3 Tips for a Lavender Scented Stroll by Lake Balaton

Tihany is the birthplace of lavender cultivation in Hungary. Coming from France and found almost only in monastery gardens, the medicinal herb lavender was introduced to larger‑scale cultivation here over a century ago by renowned herbalist and chemist of the time Gyula Bittera. For nearly two decades now, every summer when the lavender blooms, the scenic peninsula has been the venue for the Lavender Weeks Festival. This time of the year local restaurants, pastry shops and handicraft stores are filled with lavender-based delicacies, cosmetics, and various other products made from this medicinal herb. And you can also choose from a wide array of related programmes. You can even have a go at picking lavender yourself and fill your harvest basket with the fragrant flowers of this beautiful plant.

If you are looking for the finest quality organic lavender, head to Dörgicse, not far from Tihany. The family‑run organic farm Levendárium started in the early 2000s now spreads across several hectares, shrouding the land around in the scent of over 30 varieties of organic lavender grown here. And then there is Monoszló, just a stone’s throw away from Dörgicse, where the French lavender is spectacularly complemented by the lighter hue English lavender during the second and third blooming seasons, which often extend into autumn. 

The southern shore of Lake Balaton, near Balatonföldvár, boasts a surprisingly modestly known but vast, fragrant, and beautiful lavender field. Established in 2012, the Kőröshegyi Levendulás (Kőröshegy Lavender Farm) cultivates the dark purple lavender native to Tihany as well as the lighter‑hued, modern French lavender, across seven hectares. The estate is open to visitors during the spring tulip, daffodil and lavender blooming seasons in the summer when, needless to say, you can also pick the flowers yourself.