The Tihany Peninsula stretches far into Lake Balaton but because of its nature reserves and steep slopes, it doesn’t have long and wide beaches. The one at Sajkod usually fills quickly in summer, despite the entrance fee, while the public beaches at Somosi and Gödrös have limited capacity and paid-for parking.
The good news is that the Tihany municipal beach at the jetty was refurbished early this summer. Now called Dorko Tihany Beach, it isn't expansive either but nice and friendly. The official opening party is on Saturday, July 6, with activities for children all day, cooking in the evening along with SUP, pedalo races and a chalk pavement drawing competition for kids.
Managers Pál and Máté Keczán have announced that three food trucks from the Lakatos Műhely, the gastro enterprise of stylist Márk Lakatos and business partners, will serve food at the beach. They also plan to open a panoramic deck on the top of the beach building, surrounded by flowers and well-maintained toilets. Three hostel rooms are available with eight beds, and the Tihany-based Levendula Ice Cream Parlour opened an outlet at the entrance. This is certainly more than the pop-up beach Pál Keczán modestly promised.
Food trucks will roll up and change weekly. You can always count on having something sweet available (like churros or waffles) along with burgers, bagels and other smoked meats.
The Lakatos Műhely food truck will serve sausage dogs (a spicy, curry hot dog), sausage burgers and classic beefburgers with Unicum plum ketchup. You can always check which food trucks are currently at the beach by checking the Tihany Beach Facebook page.
During refurbishment, the Tihany Beach team had to clean it every day due to the nearby currents. An installation by the entrance deals with inorganic waste. The team also reuses water from Lake Balaton to keep the lawn spruce, with some 150 sprinklers watering the beach for six hours a day.
Pál Keczán believes that a beach needs a good location – this one has a great view of Balatonfüred – and has to be easily accessible by train, car or bicycle, as this one is. If the 150-space car park is full, you can use the one at Akasztó-domb, at the top of a winding road, the beach ten minutes' walk away.
Admission is 700 forints, discounted tickets 350 forints, come and go as you please all day. There are also single-entry tickets for 500 forints and 250 forints. Family tickets are 1,000 forints for single admission and 2,000 forints for multiple entry. Cyclists can take their bikes in.
There’s a playground and a sandy beach section, a shallow bay for kids and a beach volleyball court. Acoustic concerts and casual picnics are planned for the summer with DJs such as Lauer, Soneec and Danny L.
The beach is environmentally conscious: collecting rubbish is a given, while drinks are served in reusable cups. According to calculations, up to 40,000 cups can be saved in a single season. Don’t expect to see straws here either, and even the stirring sticks are made of wood.
