14 reasons why Lake Balaton “is the Riviera”

Szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu played a trick on their readers on the last April Fools’ Day, when they collected reasons why you shouldn’t travel to Lake Balaton. We were inspired to turn all those cons into pros and set up a list of reasons why you should definitely visit Lake Balaton and why “it is the Riviera” for many Hungarians. Get ready for our impregnable reasons!

1. First and foremost: as Hungary doesn’t have a sea, we like to say that Lake Balaton is the Hungarian sea. And it can be seen from space: Sam Cristoforetti, Italian astronaut, even made a photo of it!
2. There are plenty of sights! We don’t even know where to start since no matter which city or village you travel to, it’s guaranteed that you won’t be bored. Badacsony, Csopak, Hévíz, Keszthely, Tihany or Tapolca are all must-see places!
3. The beautiful landscape: we are lucky to have a wide range of natural resources, which you can admire while drinking a glass of the famous wines from one of the Balaton wine-districts.
4. The Tapolca Cave Lake was formed by volcanic forces in the neighbourhood of Lake Balaton. How is this possible? Geysers spouted due to the volcanic forces in the place of the onetime Pannon Lake, in Transdanubia. These gouged out the passages of the Cave Lake, which offers a unique experience to its visitors.
5. You can have a great time at one of the many beaches, go swimming, dabbling, sunbathe or rent a paddle boat.
6. The incomparable ‘Balaton-smell’: we don’t know what it’s made up of, but it is definitely typical.
7. You can eat European hake, lángos (Hungarian flat bread) and pancakes in the buffets. These form an important part of the ‘Balaton-feeling’.
8. The lavender field and festival in Tihany is an invaluable experience. Once you’re in Tihany, make sure to also visit the Benedictine Abbey.
9. If you seek some adventure, like sports and being in the nature, then you should definitely go on a bicycle tour around the lake, which is a very popular activity among Hungarians.
10. Other sport events include swimming, sailing, volleyball etc. Did you know that hundreds of people take part in the Lake Balaton cross swimming competition every year?
11. You can choose from crazy festivals in the summer like Balaton Sound, B.my.Lake and Strand Festival.
12. If you want to take your favourite pet with you on your vacation, then we have good news for you: there are quite a lot of dog-friendly beaches at Lake Balaton.
13. Lake Balaton’s ice-cream selection is divine. The best ice-creams are awarded each year and you can try all of them during your sweet vacation.
14. Last but not least, there is a beautiful variety of historic castles around the lake. Make sure to visit the stunning Festetics Castle in Keszthely, the Esterházy Castle in Szigliget, the Széchenyi Castle in Somogyvár or the Vaszary Mansion in Balatonfüred.

All in all, we might get biased when it comes to Lake Balaton, but Hungarians have many childhood memories connected to this lake that can seem like an ocean to us. There is even a famous Hungarian song with the title “Lake Balaton is the Riviera for me”. This place forms an important part of the Hungarian culture, and we warmly recommend travelling to the lake and visiting some of the surrounding sights. Hopefully, you get a sense of the ‘Balaton-feeling’ or the ‘summer at Balaton feel’ that is loved so much by the Hungarians.

Photos: Wiki Commons By txd, www.facebook.com/tavasbarlang.latogatokozpont, www.facebook.com/TihanyHivatalosOldala, www.facebook.com/BalatonSoundOfficial, www.facebook.com/festeticskastelyhivatalos

Copy editor: bm

Source: Daily News Hungary