During the hot summer months, Lake Balaton becomes a refuge for urban dwellers who would otherwise melt in the concrete jungle. Balatonfüred has always been a popular destination due to its colorful culture, exquisite eateries, and neat beaches. This summer however, it’ll become an even more alluring destination as the historic town will host the open water competitions of the 17th FINA World Championships. Here’s how to get there.

By car

Arriving to the Hungarian sea by car is relatively easy – you just have to follow motorway M7 from Budapest. However, as this road leads directly to the south shore of Lake Balaton, you’ll have to take exit 90 at M7 and leave the motorway for Route 71, which means you’ll have to turn right at the junction. Then you’ll just have to follow Route 710 and Route 71 – and admire Lake Balaton on your left. To use the motorway, you have to buy a highway permit (“matrica” in Hungarian, more information about these here). You can get this at any gas station before you start your journey. Another thing to keep in mind is that traffic jams regularly occur between Budapest and Balaton during summer, so be prepared.

By train

Direct trains from Budapest to Balatonfüred are available daily from Déli Station in Buda, which is also the terminus of metro line M2, so it’s easily accessible. The fastest train to Balatonfüred is Kék Hullám (“Blue Wave”), which will take you to the bustling resort in less than two hours. You can catch this train every two hours from 7am to 7pm, with full-price one-way fares starting from 2,725 HUF. There are also other trains you can take from Budapest to Balatonfüred, which means there’s one that goes there basically every hours. The good news is that if you’re planning on riding your bike around Lake Balaton, you can take your bike on most of the trains for a small fee . For more information and the timetables check out this website.

By bus

Direct service to Balatonfüred is offered daily by Hungary’s nationwide bus services. These buses leave from Népliget Station, which is easily accessible with metro line M3. Various direct rides leave throughout the day, with the travel time ranging from 2 hours to 3 hours. Full-price one-way tickets are available for 2,725 forints. Check out this website for more information.

By plane

If you arrive to Hungary by plane, you’re most likely to land in Budapest – in that case, this article has all the necessary information about how to get to downtown Budapest, from where you can continue your journey to Balatonfüred in the above-mentioned ways . However, some European cities have direct flights to Lake Balaton’s very own airport in Sármellék, the Hévíz-Balaton airport. You can rent a car at the airport (more details here) and then reach Balatonfüred by following Route 71. You can also take the bus: from the airport go to Keszthely first, and then you can take a direct bus to Balatonfüred.