Two days in Balaton lake

Hey guys !

Today I won’t talk about Budapest but about one beautiful place in Hungary : Balaton lake.

Balaton lake is a freshwater lake in the region of Hungary. It is the largest lake in Central Europe, and one of the region’s foremost tourist destinations. The Zala river provides the largest inflow of water to the lake, and the canalized Sió is the only outflow.

The mountainous region of the northern shore is known both for its historic character and as a major wine region, while the flat southern shore is known for its resort. The major resorts around the lake are Siófok and Kezthely which I am going to talk after. Zamárdi, another resort town on the southern shore has been the site of Balaton Sound, a notable electronic music festival since 2007

Siòfok is known for attracting young people to it because of its large clubs. Keszthely is the site of the Festetics Palace.

During my trip, I lived in Balantonmáriafürdó. It’s really easy to come in Balaton from Budapest because during all day you have train to go in each city you can see in the map.

So I could pass two days to visit this amazing region , I am going to describe my travel in the article.

First day, I went to Balatonföldvár. It’s a really cute place with only one Harbor. I was not over there to visit but to wait one boat to cross the lake to finish in Tihany.

Tihany is a village on the northern shore of Lake Balaton on the Tihany Peninsula). The whole peninsula is a historical district.

The center of the district is the Benedictine Tihany Abbey, which was founded in 1055 AD by András (Andrew) I, who is buried in the crypt. The founding charter of this abbey is the first extant record of Hungarian language, preserved in Pannonhalma Benedictine Archabbey. The church itself was rebuilt in baroque style in 1754. The still functioning abbey is a popular tourist attraction due to its historical and artistic significance. It also has the best view of Lake Balaton.

On the shores of Lake Balaton stands the former summer residence of the Habsburg imperial family, which remained in the private ownership of the family until the end of the Second World War. It was since used as a hotel but is now in private hands and not accessible to the public.

After I passed all my afternoon here, I crossed again the lake to go in one of the most famous place to go out during the summer for young people : Siófok.

Siófok is a town in Hungary on the southern bank of Lake Balaton in Somogy County and the seat of Siófok District. The town is one of Hungary's most popular holiday destinations, famous for its beaches and nightlife. Siófok is one of the richest municipalities of Hungary due to tourism. Hungarians often call the town "the capital of Lake Balaton", as it is the largest town on its shores and acts as the commercial and touristic hub of the region.

There are only few classic tourist sites in Siófok, so you will surely have enough time to visit them, including the Water Tower and the Mineral Museum. The city’s Evangelic Great Church also deserves attention, since it was designed by the legendary Hungarian architect Imre Makovecz.

During my second day I went to Keszthely to see the famous Festetics castle.

Keszthely is a Hungarian city of 20,895 inhabitants located on the western shore of Lake Balaton. It is the largest city by the lake and one of the more important cultural, educational and economic hubs in the region. Due to its favorable location and accessibility by both road and rail, Keszthely and the surrounding area is a preferred holiday destination.

The swamp is particularly known as a water fowl habitat and enjoys international recognition and protection as a natural reserve. Keszthely is very close to some northern Balaton wine regions which are known to produce high quality white wines from locally cultivated varieties.

The Festetics Palace in Keszthely is the third Hungarian palace in size, while it is the most popular with visitors. It functions as a museum and an events centre.

Christopher Festetics began the construction of the Festetics Palacein 1745. The wings were enlarged while the facades remained unaltered. His son, George Festetics I, started the next major reconstruction in 1792. He added the southern library wing to the palace.

The building is surrounded by a nature reserve park. The sights in the park include trees that are hundreds of years old, colourful flowerbeds, fountains, statues, the garden pond and the fountain decorated with lions. The palm house and the former coach house with the coach exhibition can be found in the park, while the new building of the hunting exhibition and the historical model railway exhibition is opposite the back gate of the park.

So it was all the places I could see during my trip , if you go to Erasmus in Budapest , you have to go in this place to discover as best as possible the Hungarian culture and history !