A few months into living in Budapest a friend asked whether there would be any interest in cycling around Lake Balaton over a single day. While I wasn’t ready for that big of a cycling challenge I began to look into the idea of cycling Balaton over a week. Here’s my recap of cycling around Lake Balaton in July 2025.
Lake Balaton in Hungary is the largest inland lake in central Europe. A popular place for tourism of Hungarian and foreign tourists throughout the summer months. Balaton offers swimming, wine tasting, festivals and a 210km cycle path around its circumference for anyone adventurous enough. My girlfriend and I opted to cycle around the lake over the period of 5 days – allowing enough time to enjoy swimming, exploring, and not rushing with our cycling speed.
We started with the preparation of our humble commuter bikes. The biggest concern we had was that we would suffer a puncture on the route for which we purchased Decathlon tyre puncture repair kits – cheap, not bulky it would have been insane not to bring them. We also brought with us a bicycle multitool and pannier bags to load up with food and water. Day one early morning with our backpacks strapped to the rear bike rack we were off and ready to go. On the first day if you are planning to go from Budapest to Balaton by public transport just a reminder that you cannot take bicycles on the metro and will need to use the train system to get from your residence or accommodation to one of the train stations from which you can travel further onwards to Balaton. It’s also important to select on your ticket that you are bringing a bicycle on the train, which will cost you a few hundred forints extra ($2-4aud) at most as there are limited bicycle places on the train.
We started our journey at Balatonfűzfő train station, a town on Balaton’s north side. Our plan was to ride 60km on the first day down to the town of Balatonlelle on the southern shore. Google maps started off strong by leading us away from the lake onto steep inclined suburban roads that we weren’t expecting so early. Before long the road altogether disappeared leaving us cycling over gravel in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere. Google insistent we were going the right way. After dismay that less than thirty minutes in the trip already given us our first major hiccup we decided to turn back and head back to our starting point to regather our bearings. It was only on this way back that we saw several cyclists following a path roughly around the lake’s edge and then a sign “Balaton Korut” – Balaton Ring – with a graphic of a cyclist underneath it. If only we had looked around at the start of the journey before following google maps blindly we might have found it earlier.
Now on the right trail we headed along a smooth cycle path clearly and regularly signposted that we were in fact going the right way. Beautiful views out over Balaton are present everywhere between this beautiful stretch from Balatonfűzfő all the way down to Balatonboglár the next town over from where we would finish this days riding. At various points throughout the cycle there are diversions onto suburban roads however they are all clearly signposted with a cyclist graphic either on the road or a sign reminding you that you are on the ring. The path becomes quite steep around Balatonkenese however once you reach the plateau you are rewarded with in my opinion the best views you will encounter over the entire cycling journey, a sweeping vista of the turquoise water of Lake Balaton from your elevated cycling pathway. Take photos here if you have the chance. Eventually you are brought back down to lake level and for the most part will cycle within 50 metres or less of the lakeside, not losing sight of the lake for more than a few minutes at a time.
Hungary in summer can be unbearably hot, when we did the cycle was no exception. The breeze off Balaton cooling us slightly, however it can be incredibly taxing if you’re not used to cycling in the heat. You will find Lidl or Spar along the way – clearly signposted from the cycling path to refresh yourself with water or snacks, and often along the southern shore of Balaton you will run into a free “Strand” – Beach – where you’ll be able to access the water taps for a refill.
Arriving at Balatonlelle we were ready for a swim, 60km of cycling combined with the heat had been more challenging than we expected but incredibly enjoyable all the same. A refreshing dip in the lake at one of the strands was followed by a walk around the town which had a fair going on that evening – various stalls, song and dance and good vibes really topped off a big first day. It is worth noting that the majority of the southern shore of Balaton is shallow – you can walk 50 metres or more out into the lake and still have the water only be at waist height.
Day two was a 40km cycle from Balatonlelle to Keszthely. For the most part of this section the cycle path stays within view of the lake, there are some fantastic free strands around this section to stop at for a breather with a view. An authentic Balaton experience is to stop for a lángos at one of the many lángos stands around the rim of the lake. Lángos is a delicious deep fried dough covered most traditionally with sour cream and shredded cheese. Its not the most nutritious cycling snack but it sure goes down well washed down with a cold coke.
Its not uncommon as you cycle along the ring at any point to encounter children selling homemade lemonade by the glass for tired riders. Even having packed enough water it really is hard to say no to more sweet, cold refreshment. One family even offered to refill our water bottles with chilled water after we purchased their lemonade, making it doubly worth stopping.
