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Major city · Hungary

Balatonfüred

Stay 2 nights if you want the lake, the wine hills and Tihany; 1 night is enough if you are just breaking the Budapest–Keszthely run.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
HUF
Best months
May–Sep (swimming Jun–Aug)
avoid Nov–Mar (most lake services closed)
Airports
BUD · SOB
Nights
2
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 7Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window…
  • Europe ↗Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window, counted across all 29 Schengen states together — not per country; the Entry/Exit System now logs each crossing, so an overstay is detected automatically.
  • Europe ↗On the first Schengen entry since EES began, non-EU travellers give four fingerprints and a face photo at the border instead of a passport stamp; there is nothing to apply for or pay in advance.
  • Central Europe ↗Six of the nine countries here — Austria, Switzerland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia — charge a time-based motorway vignette, mostly digital and linked to the number plate; buy it before the first motorway past the border, because cameras, not toll booths, do the checking.
  • Central Europe ↗Temporary police checks at internal Schengen borders are common in this region in 2026 (Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovenia among others — check): keep your passport on you on every cross-border train, bus and road even though there is no fixed control post.
  • Hungary ↗Hungary is in the EU and the Schengen area: check entry rules, the EU Entry/Exit System and any travel authorisation requirement for your passport on official sources.
  • Hungary ↗The currency is the Hungarian forint (HUF), not the euro: decline dynamic currency conversion at cards and ATMs.
  • Hungary ↗Motorways need an electronic vignette (e-matrica) bought before you drive on them.

Balatonfüred is the calm, old-money end of Lake Balaton: a spa town with a heart hospital, a long promenade facing the Tihany peninsula, and a wine hill behind it. It is the third-largest town on the lake after Siófok and Keszthely, but it kept its 19th-century villas and its pump room instead of turning into a party strip. Come May–August for swimming and sailing; come May or September if you want the town without the crowds. Two nights covers the promenade, the old town, Tihany and a wine cellar; one night works as a rail stop between Budapest and the western shore.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Balatonfüred, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • CoffeeFt 600–1,200
  • Sit-down mealMain course in a mid-range restaurantFt 3,500–6,500 (≈ US$11–19)
  • BeerDraught beer, 0.5 lFt 900–1,600
  • Museum or sight ticketBeach entry (paid strand)Ft 1,000–2,500 (≈ US$3–8) (check)
  • Budget bedHostel or guesthouse bed, a night, per personFt 6,000 (≈ US$18)
  • Mid-range bedDouble room, guesthouse or hotel, a night, per roomFt 28,000 (≈ US$85)
  • High-end bedDouble room, guesthouse or hotel, a night, per roomFt 60,000 (≈ US$180)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget Ft 12,000 (≈ US$35) · Mid Ft 20,000 (≈ US$60) · High Ft 38,000 (≈ US$120)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Tagore promenade and the Tihany viewAnna Ball and the 19th-century spa villasKossuth mineral-water pump roomBalatonfüred wine hills
Airports
BUD Budapest Ferenc Liszt (About 2 h 30 min by train via Budapest-Déli, or 2 h by road; the nearest big airport.) · SOB Hévíz–Balaton (Sármellék) (Seasonal and limited service; check whether it is operating before you plan around it.)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Balatonfüred: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

3°C

−3°C

6 rd

Feb

5°C

−2°C

6 rd

Mar

10°C

1°C

7 rd

Apr

16°C

6°C

8 rd

May

21°C

11°C

9 rd

Jun

25°C

14°C

9 rd

Jul

27°C

16°C

8 rd

Aug

27°C

16°C

8 rd

Sep

22°C

12°C

7 rd

Oct

16°C

7°C

7 rd

Nov

9°C

3°C

8 rd

Dec

4°C

−1°C

7 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

The centre is walkable end to end in about 30 minutes, and the promenade is car-free in summer. Bikes are the best way to reach the wine hills and Balatonarács; rental shops line the lakefront. Local buses run to Arács and the surrounding villages, and the train station and bus station sit together at Castricum tér.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Tihany

go

Door to door: About 1 h

Ferry from the Balatonfüred pier, or bus around the north shore

Abbey church on the hill and the inner lake; go early, the village is small and fills up.

Keszthely

overnight

Door to door: About 1 h 30 min

Bus along the north shore, about 1 h 30 min; train requires a change at Tapolca

Festetics Palace and the western shore; the bus is the faster, direct option.

Hévíz

go

Door to door: About 1 h 30 min

Bus from Balatonfüred bus station, about 1 h 30 min

Thermal lake; a full day if you want to swim, half a day if you just look.

