Anyone who's ever been to the Balaton knows that popping over from Tihany Balatonfüred takes more than walking from (let's say) the Speakers' Corner to Buckingham Palace. So now with enthusiasm that would put Buzzfeed to shame we sum up where one should start exploring Lake Balaton. First up, we'll show which of the WLB toplists you've read the most.
Farmers' markets around Lake Balaton Pt. 1 and 2
We acted like serial thriller writers: once we started, we could not stop and compiled two lists of the farmers' markets around Lake Balaton. Soon enough, summer will return, and we will browse the home grown tomatoes at Csopak Eco-market before popping by Malackaraj next to the Tihanyi Piac marketplace for a soup. The other end of Lake Balaton can also boast of great farmers' markets: Gyenesdiás boasts of a fish market, we love the Hévíz market for its lace makers, and the originator of this entire trend, the Liliomkert Market near Káptalantóti should not be forgotten either.
Our 10 favourite csárdas at the Balaton
We followed the traces of highwaymen like Jóska Sobri and Pista Kőkes in the summer and luckily found more than breaded pork on deep fried French fries on the tables below their portraits. Although we even saw a real highwayman's tomb by the Gyöngyösi Betyár Csárda in Rezi, all of the places we recommended twisted some on the traditional Hungarian dishes (or at least the ingredients). The twister of twists is the Baricska Csárda of Balatonfüred, which served us dishes of Hungarian basis with Mediterranean flavours, like the chicken breast in its skin with butter-rosemary letscho.
10 +1 songs to warm you up for Balaton Sound
We are slowly starting to prepare for the next festival, especially as Strand Festival 2015 has already announced its first 10 acts, but we still remember the songs that made us excited about Balaton Sound 2014. Do you? If not, let us help! David Guetta has been an indispensable part of the Sound for a few years now, this year many awaited the smash hit Bad. There was also Wiz Khalifa with Gangbang, and the Hungarian band Brains with the hit Superheroes.
9 Balaton restaurants open all year round
Fortunately for us, the times when you had to have a GPS _and_ a telescope when searching for a hotel or a restaurant that is also open in the winter by Lake Balaton. Now the Lake is not exclusively about summer, there is a number of places to choose from in the colder seasons as well. For exotic flavours, head to Mala Garden in Siófok; for an experience close to fine dining try Kistücsök in Balatonszemes or the Bock Bistro Balaton in Vonyarcvashegy. Those who prefer Hungarian flavours and huge portions should go to Vígmolnár in Csopak or Piroska Csárda in Siófok.
9 Balaton hotels open all year round
We don't exactly remember why we fell in love with the number 9, but just like a poor man's son in the fairytales, we set out the world to find 9 Balaton hotels that are open in the winter as well. In cold weather, wellness is always popular, especially as the balcony of the Zenit Hotel in Vonyarcvashegy gives you two at on strike: an outdoor jacuzzi and a gorgeous panorama of the Lake. To be fair to the south shore, the spa section of the Két Korona Conference and Wellness Hotel in Balatonszárszó would not disappoint anyone either.
8 spots whence you should see Lake Balaton
There aren't many places around Lake Balaton where one wouldn't exclaim 'What a magnificent view!' looking at the Lake. We still tried to maximize the experience by climbing high or finding hidden lookout points. In Badacsonytomaj, you can enjoy the view of Lake Balaton below from under a vine canopy on the terrace of the Szeremley Winehouse. As opposed to the misconception, the south shore is not flat as a pancake everywhere, lacking a proper panorama. There is, for example, the Kishegy in Balatonlelle, and the terrace of the Majthényi Press House, overlooking the southern shoreline.
The top Balaton spots this winter
It happened that we put the decision into your hands. In the autumn, you voted for the best Balaton restaurants, hotels and wineries that are open also in the winter, and we announced the podium positions for each category. The Bock Bistro and the Zenit Hotel in Vonyarcvashegy or the Kistücsök in Balatonszemes won't have to worry about the number of guests, and you also put your trust into the SKIZO Winehouse in Badacsonytördemic.
Our top 100 favourites around Lake Balaton – Part I to III
It also happened in summer 2014 that instead of picking the top 9 or 10 Balaton restaurants, hotels and confectioneries, we decided to show you many more. We compiled a three-piece series of the our top 100 favourite spots around Lake Balaton. We put aside any snobbery we might have had and also added a railway buffet in Zamárdi to appreciate the fact that you have some place to go when you're waiting for the train after the Balaton Sound. Confectioneries, wineries, csárdas and fine dining restaurants - the list is long and in-depth. Go ahead and choose!
Things to do in Badacsony
To explore the hidden corners of Badacsony, we appointed Bence Laposa as a tour guide. In the matter of a day, the young winemaker showed us why Badacsony was the centre of the world and why he cannot imagine his life without Lake Balaton. We climbed a hill for the Szeremley Winehouse, took a walk inside the Folly Arboretum, and rode the hill taxi to the Skizo Winehouse.
What to do in Keszthely and Hévíz
Keszthely and Hévíz are mighty strongholds of winter Balaton. And hereby, we mean more than the ever-hot waters of the Hévíz Lake Spa. There are also the mini-museums of Keszthely, like the Renaissance Erotic Wax Museum, or the tellingly named Nostalgia and Kitsch Museum. We picked a great number of summer fun for this compilation, but if you opened it now, you could find winter-compatible leisure in there as well.
