Keszthely is the oldest of the towns around Lake Balaton. Many of its small streets faithfully preserve the small-town atmosphere of the 19th century. For centuries, a decisive factor in the development and culture of Keszthely was the presence of the Festetics family, one of the richest Hungarian aristocratic families. Their Baroque stately home, today a museum, is one of the finest monuments in the Balaton region. Each week in the summer concerts are held in the park and the splendid rooms. The Balaton Museum is also a delight: its dioramas and show cases present the formation of the lake, the natural world, archaeological finds, the region's folk culture, and the history of the bathing culture. The nave of the Roman Catholic church is from Medieval times, and the frescos are held to be the finest creations of Hungarian Gothic. The city hosts the summer Balaton Festival and the Balaton Autumn.

Tours and Sights around Keszthely
Hiking tour in the Keszthely hills, Rezi Castle
Buddhist shrine (stupa) in Zalaszántó
Balatonederics, Africa Museum

Badacsony is the most famous wine-growing hill of the Balaton region. It is here that the grapes which go to making Badacsony Pinot Gris and Kéknyelű are grown. On the southern slope of the 437 m basalt hill hikers can sample the excellent restaurants and wine bars. At the summit the Kisfaludy Lookout offers a memorable panorama. Down below, not far from the harbour we find the house of József Egry, the painter of Lake Balaton, which is now a museum in his memory. The region hosts the Badacsony Vintage Days.

Excursions from Badacsony
Hiking tour to the Szigliget Castle (Szigliget)
Tapolca, the cave lake and the Mill Lake
Szent György Hill, organ-pipe basalt formations

One of the most obvious points in the landscape of the northern shore, just as it is on the map, is the Tihany Peninsula. On the smaller hill, a church and monastery was built in Tihany nine centuries ago. The royal document ordering the construction, the Deed of Foundation of Tihany, contains the oldest words written in Hungarian in a Latin context. Today only the Romanesque crypt, supported by squat columns, can be seen, and above it a Baroque Abbey has been built. The entire area of the peninsula is protected, and special sights include the Inner Lake (good for fishing), the cones formed by geysers, the Aranyház and lavender fields. The museums of Tihany are: the Benedictine Abbey Museum, the Open Air Ethnographical Museum (peasant farm house and house of the fishermen's guild) and the Doll Museum.

Excursions and Hikes on the Tihany Peninsula and its surrounds
Hiking tour on the peninsula: Echo hill, Outer Lake, monks' cells
Örvényes, Mill Museum
Protected cemetery at Balatonudvari with unusual heart-shaped carved tombstones

Although Balatonfüred got its name not from the baths ("fürdő") but from the quails ("fürj"), it was here that the Lake Balaton bathing culture was born in the 17th century. At first it was visited for the carbonated spring water, but in the second half of the 19th century, when bathing in Lake Balaton had become fashionable, the lake's first bathing house was constructed here from red pines. Balatonfüred is a town of "firsts" in other respects too. It was here that the first steam boat, named Kisfaludy, was built in 1846, and set out on her maiden voyage; later the first yachts were also made here; and the first stone theatre producing plays in Hungarian once operated here. All this opened a new era in Hungarian tourism history. It is a good idea to start your stroll around Balatonfüred in the two-hundred-year-old Gyógy tér ("Health Square"), by the famous spring, then walking along the park (more than a hundred years old) and the waterside promenade called "Tagore sétány" you come to one of the most beautiful harbours of the lake. In addition to the unusual shape of the nearby Kerektemplom ("Round Church"), its frescos and paintings are also of interest to tourists. A few minutes from here is the villa of one of the princes of Hungarian literature, Mór Jókai, which today is a memorial museum.

Excursions from Balatonfüred
Hiking tours:
the Lóczy cave,
the Tamás Hill Lookout
the Koloska valley
By car to Veszprém:
the Baroque archbishop's palace, the cathedral and the Gothic Gizella Chapel
the Queen Gizella Diocesan Museum
the Dezső Laczkó Museum
the Kálmán Kittenberger Garden and Game Park

Balatonföldvár is the most orderly settlement on the lakeside, and was purpose- built as a holiday resort at the end of the 19th century. Its wonderful parks, and masterfully planned streets and promenades show the fine taste of the most progressive of Hungarian aristocratic families, the Széchenyis, and also the technique of the planner and engineer István Spur, who later became Government Commissioner for the Balaton. The choice of location for the town was also spot-on: on a clear day the eye can trace the shore from Balatonföldvár all the way (200 km) down the lake. The resort also boasts the finest harbour of the lake.

Excursions from Balatonföldvár
On foot: Kőröshegy, Gothic church
By car: Igal, thermal bath, Balatonboglár, spherical lookout tower, Red Chapel (open-air performances), vintage festival in August

Siófok is - the summer capital and the busiest tourist centre in Hungary. Its resort and villa area was built at the end of the 19th century as the greatest tourism undertaking of the time. The world-famous composer of operetta, Imre Kálmán, is a son of Siófok, where there is today a museum in memory of him. In the spirit of the cult of Kálmán, for two months each summer an operetta gala evening is held each week. In the Catholic parish church organ recitals and master classes are held. With its huge discos, Siófok is a place of "pilgrimage" for young people. Their overriding favourite is the Beach House, built on the Nagystrand ("Main Beach") a couple of years ago, with sports during the day and rock concerts in the evening. The town hosts the season-opening festival at Whitsun and the Golden Cockle Folklore Festival.

Excursions from Siófok
On foot: Törek nature conservation reserve
By car: Szántódpuszta, Farm museum, Balaton Aquarium and horse shows
By boat: Tihany Peninsula, Balatonfüred