Kis-Balaton grand round tour from Keszthely (blue A)

1. Route details
This 72 km long tour runs on the most beautiful parts of the Kis-Balaton region.
The tour is not easy. Although the surface of the Kis-Balaton area is basically flat, the length of the tour makes it harder.
IMPORTANT! The route contains a fee section subject to fee! To cross the area of the Buffalo Reservation in Kápolnapuszta you have to buy a bike ticket.
The route partly leads through built-up area and mostly on asphalt roads (low-traffic roads and bike roads) and in a smaller part on gravel roads (water embankments).
The tour is signed in two directions: to complete it follow bike sign blue A.
The recommended route to complete the tour follows Keszthely, Balatonszentgyörgy, Vörs, Kápolnapuszta, Balatonmagyaród, Hídvégpuszta, Zalavár, Zala water embankment, Sármellék, Alsópáhok, Hévíz and Keszthely. We head toward the southern shore on the Balaton Bike Route. From the Balatonszentgyörgy junction follow the blue A sign.
Road numbers on the tour: 10 (Balaton Bike Route), 125 (Balatonszentgyörgy – Buffalo Reservation), 12 (Balatonmagyaród – Zala-embankment, Sármellék), 121 (Sármellék – Hévíz).
Along the route there are several bike shelters and rest places (Nyugati Berek, Vörs, Sávoly-Égésberek, Sávoly, Bivalyrezervátum, Kányavár, Hídvégpuszta, Kis-Balaton, Zala-berek, Sármellék, Alsópáhok, Kerub Hévíz, Angolnás, Vadaskert, Pipáskert) and other places to stop and rest (Vörs picnic area, Buffalo Reservation, Kányavár island, Bird watch place, Kis Balaton House).
In the inhabited areas, there are some dining, food and other shopping facilities but water points and rest rooms are limited.

2. Difficulty factors in the tour
There are no particularly difficult sections. The biggest challenge of the route is the length itself.

3. Highlights of the tour
The joy of sport and cycling is an extraordinary experience in itself, but what if we could ride in a special environment? The wonderful blue and green of Kis-Balaton accompanies the route, on which it is worth stopping a few times, breathing the clean, fresh air and admiring the landscape. While we ride, we will feel the presence of the silent but never boring nature. The area is particularly famous for its wetlands and birdlife, and along the way you will surely find lookout points and birdwatching spots. On the longer stretches you can accelerate because everything is there to enjoy the ride: the Kis-Balaton, the bike and ourselves. What more do we need?
This is the largest round tour of the Small Balaton area. The route practically runs around the Vörsi lake and Lake Hídvégi which is the largest water surface of the Small Balaton. The whole area is part of the Balaton Uplands National Park. The tour includes the classical atmosphere of the Kis-Balaton region and its most important sights, too.
After the village called Vörs, riding on a water embankment we can admire the real marshy-swampy area of Small Balaton. Also on the embankment of River Zala we can enjoy really peaceful and quiet places as well as the closeness of nature. Close to the Castle island of Lake Hídvégi we will also have a classical Kis-Balaton landscape together with the atmosphere. Reeds, ducks, egrets, swampy wooded areas, shiny water surface and fishermen are typical for this countryside.
During the tour we ride through the Buffalo Reservation of Kápolnapuszta which is a curiosity. It is the home of the largest buffalo herd of Hungary. Here we can see several hundreds of buffalos close-up but binoculars can also help to observe the wallowing and grazing buffalos. We can learn about them on a small exhibition or by walking along the study path. There is a nice place for picnic here as well.
In the next section of the tour we already ride along on an embankment, between canals of Lake Hídvégi in a pleasant and quite environment. It is worth stopping at the small lookout tower and at the ‘Laki István’ floodgate (dam and fish ladder) where we can see a little bit of the operation of the water protection system. There is also a bird watch from where we can observe the well-known birdlife of the region such as ducks, grey herons and different seagulls.
During the tour it is worth taking two small detours: visit the Kányavár island and the Kis-Balaton House.
A detour to the Kányavár island means ca. 250 metres extra. This island is a specially protected but freely accessible area of Kis-Balaton. The specially curved, wooden-structured bridge leading to the island has become a symbol of Small Balaton and is a unique sight in itself. From here we can admire several water plants. On the small island there is the ‘Búbos vöcsök’ study trail, two small lookout towers and a picnic area.
The Kis-Balaton House can be found ca. 250 metres far from the route of the tour. Here we can learn how the water protection system of Kis-Balaton works and how it helps to clean the water of River Zala before it reaches Lake Balaton. We can have a little insight into the extremely rich wild life and history of the region. Around the building we can have a glimpse into the memories of the former historical town of Mosaburg and the thousand-year old history of county Zala.
It is definitely worth visiting these places since these are special and deservedly popular spots of the region so that you could return home with new experiences.