Lake Velence vs Lake Balaton: Horrendous prices at popular Hungarian vacation resort

For a number of years now, tourists have been faced with extremely high prices around Lake Balaton. Unfortunately, this year is no different on Lake Velence: buffet prices have reached incredible levels. Here’s what to expect if you want to holiday on Lake Velence in 2024.

Sky-high prices at the Hungarian sea

Lake Balaton. Source: depositphotos.com

As reported by Daily News Hungary in mid-May, those who want to eat lángos at Lake Balaton this year may face high prices. To clarify, Hungarian lángos is made from a simple dough consisting of flour, water, yeast, and salt, which is deep-fried until golden and crispy, then topped with several savoury toppings, such as garlic, sour cream, grated cheese, and sometimes even sweet toppings such as jam or Nutella.

As we wrote in the article, visitors to the “Hungarian sea” should expect a nearly 10% hike in prices compared to last year’s already high rates. Lake Velence is a great alternative to Lake Balaton, as it’s generally a bit less crowded, and usually a bit cheaper too: however, it might not be the case this year.

Prices at Lake Velence

According to reports from Pénzcentrum readers, tourists on holiday at Lake Velence should also be prepared for high food prices. Here are some examples:

Fish

• freshly fried catfish costs HUF 890/10 dkg (EUR 2.30);
• hake and bream cost HUF 790/10dkg (EUR 2.05);
• pikeperch costs HUF 1490/10dkg (EUR 3.87).

According to Pénzcentrum, these prices are roughly in line with those at Lake Balaton. Wanna eat something else? Find further examples below:

Main courses

• carp fish soup costs HUF 2690 (EUR 6.98);
• fried chicken breast or fried cheese with hash browns cost HUF 3490 (EUR 9.06);
• fried sausage costs HUF 1190/10 dkg (EUR 3.09);
• hot-dog costs HUF 900 (EUR 2.34);
• hamburger costs range between HUF 1290 and 1490 (EUR 3.35 and 3.87) depending on the extras.

One plain lángos is HUF 890 (EUR 2.30), one lángos with cheese is HUF 1250 (EUR 3.24), one cheese and cream lángos is HUF 1550 (EUR 4), and one lángos with dill and sheep’s cottage cheese is HUF 1500 (EUR 3.89).

Price of drinks and ice cream

According to Pénzcentrum, a pint of beer costs between HUF 790 and 1490 (EUR 2.05 and 3.87), a coffee HUF 550-650 (EUR 1.43-1.69), half a litre of coke HUF 700 (EUR 1.82). Ice cream prices are particularly high: a small portion costs HUF 850 (EUR 2.21) and a large portion HUF 1350 (EUR 3.50) on the shores of Lake Velence.

Along with lángos and beer, pancakes are another top product on the beaches. At Lake Velence, the price of HUF 350-450 (EUR 0.91-1.17) doesn’t seem like much, although you never eat just one. They are slightly more expensive on the shores of Lake Balaton, between HUF 400 and 500 (EUR 1.05 and 1.30).

Read also:

• Sky-high prices: Would you pay this much for a lángos on the beach in Hungary?
• Irresistible snacks at Lake Balaton: The secret behind fried hake and the best ice cream