Vonyarc-Györök panorama tour (wine-red D)

1. Route details
Although this tour is a bit over 10 km long it is full of sights and beautiful view points.
The route leads only through inhabited area on low-traffic roads and signed bike route; contains no forest part and dirt road.
The route contains a strong uphill (see point 2).
The tour is signed in one way that starts at rest place located at the foot of the St. Micheal’s Hill in Vonyarcvashegy. From here you must follow the Festetics wine-red D sign. The first section of the tour ends at the Szépkilátó of Balatongyörök. Crossing Road 71 at the Szépkilátó, the route continues on the Panoráma road and at the end of it we roll down on a cobblestone road to the Africa Museum and to the Balaton Bike Route and head back toward Keszthely.
Along the route there are several bike shelters and rest places (St. Michael’s Hill, Becehegy, Szépkilátó, Soós bay, Böngyéres) and other places to stop and rest (Szépkilátó picnic place, banks of Lake Balaton in Balatongyörök, St. Michael’s Hill, St. Michael’s chapel).
As the route leads through inhabited area, there are several dining, food and other shopping facilities.

2. Difficulty factors in the tour
In Balatongyörök, in the section between Road 71 and the Becehegy chapel, the end of the Panoráma street (kb. 200 m) is a constantly uphill part.

3. Highlights of the tour
On this tour we are in the footsteps of the natural beauties of Vonyarcvashegy and Balatongyörök. The round tour draws the attention to the beauties of the landscape about which we can be convinced several times along the route. From the lookout points there are wonderful views to the countryside and we can admire the picturesque panorama. Beside the sights of nature the memories of the local culture and history appear as well.
A real curiosity is the St. Michael’ Hill and the chapel on its top which is the only votive fishing chapel in Hungary. There is a beautiful view of Lake Balaton and the surrounding countryside.
From the Szépkilátó of Balatongyörök we can admire one of the most spectacular panoramic views of Lake Balaton. At the beginning of the tour or even as its highlighting it is a perfect place for a picnic or taking some nice photos. No wonder that Lady Mary Hamilton, wife of the former owner of the palace of Keszthely, Tassiló Festetics, was so glad to visit this place and spend some time under the shady foliage of the pine trees. It is also worth walking down to the side of the high banks to see the Roman spring that once supplied the former Roman farm with water.
The Panorama road runs in the neighbourhood of the Szépkilátó, on the side of the Keszthely Hills with nice houses, villas and old wine cellars along it. The Becehegyi chapel built around the turn of the century is situated on the highest point of the road. The second half of the Panoráma street is a continuous uphill section and offers wonderful views of Lake Balaton, so it is worth starting.
Returning to the foot of the Hills it is recommended to visit the Africa Museum. The former family mansion of Dr. Endre Nagy, operates as a museum that presents the adventurous life of the African hunter as well as a hunting and ethnographic collection and functions as a zoo.
In the next part of the tour, on the Balaton Bike Route, beautiful panoramic places vary. The Soós bay, for example, is a real little wonderland which is a natural bay of Lake Balaton. There are very few such places left around the lake, so it is definitely worth stopping by.
The shore of Lake Balaton and the pier in Balatongyörök are also places with a very pleasant atmosphere. The panorama from the beach is definitely one of the most beautiful beach views. From the pier the view of the Keszthely bay is amazing and the former volcanic hills of the Tapolca basin, too. It is nice to have a break on the promenade next to the pier, under the shades of the Festetics plane tree alley but we can refresh our tired legs in the Kneipp treadmill at the end of the promenade. The promenade provides a nice spot to a number of events from spring to autumn.