Tripadvisor’s top 5 destinations at Lake Balaton, the Hungarian sea

After wandering around the country it is time to have some rest. What could be a better place for that than Lake Balaton? The Hungarian sea holds numerous possibilities to spend your holiday. Let us see the best ones. I tried to collect programs you may enjoy not only in the summer.

Tagore Promenade – Balatonfüred

Photo: facebook.com/TagoreBalatonfured/

It is the most famous promenade on the northern side of Lake Balaton, hundreds of thousands of people are walking through it every year. It was named after Rabindranath Tagore, Indian poet, who is most notable for being the laureate of Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. The promenade was given his name after his arrival to the sanatorium here in 1926. He planted a tree upon his recovery, which became a real movement since then: innumerable famous people planted trees in the park from Gandhi, Bertalan Farkas (the first and currently last Hungarian astronaut), Mandelbrot, Árpád Gönczi etc., but Tagore was the very first of many. He even wrote a poem to remember his plantation.

If you ever get around Lake Balaton, be sure to walk through the promenade and visit its 46 plaque, 13 statues, 5 memorials and the many trees to express gratitude.

Water Tower – Siófok

Photo: facebook.com/aviztorony/

The tower is located in the center of Siófok, which is the biggest town around the lake.  It is 45 meters high, and was built in 1912 and renovated by the local government in 2012. There are three centers for the entertainment of visitors: Water Tower Café, Szentkirályi Oxygen Bar and Samsung Experience Center and last but not least, you can sit down with your drink on the top floor and enjoy the view of the 360˚ belvedere.

If you are interested, take a virtual tour near the tower. For further information, check their website.

Lake Cave Visitor Center –Tapolca

Photo: facebook.com/tavasbarlang.latogatokozpont/

The Lake Cave system is located in Tapolca, not far from the north coast of the Lake Balaton. It is an extraordinary experience to make your way through the system of caves which is hiding under the streets of the town. Besides going down be sure to take a look around the new visitors’ center which includes interesting exhibitions about the karst regions and programs such as the Dripstone Room, the Cave Divers’ Room, the Bat Room, the Geopark Room, the Prehistoric Room, the Palaeokarst Room, the 3D Movie Room, the Boating in the Cave, the Playground and a Climbing Wall.

The centre is open all year:

1st March – 30th June: 9.30 a.m. – 5 p.m. (ticket office closes at 4 p.m.)

1st July – 31st August: 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. (ticket office closes at 7 p.m.)

1st September – 31st October: 9.30 a.m. – 5 p.m. (ticket office closes at 4 p.m.)

1st November – 28th February: 9 a.m. – 4.30 p.m. (ticket office closes at 3.30 p.m.)

24th, 25th and 31st December: CLOSED

26th December: 9 a.m – 2 p.m. (ticket office closes at 1 p.m.)

1st January 2019: CLOSED

You can ask for English, German or Hungarian guided tours. See more at their website.

Globe Viewpoint (Gömbkilátó) – Balatonboglár

The symbol of the town stands on the top of Castle Hill (no, not the one in Budapest, but there are plenty of hills called like this in Hungary J). You cannot miss it, especially at night, although it is better to arrive here at daylight if you want to truly enjoy the view. Tourists can have a wonderful panorama over the Lake Balaton: almost every part of the lake is visible from here, so prepare your binoculars! It is not a tragedy if you leave them at home, you can take a look around for HUF 200 (EUR 0.6)/ 2 minutes with the pre-installed ones, but be sure to have Hungarian forints on you, because they won’t work with any other currencies.

Want to take a look around before going there? Click here.

Adventure Park – Zamárdi

If you are brave enough, try the Adventure Park of Zamárdi on the southern side of the Lake Balaton. It includes 18 obstacle fields, 207 obstacles, 713 meters of cableways and an almost 1700 meters long railway. Each and every generation will find the field that fits them the most. Unfortunately, it is closed until Easter 2019.

Ticket Prices:

Kid’s Fields: HUF 3000 (EUR 9)/ 3 hours

Junior Fields: HUF 3800 (EUR 11.5)/ 3 hours

Adult Fields: HUF 4900 (EUR 15)/ 3 hours

You can find our previously suggested tourist attractions in Hungary here and here.