Lake Balaton is a freshwater lake in the Transdanubian region of Hungary. Visit Lake Balaton to experience the largest lake in Central Europe.

Considered to be the ‘Hungarian Sea’ and over 50 miles long, millions of tourists visit each year and there are many resort towns with artificial beaches.

I was looking for a change of pace after seven days in Budapest and, despite it being November and cold, decided to visit the lake for a short stay.

Where To Stay In Lake Balaton

The southern shore of Lake Balaton is almost entirely made up of small resort towns. The biggest of these is ‘Siofok’ (map) which is also the most lively. It is known as the ‘party capital of Hungary’.

The Northern shore is less built up and the towns are quieter. There are some wonderful views over the lake from the north shore.

Visit Heviz

One of the bigger towns on the north shore is ‘Keszthely’ (map). Just north of Keszthely is ‘Heviz’ (map), a small town known for its thermal spa and a place to come and relax. I decided that Heviz would be my destination.

How To Get To Heviz From Budapest 

To get from Budapest to Heviz, I needed to take a metro, two trains and a bus. Plenty of opportunity there for things to go wrong! As it turned out, it was all very straight forward. The metros in Budapest are regular and I arrived at the train station with plenty of time to spare. As I sat down, a man placed a nodding turtle on the table in front of me. I presumed he wanted me to buy it so I left it on the table and he returned minutes later to take it away. As I was to discover, this is a thing in Hungary!

The train departed on time. It was a pleasant journey as half of it runs alongside the lake which is visible in certain points. Sit on the right hand side of the train to get the best views.

I arrived at ‘Balatonszebtgyorgy Station’ (map) where my next train would leave just a few minutes later. This took me to Keszthely. Outside Keszthely train station was a small bus station and I got straight on to the bus which took me to Heviz. Smooth!

White & Quiet Apartment

My accommodation, ‘White & Quiet Apartment’ (map), was a five minute walk from the town centre. It looked impressive on arrival.

My apartment was at the back of the main building.  I was checked in by a super friendly woman called Maria who did her best to explain everything in the apartment. She told me that I was the first British guest they had ever had! When she struggled to find the words to explain how to use the washing machine, she fetched her mother.

The facilities were excellent. There was a small two-ring hob, toaster, kettle and mini-oven meaning I could cook pretty much anything I wanted. The beds were super comfy and the bathroom was more than pleasant, with instant hot water. The WiFi worked perfectly.

The family own two cats and both made me feel super welcome!

I couldn’t have wished for a better place to spend my time in Heviz. It was cheaper than all other places in the area but it had everything I needed. I would highly recommend this place to anyone considering a visit to Heviz.

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I paid £44 for a 3 night stay in an apartment with bathroom and full kitchen facilities.

Click here to book a stay at ‘White & Quiet Apartments’.

I loved the apartment that much, I decided to stay in on my first night. There is a supermarket just 5 minutes away so I made sure I was prepared.

Things To Do In Heviz

Bicycle Hire In Heviz

On my first full day in Heviz, I decided to hire a bicycle and explore some of the towns on the north side of Lake Balaton. I headed into the town centre which was only 5 minutes away.

Tourinform Heviz

I reached ‘Tourinform Heviz’ (map), the town’s tourist information centre. I had heard it was possible to hire a bicycle for the door and this proved correct. Rental was around £5 for a day and this means you bring it back the next day, not later in the same day. This was a welcome surprise as it meant I wouldn’t have to rush to get the bike back before closing time. They never noted the time so I could have probably returned it at any time the next day. As it was not tourist season, they were probably a little more flexible.

I had my choice of bike and they were all in excellent condition and had multi-gears.

Hevez Producers’ Market

Before I began my journey, I stopped in at the local farmers’ market. The outside market had stalls selling ceramics, glass, wood and textiles products whereas inside stalls were selling local produce such as wine, honey, fruit and veg, meat and lots of chilies. The market is open on Saturdays and Tuesdays 7 am to 1 pm and on Thursdays from 1 pm to 6 pm. Map.

Visit Keszthely

My first stop was the town of Keszthely which is the largest town by Lake Balaton. I cycled around the town, taking in the many wonderful buildings.

Keszthely Coffee Shop

I had already cycled around 10 km and it was quite chilly so I decided to make a coffee stop before heading to the lake. ‘Tulipan Kavehaz’ (map) provided warmth and strong coffee. I was ready to continue.

