Visiting Tihany at Lake Balaton in Hungary

jana meerman tihany lake balaton hungary-08

Somehow, it’s already been four months since I visited a new country, my latest being my travels to Thailand and Liechtenstein in February and March. In need of a change of scenery, I booked a spontaneous two-week trip through four southeastern European countries: Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia and Croatia.

My first stop was a few days at Lake Balaton, the largest lake in central Europe. So large, in fact, that it can be seen with the naked eye from space! I visited Hungary last year but only had time for a long weekend in Budapest. I've had Lake Balaton on my wish list for quite a few years now and it thrills me that the opportunity has presented itself to spend a long weekend there. Lake Balaton is probably the most popular summer destination in all of Hungary, with Budapest residents flocking there in droves to escape the city.

Read my complete guide on how to spend a weekend at Lake Balaton!

One of the highlights of my time visiting Lake Balaton was my morning spent exploring Tihany. Tihany is a little peninsula jutting into Lake Balaton, south of Balatonfüred. It is famous for its lavender (my favourite flower of all - I've traveled the world in search of it!) and produces countless gorgeous products - from body and home care to food, teas, jewelry, clothes and other goods.

According to Hungarian Conservative, "the first lavender field in Tihany was planted in 1926 by Gyula Bittera, a Hungarian expert of medical herbs, on a parcel rented from the nearby abbey. The lavender brought to Hungary from France found fertile soil on the peninsula."

HOW TO GET TO TIHANY

I was staying in Révfülöp, located about half-way down the lake. From Révfülöp, I took the train to Balatonfüred - I bought the ticket from the office at the station, no need to buy in advance. It was 550 HUF at the time of writing (less than €1.50).

From Balatonfüred station, the 7355 bus runs regularly to Tihany on a big loop stopping everywhere between the two. You take the same bus back and close the loop. The bus is cash only and was about €1.20.

THINGS TO SEE IN TIHANY

I spent a morning wandering around the quaint village and felt it was plenty of time to see all the highlights. If I had the afternoon here, I would have gone down to the lakeside and spent a few hours there with an ice cream in hand and swimming.

Make sure to check out the view from the 11th century Benedictine Abbey standing proudly over the lake. There are loads of darling little lavender boutiques selling all kinds of products. And you absolutely must get a lavender ice cream to enjoy as you explore.

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Jana Meerman

Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.

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Visiting Tihany at Lake Balaton

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