Hévíz & Keszthely
A spa retreat at the western tip of Lake Balaton: float year-round in Hévíz's natural thermal lake, visit Keszthely's Baroque Festetics Palace, and explore castles and vineyards on the surrounding volcanic hills.
Hévíz and Keszthely lie in Zala County in western Hungary at the western end of Lake Balaton. Just 6 km apart, they form a single spa and lakeside resort area — stay in one and explore the surroundings. Lake Hévíz is Europe's largest swimmable natural thermal lake, constantly replenished by springs in the lakebed; the water is about 33–36°C in summer and still 23–26°C in winter, the surface is covered in water lilies, and you can float and take the cure year-round; Egregy, just north of town, has a 13th-century church and a street of wine cellars. Keszthely is an old town on Balaton's western shore centered on the Baroque Festetics Palace, with a pier, lidos and a boat landing on the lakefront. The area is great for a road trip: on the volcanic hills to the north are the castles of Szigliget, Sümeg and Rezi and the vineyards of Szent György Hill, Tapolca has a lake cave you can boat through, and to the south are the Kis-Balaton wetland water buffalo reserve and the spa town of Zalakaros. Getting there: the train from Budapest to Keszthely takes about 2.5–3 hours, then take a bus to Hévíz; the nearest airport is Hévíz–Balaton Airport (seasonal flights). It's good in any season — soak in the thermal lake in winter, or combine it with swimming in Balaton in summer. Allow 2–3 days.
Top sights
- Lake Hévíz – The world's largest natural thermal lake you can swim in, with water lilies floating on its surface, open for bathing all year round.
- Festetics Palace – Hungary's third-largest palace. Its Baroque interior houses the Helikon Library, which holds about 90,000 volumes of antique books.
- Sümeg Castle – One of the best-preserved medieval castles in Hungary. In summer, it hosts knight tournaments and medieval banquets.
- Tapolca Lake Cave – A cave lake beneath the small town of Tapolca, where you can row a small boat through clear underground waterways. The temperature stays co…
- Szigliget Castle – The ruins of a 13th-century hilltop castle that once served as a border fortress against the Ottomans. Its walls offer panoramic views over…
- Szent György Hill – A volcanic hill in the Tapolca Basin, known for its organ-pipe basalt columns and the cellars on its slopes.
- Keszthely Lakeside & Pier – A lakeside park, long pier and city bathing area at the western end of Lake Balaton, offering swimming, boating and sunsets.
- Kápolnapuszta Buffalo Reserve – A grazing area for water buffalo in the wetlands of Little Balaton, where you can get close to herds wallowing in mud pools. A good choice…
- Egregy Árpád-era Church – A 13th-century small stone church on the hillside north of Hévíz, surrounded by Egregy Wine Street, which is lined with cellars.
- Balaton Museum – The oldest local museum on Lake Balaton, covering the lake's natural history, fishing, boating, and Roman-era archaeology.
- Rezi Castle – A medieval castle ruin in the Keszthely Hills; the summit offers views over Lake Balaton and the Hévíz basin.
- Zalaszántó Peace Stupa – A white Tibetan Buddhist-style stupa, said to be one of the largest in Europe, set on a wooded hilltop.
- Zalakaros Thermal Bath – A well-known thermal spa resort town with indoor and outdoor pools, water slides, and saunas, ideal for families.
Where to eat
- Öreg Harang Borozó – A family tavern on the Egregy hillside above Hévíz, with a menu written on a chalkboard, known for local buffalo and gr…
- Tompos Étterem – A family restaurant near Keszthely harbor offering Hungarian traditional dishes and Lake Balaton fish, with large platt…
- Halászcsárda Keszthely – A reed-roofed lakeside inn built in 1934 by the Festetics family, focusing on Lake Balaton fish and classic Hungarian d…
Itineraries
- Lake Balaton North Shore & Hévíz – Drive west along Route 71 on the north shore, connecting Tihany, volcanic wine country, and the thermal lake.
- Hungary Grand Loop Self-Drive – A clockwise road trip around the country, connecting the capital, eastern wine regions, the Great Plain, historic south…