Water experiences
By bike in the eastern basin
The other classic active program is cycling around the lake, thanks to the bike ride around it. We recommend the 75-kilometer trip from Szántód to the eastern basin of Lake Balaton for more trained guests. This tip of the lake can also be cycled around on the bike tour, cycling along the Silver and Gold Coast of Siófok. The highlight of the tour is the famous High Shore of Balatonakarattya, from where you can enjoy the amazing panorama. Continuing the trip from there, it is worth stopping in Balatonfüred for a break on the Tagore promenade, from where you can cycle along the shore of the Tihany Peninsula to the ferry. Click for our cycling tour recommendations.
Hiking trails
Thanks to the special geological formations of the Balaton Uplands, the area is a paradise for hikers. You can visit the Csodabogyós Cave in Balatonederics, which has been open since 2006 and is named after the prickly evergreen bush at the entrance. It is the seventh longest cave in the country, the third longest in Transdanubia, 6 km long and 136 meters deep. You can choose from two types of hiking, the basic tour is 400-meter long and lasts 1.5-2 hours, and the extreme tour for the braver ones lasts four hours and is 900-meter long. The western part of the Balaton Uplands (the Tihany Peninsula, the Pécsely Basin and the Dörgicse area) is also rich in hiking trails, you must visit the Inner Lake on the Tihany Peninsula, the “barátlakások”, the “geyser field” near Dörgicse, the romantic gorge valley, and in the Káli Basin, the Hegyestű and the Kőtenger. On the southern shore, near Balatonföldvár, in Kereki, the castle of Fejérkő awaits those who are looking for active programs, although only a few ruins of the castle are reminiscent of its 14th century rise.
Educational trails and visitor centers
One of the favorite trip destinations for families in Balatonalmádi is the Vörös Homokkő Education Trail. Named after its typical natural formation, the round tour is 6 kilometers long, which is a 2-hours comfortable walk. The tour starts from the city. The Ecotourism Visitor Center in Badacsonylábdihegy is also a popular destination for families, where you can take part in an interactive guided tour and the center offers countless outdoor activities..You should not miss Kis-Balaton either, it is worth visiting the renovated lookout towers of Ingó Berek and Kányavári Island. The Búbos Vöcsök educational trail is only 1.5 kilometers long, thus, it can be easily walked through with small children, and you can also meet waterfowls while exploring the romantic island. If you are already there, you must also visit the Kis-Balaton Visitor Center in Keszthely-Fenékpuszta.
Adventure parks and experience centers
The Zamárdi Adventure Park is located in a beautiful park of thirty-five thousand square meters, about a hundred meters from the motorway and the Zamárdi-Felső railway station and offers an almost endless number of opportunities for active time. There are also extreme trails where visitors’ adrenaline levels are guaranteed to jump. The forest Adventure Park Bobsleigh Run is located on Várdomb in Balatonboglár, which is an ideal family program, even if there is no beach weather. The norther shore also has adrenaline-rush experiences. For example, the Serpa Adventure Park in Balatonfűzfő, where you can also bobsleigh, and the Balaton Adventure Park near Csopak offers wall-climbing for the more trained guests. Brázay Adventure Shore and Beach in Balatonfüred is also a popular and fun family destination. Although it is further away from Lake Balaton, due to its uniqueness, it is worth visiting the Katica Tanya Adventure Center in Patca, near Kaposvár, which is suitable for a full-day family program. Among other things, a boating lake, go-kart, slide park, trampolines and a range of exciting activities await visitors in the 13-hectare area.
Horse riding
If you haven’t tried yet, you must explore the romantic landscapes of the Somogy hills or the Balaton Uplands on horseback. Those who are interested in near-natural experiences can find riding halls on the northern and southern shores, such as Balatonlelle-Rádpuszta, Zamárdi, Siófok, Balatonalmádi, Szentmihálypuszta, Kővágóörs and Nemesvita. Longer or shorter star tours, picnics with horse, hunting rides, hiking tours around Lake Balaton even for several days are also available.
Golf around the lake
There are two professional golf courses on the northern shore of Lake Balaton. The elegant sport, which is much heavier and more complex than it looks at first glance, is also worth a try for beginners. Who knows? You may fall in love with this sport for a lifetime.
Hot air ballooning
This is certainly one of the most lasting experiences. Have you ever seen Lake Balaton from the air? You just can’t get enough of the sight. The service is available at several points on the lake, and there are even places where we can have even more extreme experiences, such as tandem skydiving jump. Would you try it?
