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Balaton for Explorers - 1 day

Balaton
How long it takes?
1 day
Best vehicle choice for this plan:
bus
car
public transport
This region is famous for:
Religious sites
Natural values
Balaton
Explorers
Day 1
If you only have a single day in the Lake Balaton region, discover the sights of Tihany and visit Balatonfüred, the ‘capital’ of the north shore.

Church and Museum of the Benedictine Abbey of Tihany

The abbey, founded almost 1,000 years ago, is the world-famous symbol of the Tihany Peninsula. There are invaluable works of art made by famous artists in the church of the monastery founded by (Saint) Andrew I of Hungary, including wall paintings by Lajos Deák-Ébner, Károly Lotz and Bertalan Székely; the beautiful wooden statues and the wooden altars were made by Sebestyén Stulhoff. The founding king was buried in the undercroft, making this the only Hungarian royal burial place from the era of the Árpád Dynasty that is still intact.

 

Walk around Tihany

If you stand at the lookout point next to the abbey, you have a beautiful view of the Belső-tó and the south shore. From here, take a few minutes’ walk to visit the Potter’s House and the Open-air Ethnographic Museum, which showcase typical folk architectural elements and tools and equipment used by traditional craftsmen. It only takes 15 minutes to reach Belső-tó and the Lavender House Visitor Centre, where you will find an interactive exhibition of how the Tihany Peninsula was formed and learn about lavender growing.

 

A walk in Balatonfüred

Your visit to the centre of the town will take you back in time, with its Classicist buildings from the Reform Era, beautiful parks and cobblestoned streets. Almost every building here has a story tell: actress Lujza Blaha and writer Mór Jókai, for example, both bought villas in Balatonfüred. After you have visited the Vaszary Villa, the Jókai Mór Memorial House and the Round Church, why not take a stroll on the Tagore Promenade and allow the many statues and plaques to tell you the history of the town? Lake Balaton’s best-known promenade is named after the famed Indian poet and Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore. Many celebrities have followed the example of planting trees here set by the great artist. The latest sights added to the promenade are the Bodorka Visitor Centre and the beautifully renovated Vitorlás tér, with its statue of actor István Bujtor.

 

During your visit

Wine

The Somló Juhfark (literally ‘Sheep’s Tail’) is one of the oldest Hungarian grape varieties. A ‘fiery’ wine with a strong acidic bite, it got its name from the volcanic hill called Somló, which is located 50 km from Lake Balaton, as well as the distinctive shape of its grape clusters. It takes about three to four years for the wine to peak and for its acids to lose their roughness. It is also called the ‘wine of wedding nights’: it is said that drinking it increases the chance of conceiving a boy.

Gastronomy

Catfish paprikash, which is traditionally made from wels catfish, is listed on the menus of restaurants around Lake Balaton as a specialty. It is a dish you really must taste while you are at the lake. The boneless fish is traditionally served with noodles with sheep’s cottage cheese, sour cream and bacon (cottage cheese noodles) and fried, diced bacon, accompanied by full-bodied white wines.

Move around like a hungarian