One of the more frustrating elements of cycling the ring was the deception the signage caused at certain stages. We noticed that, despite cycling for what felt like several kilometres, the signs kept showing that we were still 28 km from Keszthely, even though we had already travelled some distance. Only a few hundred metres further cycling on from one of these 28km markers we discovered we were now only 25k from Keszthely. We had transcended the laws of time and space to travel 3km in only 300 metres. However our joy was short lived as another 200m later we were informed we were back to being 27km from Keszthely. In other words, don’t rely on these signs for motivation when you are struggling!
Eventually we did reach Keszthely. Keszthely being most known for Festetics palace and its gardens. It is free to access the grounds of the palace where you can enjoy the views of the palace in its grandiosity and the well-kept gardens.
The next day was our largest day of cycling 72km from Keszthely to Tihany. As we were now on the northern side of Balaton the path began to veer away from the shore. While the view of the lake was lost the cycle path steers you through the Badacsony region famous for its wine, which thrives thanks to volcanic soils. The path does have some minor elevation through Badacsony but nothing overly strenuous for a rider of average fitness, you’ll be rewarded with views of the extinct volcano towering above you for the elevated effort. We passed along several wineries located on the Balaton cycling ring so if you are looking to visit wineries without planning then you can easily do so as they appear along the path in front of you. As we were anticipating a long day of riding we compromised by stopping for lunch in a village next to Badacsony which served wine from the local region where we indulged in a Hungarian specialty Fröccs – wine mixed with soda water.
As you cycle further along the northern part of Balaton the views are less about the lake and more about the land. Not far after leaving Keszthely you will be able to see Szigliget; a ruined medieval castle perched high above your cycle path. As you enter Badacsony you will view the wineries as well as the extinct volcano that lends the area its name, after that you will ride under the canopies of trees and bushy walking trails.
Closer to Tihany the cycle path disappears and your indicated cycle route – now a footpath, ducks in and out of suburban streets or runs alongside the road. For the large part this is fine and diverting you through suburban streets is from a safety perspective compared to the main road. However it can be frustrating when the route diverts you from the main road, taking you down a slope for a few hundred meters, only to have you climb back up the same hill after what feels like a long detour, covering far less ground than you expect. This cycle repeats itself for the last 20km to Tihany, repeatedly taking you up a hill then down a hill and vice versa all to avoid the main road. I can understand why they have made the path like this and in future I hope they will build a more streamlined cycle path that avoids this however for now bear in mind the ride will take considerably more energy than you plan for in this section.
The biggest challenge of the day came close to our destination, Tihany being a peninsula with its township perched atop a considerable hill. The return of the straightforward cycle path a small comfort for this final challenge at the end of 70km of riding already. This hill is quite steep and climbs consistently for around 2km, the reward of seeing the Tihany Abbey at eye level at the top of the hill bringing the most welcome relief of the trip.
Within Tihany itself there is a lot to explore, the village is beautiful with views out over Balaton in all directions. We enjoyed sitting atop a brick fence next to the abbey overlooking this vista just chatting with each other with a mango-maracuja (passionfruit) lemonade in hand. At a soccer pitch on a lower part of the town you will see families spotting the groundhogs as they emerge from their burrows. They are used to human interaction so will often come close to you if they feel comfortable, many people would bring carrots to feed the groundhogs as well. There are swimming spots with access to the lake below the town that can be easily reached with the public bus service.
Following two nights in Tihany we reached the final day: 30km of cycling to reach our start point back at Balatonfűzfő. The section from Tihany to Balatonfűzfő is straightforward with a dedicated cycle path running along the main road. Back at a strand in Balatonfűzfő we spent the afternoon taking a dip in the lake, exhausted but very satisfied before catching the train back home. The irony of this final day being that despite preparing for punctures and not encountering any on the lap of Balaton, back in Budapest as we were cycling home I could feel my rear tyre flattening as I rode, I must have run over some glass at the station. Luckily our accommodation was a 15 minute cycle from the train station so we just rode like hell until we were at the front gate with the rear tyre wheezing its last breath.
Looking back on the journey it really was a fantastic way to see the entirety of the lake, the diversity of the different towns and get some refreshing summer swims in among with a physical challenge. From my perspective five days is a good way to balance riding the circumference of the lake between a physical challenge and having enough time to explore and swim. However, with Balaton in summer, an extra day to explore another town or spend in the water never hurts. Despite the occasional frustrations on the journey too I feel better prepared and willing for another lap of Balaton in future, maybe I will take up the offer of cycling it all in one day.
