What to do around Lake Balaton in fall?

1. Drink wine

Given the region’s significant history with winemaking, there are only a few settlements around Lake Balaton where they don’t have harvest festivals. Thus, whether you want to unwind on the south or the north shore, there will surely be at least one harvest parade in a 10 kilometers radius during harvest season. There’s often certain carnival-like atmosphere at these events, with people dressing up into attires typical of old times, or into costumes such as scarecrows, or maybe as gray friars.  During this period, it’s good to tour the local cellars as well to taste the pride of vintners, the new wine. 

What do we recommend?
Wine terraces and even more wine terraces.

2. Take walking and bike tours

Hopping on a bike to ride around Lake Balaton, or hiking the buttes or Káli Basin is much more pleasant in fall than it is during summer. Partly because we won’t get a heat stroke on our bikes, or end up being breathless after the first hundred meters uphill, but also because there’s much less traffic, and the colorful landscape is gorgeous. We already know that Lake Balaton is beautiful from above and below, from near and far, so basically from anywhere, which means that any bike tour route is worth a visit.

What do we recommend?
Káli Basin either on foot or on bike, study trails, Siófok-Töreki, Uncle Matula’s hut at Kis-Balaton along with the Buddhist shrine, lookouts, Kiserdő and Szamárkő at the west end of Zamárdi.

3. Eat great food

Fortunately, with the gastronomy scene of Lake Balaton evolving, there’s no chance that we won’t find at least one restaurant or winery open during our tours, where we can rest a bit and gain more energy to hike the next hill. The selection keeps expanding, and more and more places take the risk to remain open even during fall and winter, even if it isn’t economical for now. This is a vicious circle: the hospitality industry says that there’s no point in being open when there are no guests, while the guests say there’s no point in coming if nothing is open. Now several wineries and restaurants took the first step – to take the second, is up to the guests.  

What do we recommend?
Kistücsök, Chianti, Villa Medici, Pura Vida Dine, Mi a Kő, Kővirág, Télikert, Márga Bisztró, BL Yachtclub, Bistro Sparhelt, Carpaccio Étterem, Sáfránkert Vendéglő 
(This isn’t the full list of the restaurants that stay open in fall, you can read  a more comprehensive roundup of them here)

4. Sleep in stylish rooms

Leaving the old world of “Zimmer frei” behind, there are plenty of very good accommodations around Lake Balaton; arriving to these is not hard at all, but leaving them behind is almost impossible. Hosts make sure that we feel comfortable, and what’s more, they also pay attention to design their guesthouses in a way that they harmonize with the landscape, they remain natural, while also providing all the necessary technical conditions. We can choose from among very modern hotels and authentic accommodations alike.

What do we recommend?
All the places from these two articles.

5. The start of the spa season

The onset of cold doesn’t mean we have to say goodbye to relaxing baths. It’s not hard to find wellness hotels at all, at Igal or Csisztapuszta for example, while at the very popular spas of Hévíz we can splash into thermal waters that, due to their mineral content, will cure the illnesses we didn’t even know that we have.

What do we recommend?
Definitely these places.

6. Visit museums

One of the best pastime activities in fall is to visit the famous museums of Balaton, namely the ones that we couldn’t visit in summer. Fortunately, there are interactive museums around Lake Balaton, where, instead of being very serious, we can touch, smell, and try many things. This not only helps children to learn through playing, but let’s face it: even we, adults enjoy it.

What do we recommend?
You won’t be disappointed here, while Keszthely is still an exciting city of museums, and you can see animals at various places, too.

7. Go to markets

We don’t have to give up on the popular markets when summer ends. We can still buy homemade syrups, cheeses, and salamis that we can munch on while enjoying quiet Balaton-evenings, or we can take them with us to big cities, smuggling in a little bit from the taste of Lake Balaton to our pantries. The markets of the region pay attention to make sure that the sellers are local producers, and the goodies are made from local ingredients. 

What do we recommend?
We would definitely recommend the two most famous ones, while here and here we rounded up options for those who are after the smaller ones.

8. Sail on

Conquering the waves on a good sailboat or a calm ship isn’t something that’s attached to summer. Moreover, fall-time sailing has its own special atmosphere. The water does not carry the screaming and laughing of children from the shores, the bass from the speakers of a faraway concert ship isn’t bouncing off the surface – we are surrounded by endless silence. Those who aren’t fortunate enough to jump on their own boat don’t have to miss out on this experience. We can rent boats, with a captain as well, at multiple locations (mostly in towns). 

What do we recommend?
If you have your own sailboat, we wish you fair winds; if you want to rent, you should check out these places.

9. There are programs in fall, too

We surely won’t be left without any programs at Lake Balaton is the fall. Besides the above-mentioned harvest festivals, the wineries and restaurants always have something great in store for St. Martin’s Day. Szigliget always has its walleye-festival just like Tihany has its Garda Festival, then there are the wine dinners, and there’s an abundance of concerts and theater plays each year as well.

10. Tranquility