Lake Balaton

In just a few minutes, I reached the lake. As it was out of season, I had the whole area to myself. Almost.

The lake is 77 km long so there would be no chance of me cycling around the whole perimeter! I checked Google Maps and saw that there was a bicycle trail that would take me along the north-west edge and I could stop at Batsanyi viewing tower before returning to Heviz.

After a short while, the cycle route left the lake and followed alongside the train tracks. There were some cute houses along the way.

Saint Michael Chapel

After cycling through the tiny villages of Gyenesdias and Vonyarkvashegy, I noticed a sign pointing uphill to a small chapel. Intrigued, I parked up my bicycle and set off on foot to have a look. As the sign said, there was a small chapel.

The highlight was the views.

Balatongyorok

Moving on from the chapel, I came to the town of Balatongyorok. Once again, I had the whole place to myself.

Balatongyorok looks to be a tourist town as there were bars and restaurants, even a mini-golf. Everything was closed so I carried on with my journey.

End Of The Journey

I reached ‘Szepkilato’ which provided great views over the lake.

My original plan was to end my journey at the ‘Batsanyi Viewing Tower’ (map) but this was yet another half an hour away by foot, uphill, and I had the bike. The sun was starting to disappear over the lake so I decided to skip the viewing tower and head back to Heviz. I would by cycling on the road so it would be quicker as long as I didn’t keep stopping to take pictures of Hungarian homes and shops.

I finally reached Heviz after cycling for 43 km, beating my previous best in Angkor Wat.

Bars In Heviz

As a reward to myself, I decided to go for a beer. Heviz is NOT a party town. There is the odd cocktail and wine bar but they all close at 9 pm. There is one regular bar in the centre called ‘Ven Bakter Borozo’ (map). They sell bottled beer and they were very friendly to their only tourist! As there was nothing else to do, I grabbed a bottle of Hungarian wine and Hungarian sausage from the local supermarket and went back to the apartment.

Heviz Thermal Lake

The next morning, I had to force myself to visit the main tourist attraction in Heviz: the thermal lake. Originally, I was going to do the lake on the first day and then cycling on the next. Then I decided that it would be better to do the lake second so I could relax my muscles in the thermal waters. It had nothing to do with me being nervous about visiting the lake. Not at all.

It was a miserable, rainy day. Certainly not good for cycling but it didn’t matter for the lake.

I left the apartment with my swimming outfit and the swimming noodle that the apartment provided. After dropping off the bike, I headed towards the lake. I had read reviews that said it is totally unorganized and unfriendly. This is nonsense. It was perfectly organised and I guess some people think if a person does not speak English, they are unfriendly.

After payment, I was given a ‘watch’. This gained me entry into the changing area. I then scanned my watch in the changing area and it gave me a locker number. The watch opens and locks the locker. A lot of people just strip off and get changed here but there are a limited number of changing rooms. Once I was ready, I headed to the outdoor lake. Though it was raining, the lake was very warm and it was a fantastic experience floating with the aid of my noodle and feeling the cool rain on my face.

I then went inside to relax before trying out the indoor pools. There are four pools to choose from but they are all connected so you can move freely from one to another.

I was surprised to see fish swimming about in the indoor pools! There is also a mud bath and a salt room. I also had an underwater massage which was a great way to end my time here.

Though I was a bit nervous about coming here for some reason, I actually had a great time. It was very relaxing and, though I wanted to buy a shorter slot than is allowed, I didn’t get bored. I came for 3 hours and it cost 3200 HUF (just over £8). If your accommodation does not have the swimming noodles, you can rent them from the lakes, rather than buying. For further info: https://www.heviz.hu/hu/hevizi-to/hevizi-tofurdo/tofurdo-nyitva-tartas-arlista.

Click here for Heviz Thermal Lake Opening Times.
Click here for Heviz Thermal Lake Entrance Fee.

Exploring Heviz

I then decided to explore the town of Heviz but that took about 10 minutes. It really is small and there is not a great deal to do other than visit the surrounding towns, Lake Balaton and the thermal spa. I had a beer in the only pub in town and returned to my accommodation. With wine, obviously.

Is Heviz Worth Visiting?

Heviz is a lovely, little town and a great place to stay to explore the surrounding area. The thermal lake is a must-visit and I also recommend hiring a bike and exploring some of the other small towns. It was a welcome change of pace from Budapest.

For more information about Heviz, visit https://www.heviz.hu/en