Lake Balaton – a summer weekend with friends

Lake Balaton is called the sea of the Hungarian people, and with good reason. Despite being a lake, it seems to stretch on forever, and from certain viewpoints it truly looks like the sea. This summer I was invited by a friend to spend a weekend there and to try a restaurant called Csopaki Resti, which turned out to be fantastic and definitely worth a trip.

This visit was not my first time in the area, and hopefully it will not be my last. There is always more to discover at the lake. We left Vienna by car on a Friday afternoon, and while dark clouds already gathered above the city, the weather at Lake Balaton was still pleasant enough for a swim when we arrived a few hours later. We stopped at Fövenyesi beach, which doesn’t charge an entrance fee after six and offers some excellent culinary options.

Fövenyesi beach @Lake Balaton

The next day we crossed from Tihany to Szántód by ferry to explore the southern side of the lake. The sky was slightly overcast, but it stayed warm enough to bring our swim gear along. Even though the crossing is at the narrowest point of the lake, looking out across the water one almost feels as if standing by the sea.

crossing the lake @Lake Balaton

Our destination was Fonyód, where the first thing that caught my eye was an eccentric villa that once belonged to a former soccer player.

hobbit villa @Lake Balaton

This villa wasn’t on our list of must-sees in Fonyód, just something we passed on the way to the Kripta Villa. We followed József Street uphill, all the while enjoying the view over the lake. Sunsets must be spectacular from this side.

walking along József street @Fonyód

Although the name Kripta Villa sounds morbid, this house is actually a monument to eternal love. At the beginning of the 20th century, a pharmacist fell in love with the daughter of a noble family. After a long struggle to win the approval of both sides, they finally received permission to marry. Sadly, the bride died three weeks before the wedding. The groom was heartbroken and, although he later married and had children, he built this villa in Fonyód, where the couple had spent many happy hours.

The basement holds a crypt with a red marble bed on which life-sized statues of the pharmacist, Ödön Abrudbányai-Rédiger, and his beloved Magdus Anda lie together. According to local legend, your love will also be eternal if you hold hands with your partner above the marble bed. We didn’t go inside since there was no one to hold hands with.

Kripta villa @Fonyód

The terrace behind the villa invites you to linger over a coffee, and the view from up here is simply beautiful.

view on Lake Balaton @Kripta villa

There was no rest for us though. We continued walking uphill, always with Lake Balaton glimmering below, beckoning for another swim. The weather had improved throughout the morning and by then the sky was a clear blue. After a short walk through a wooded area, we reached what seemed to be the top, marked by stone circles on the ground. Not quite sure what they signified, but we took it as a sign to stop for coffee and cake.

Balaton Fonyód Hill Park @Fonyód

Following the path further, we passed many old villas with detailed information boards. The descriptions, as usual in Hungary, were only in the local language, but luckily smartphones make translation easy these days. After reading about two or three of these houses, I realized I didn’t really care who had lived there. It was far better to look out over the lake and try to identify the extinct volcanoes surrounding it.

all the mountains across the lake @Fonyód

trying to match the information with the real view @Fonyód

Eventually we made our way down to Fonyód beach and went for a short swim. The beach here is public and free of charge, with changing stalls and bathrooms available.

public beach area @Fonyód

Back on the northern shore, a vineyard awaited us. St. Donat is an organic wine estate where you can taste their wines on a terrace overlooking Lake Balaton.

St. Donat winery @Csopak

While the wines were excellent on their own, it was the view from the terrace that made the experience unforgettable. The little peninsula in front of us was Tihany, the place where I stayed for the weekend.

Tihany to the right @St. Donat

The next morning I woke up at sunrise, which is truly magnificent over the lake and best seen from Tihany.

sunrise over Lake Balaton @Tihany

While in Tihany, don’t miss the Calvary Hill. Even though I have passed it several times, I have never actually walked up. Next time I really must. Hopefully another invitation will come my way soon. Yours, Pollybert

Calvary Hill @Tihany