Siófok

caution

Door to door: About 1 h

Ferry across the lake, or train along the south shore

The party town of the lake; go for the crossing, not for the town.

Gyenesdiás

go

Door to door: About 1 h 15 min

Bus or train west along the shore

Quiet beaches and the Keszthely hills behind them.

Zalakaros

skip

Door to door: 2 h+

Bus or train via Keszthely, then local bus

Too far for a comfortable return day from Balatonfüred.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Tagore promenade / new town

Lakefront hotels and the boat pier; you pay for the view but walk to everything.

Old town (Jókai Mór utca)

Villas, museums and the pump room; 5–10 min walk to the water.

Balatonarács (east)

Quieter, near Kisfaludy strand and the Balatonarács rail stop; cheaper, 20 min walk to the centre.

Arács (north)

Village feel, folk house and wine cellars; bus or bike into town.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
Ft 12,000–18,000 (≈ US$35–55) excl. bed
Mid
Ft 18,000–30,000 (≈ US$55–90) excl. bed
High
Ft 30,000 (≈ US$90)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Double room, guesthouse or hotel1 × 2 nights × Ft 28,000Ft 56,000
Food, local transport, entries2 × 2 days × Ft 20,000Ft 80,000
Budapest-Déli → Balatonfüred train, one way2 × Ft 2,500 · checkFt 5,000
Ferry Balatonfüred → Tihany, one way2 × Ft 1,500 · checkFt 3,000
eSIM, about a week of data2 × Ft 3,000Ft 6,000
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgeFt 15,000
Trip total≈ Ft 41,300 per person per day, bed includedFt 165,000≈ US$500

2026 estimate in forint; travel to Balatonfüred excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

CoffeeFt 600–1,200
Lángos at a lakefront standFt 1,200–2,000 (≈ US$4–6)
Main course in a mid-range restaurantFt 3,500–6,500 (≈ US$11–19)
Draught beer, 0.5 lFt 900–1,600
Glass of local wine at a cellarFt 800–1,500
Beach entry (paid strand)Ft 1,000–2,500 (≈ US$3–8) (check)
Train Budapest-Déli → BalatonfüredFt 2,520 (≈ US$8) full fare (check)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

A very safe small town; the real risks are deep water off the piers, fast summer storms, and wine-cellars on the hill with no posted prices — ask the total before you order.
  • The lake is shallow and warms early, but summer afternoon storms arrive fast; watch the flag on the beach.
  • Many restaurants and boat services close outside Jun–Aug; check before you build a plan on them.
  • Wine-cellars on the hill often need a booking in high season and are hard to reach on foot after dark.
  • Budapest trains in summer are direct, but off-season some services require a change at Székesfehérvár.

Emergency numbers

All emergencies
112
Ambulance
104
Police
107
Fire
105

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

BalatonfüredBalatonfüred

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

Erre a címre, kéremTo this address, please

Emergency

  • All emergencies112
  • Ambulance104
  • Police107
  • Fire105

Embassy

No embassies in Balatonfüred; the US, UK, Canadian, Australian and Irish embassies are in Budapest.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Train Budapest-Déli → Balatonfüred: Ft 2,520 (≈ US$8) full fare, about 2 h 30 min (check)
  • Ferry Balatonfüred → Tihany: about Ft 1,500 (≈ US$5), 10–15 min (check)
  • Bus Balatonfüred → Veszprém: about Ft 700–1,000, 30–50 min (check)

Say or show

  • Jó napot — Hello (yoh NAH-pot)
  • Köszönöm — Thank you (KUR-sur-nurm)
  • A számlát, kérem — The bill, please (aw SAM-lat KAY-rem)
  • Mennyibe kerül? — How much is it? (MEN-nyi-beh KEH-rool)
  • Tudok kártyával fizetni? — Can I pay by card? (TOO-dok KAR-tyaa-val FEE-zet-ni)
  • Hol van a strand? — Where is the beach? (hol van aw SHTRAND)

Tourist information is on the promenade; opening hours are seasonal — check locally.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Balatonfüred. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: May–Sep (swimming Jun–Aug) · avoid Nov–Mar (most lake services closed) · month by month →
  2. 2 airports and 4 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 6 day-trips, door to door
  6. 4 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for BUD: last Budapest-Déli departures field-checked, taxi fallback, overnight rung.
  2. Four walking clusters with rescue anchors: promenade and pier, old town and pump room, Arács and the wine hill, Balatonarács and Kisfaludy strand.
  3. Place pages with verified cutoffs (Jókai villa, Vaszary Villa, Town Museum, Bodorka) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Ferry and boat timetables checked against the operator before the summer season.

Meanwhile

Back to Hungary

Sources