Must visit lakes in Hungary – other than Balaton

Lake Balaton is the most popular lake in the country, but not the only one. Hungary has many beautiful lakes, so if you are getting tired of Balaton, or just want a change of scenery, here is a selection you could check out, listed by magyarorszagom.hu.

Lake Palatinus

Lake Palatinus is the biggest lake of the Dorog Basin, in Esztergom. It is a rectangle shaped man-made quarry lake with a narrow bay at its Southeast corner. Since it is one of the clearest lakes in Hungary, it is definitely worth visiting. It is a great spot to go swimming, fishing or even scuba diving!

The lake is not fed by rivers or streams, only by groundwater channels. The Kenyérmezői stream drains it.

The Northern side of the lake has a sandy beach, where you can lay sunbathing or play beach volleyball. It is also a nice spot for swimming. The Southern part is filled with fishing lodges. You can rent boats, pedal boats, or try the water slides.

Water temperature is around 19 °C; max depth is 10 metres. Although the lake was made artificially by excavating sand in the 50s, today it has its own unique ecosystem.

A diving museum was opened in 2006, which is also worth a visit. And as an interesting tidbit: there is shipwreck here under the water. The ship was built in 1615, and it was sunk here in 2009 in order to conserve it.

Lake Deseda

Lake Deseda, just north of Kaposvár, is Hungary’s longest lake. It was created by intentionally damming the river in 1974.

The beach is very popular in the summer, while there are skating rinks set up during the winter. The area is surrounded by forests with many hiking and biking trails. The beach closest to Toponár is where younger people go to have fun, swim and play on the beach. The part around Magyaregres and Somogyaszaló is more about nature, peace and quiet.

There are bike paths around the area, so if you are up for a nice workout, you can circle around the lake by bike. The lookout tower on the western side gives an amazing view of the lake and the forest. If the weather is good, an electric boat is there to take you on a trip.

North of Road 67 there is an arboretum on the peninsula, where the admission is free since 2001. There is also a visitor centre and an adventure park with hiking trails, playgrounds for the kids, and a promenade beneath the trees that is certainly a must-see.

Old Lake

Old lake (Hungarian Öreg-tó) is situated in the middle of the town of Tata, and it is the country’s oldest fish pond. Adjoining the South-east quarter of the lake is a wooded area. It is fed by the Által-brook from the south-east, which then leaves it in a Northerly direction through the town until it eventually reaches the Danube.