Balaton for Seniors - 5 days

Start your trip to Lake Balaton with a visit to the abbey, which was founded almost 1,000 years ago, and is the world-famous symbol of the Tihany Peninsula. The famous wall paintings of the monastery founded by (Saint) Andrew I of Hungary were painted by Lajos Deák-Ébner, Károly Lotz and Bertalan Székely, while 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.

Start your second day in Keszthely with the discovery of one of the most beautiful palaces in Hungary. Construction of the Baroque-style castle began in the 18th century, reaching its current size by the 1880s. The colourful park is the most important example of landscaping in Central Europe, while the Helikon Palace Museum is an exhibition that gives visitors a picture of what life was like for aristocrats and the luxurious life of the Festetics family. The palace is home to the only intact aristocratic private library remaining in Hungary, which escaped the ravages of World War II in an astonishing turn of events worthy of the silver screen. Certain scenes of the movie Kincsem were also filmed in the castle.

The Castle District in Veszprém towers above the medieval, crooked little streets of the town, with a profusion of museums, palaces, galleries and churches, from the Fire Tower to the north peak of the castle, where the statues of Saint Stephen and Blessed Gisela watch over the town. Visit the Dubniczay Palace, the Saint Michael Cathedral, the Archbishop’s Palace and the Gisela Chapel, but make sure you also have time for the Salesianum, located in the recently renovated Bíró-Giczey House, which was built in the 18th century. It is definitely worth a visit for its halls decorated with Baroque wall paintings, a liturgical exhibition and a violin maker’s demonstration workshop.

The first special trees and plants in the arboretum in Badacsonyörs were planted by Dr Gyula Folly on his family estate. Today, a fourth generation of gardeners tend to the hundreds of established cedars and cypresses, whose huge canopies provide visitors with cool shade even in summer; the panoramic view is also beautiful. After a walk in the garden, go and taste local fruit syrups and wines. Winemaking, just like the nurturing of the arboretum, has been a tradition passed down from generation to generation in the Folly family.

The recently renovated bath in Zalakaros has a 25,000 m² area of water and offers a number of wellness and healing services. Families will enjoy a great day in the slide park and the fun and wave pools in the thermal bath, while those who come here primarily to heal and relax will find what they’re looking for in the quiet thermal water pools and rest areas of the Healing Centre. The thermal bath is ideal for all generations: while grandparents enjoy the peace and quiet in the Healing Centre, the little ones can go wild in the fun pools in the two-storey Kids’ World.