking at the old thatched roofed fishermen’s houses from the 18th century and looking at the many souvenir shops or having a cold drink, we will have delicious lunch accompanied by wine in a nice local restaurant. The next stop is at Balatonfüred that used to be the most favourite holiday resort of noble Hungarian families in the middle of the 19th century during the Age of Reform. Attractions in the town are the Tagore Promenade with nice view of the Tihany peninsula, decorated by old sycamore trees, the convalescent hospital and some nice villas from the 19th century. In summer you have the opportunity for bathing; the water temperature can reach 25-28˚C.
The third stop is at the world famous porcelain manufacture of Herend, established in 1826. Regarding the volume of production it is now the largest porcelain producer in the world. In the very beginning the production was limited to copy of patterns of other manufactures, later Herend developed its own design, also producing porcelain sets for the Imperial couple (Franz Joseph of Habsburg and his wife Elisabeth) and Hungarian aristocrat families. The wonderful hand painted products became more and more popular, today you can even order your own design... To get acquainted with the production of porcelain, we visit the manufacture and follow step by step how the white clay gets transformed into beautiful shiny porcelain. In the neighbouring porcelain museum the most precious pieces can be seen.
After a nice coffee or tea Museum Café and eventually shopping in Porcelain Shop we finally return to Budapest.
Option 2
If you choose this tour, we leave the capital to the western direction and after an hour driving across the Transdanubian landscape, passing by the second largest lake of Hungary - Velence lake - we reach the largest sweet water lake in Middle–Europe, called Balaton. It is 76 kilometer long and from 1.5 to 14 kilometers wide. The northern part of it is a hilly landscape while the southern coast is totally flat. This is the most popular holiday area in Hungary.
After passing by picturesque holiday resorts and wineyards we reach the Peninsula of Tihany, situated on the northern shore. In a little town called the same as the peninsula, namely Tihany, we visit the famous Benedictine abbey and the church that was founded in 1055 by Hungarian King Andás I, as burial place of his family. During Turkish occupation the area was devastated but later in the 18th century a new baroque church was set up on the ruins of the older Romanesque crypt. Here you can see the copy of the foundation document which was the very first, written in Hungarian language. Beside the ecclesiastical complex, from 300 feet above the lake the view from the panoramic terrace is wonderful.
After a short walk we take you to a restaurant where we have delicious lunch accompanied by wine. In your free time you can buy some Hungarian souvenirs and handicrafts in the street of the craftsmen. The next stop is at Balatonfüred, former noble bathing resort of Hungarian aristocracy. On the famous Tagore Promenade we take a walk and enjoy "Hungarian maritime – feeling" underneath Sycamore trees. In summertime you can also have a swim in the lake. Finally we return to Budapest.