West Balaton round tour – Social tour

1. Route details
IMPORTANT! This tour can only be completed in this form during shipping season due to the ferry crossing – from the beginning of May to the beginning of October.
Bike-friendly boats depart from the landing pier of Balatongyörök to Balatonmáriafürdő. You can find time tables, prices and other details on the www.bahart.hu/en website. (Bike transfer fee: 1.000 HUF, bike transfer fee for kids between the ages of 4 and 14: 500 HUF).
This 65 km long tour leads on signed bike and contains a 5 km long boating section.
The starting point of the tour is the shore of Lake Balaton in Keszthely. From here we ride on the Balaton Bike Route toward Badacsony. From its landing pier we can reach Fonyód on the southern shore. From here we continue our tour toward Keszthely again on the Balaton Bike Route that takes us back to the starting point of the tour.
Along the route there are several bike shelters and rest places (Libás, Bringatanya, Diás, Eldorado, Szent Mihály-domb, Böngyéres, Szépkilátó, Becehegy, Szigliget, Balatonmáriafürdő, Balatonberény, Nyugati berek, Helikon strand) and other places to stop and rest (shore of Lake Balaton of Keszthely, Gyenesdiás Market, St. Michael’s Hill, Soós bay, Szigliget, park in Badacsonytördemic, Erzsébet park).
As most of the route leads through inhabited area, there are several dining, food and other shopping facilities.

2. Difficulty factors in the tour
There are no particularly difficult sections such as slopes and roads hard to ride.

3. Highlights of the tour
You are invited to a real Balaton bike ride. We recommend this tour especially to groups of friends. The experience of cycling together is connected with the pleasant with tasting in Badacsony and the joyful moments of the beach plus the most beautiful views of Lake Balaton.

There are no difficult sections such as slopes and roads hard to ride while it is rich in sights and wonderful landscapes. The route runs along Lake Balaton or even on Lake Balaton.  In the first section of the tour, between Keszthely and Badacsony, we can see the beautiful view of Lake Balaton on the right side and the imposing lines of Keszthely Hills on the left side followed by the stunning volcanic hills of the Tapolca basin. On the southern shore we can see the diversity of nature from a different perspective and discover some new ones as well. For example, the beautiful volcanic hills of the Tapolca basin, the shallow water beaches and the western grove which is a natural wetland of Lake Balaton or the mouth of River Zala – which provides Lake Balaton with the largest inflow. From here there is a nice view to the Keszthely Bay, to town of Keszthely and to the Keszthely Hills. Combined with a short boat trip between the two shores, we can enjoy a really classic program of Lake Balaton.
Those who want to ride longer sections will have many opportunities for that. Those who prefer riding shorter distances and have some breaks while discover some viewpoints will be satisfied as well: the view of the St. Michael's Hill in Vonyarcvashegy, the Szépkilátó in Balatongyörök, the fortress of Szigliget or the Kisfaludy and Szegedy House in Badacsony offer a must-see panorama. From the banks of Fonyód on the southern shore you needn’t climb high for a nice view which will be the same on the rest of the tour.

It is worth spending some time in Badacsony. Here our way leads on the former Roman road on the hillside between vineyards and gardens. After a lot of slopes it may feel like a bike spritzer made from well-known Badacsony wine and have some delicious snacks.
In case of nice weather do not miss the opportunity of the more than twenty beaches on the way. They can give you a physical and mental boost at the same time.