In the summer season the city of Siófok becomes one of the most popular holiday destinations in Hungary. The small city located on the southern side of the Lake Balaton is a very sparkling place indeed in this part of the year. Guests come here to relax and enjoy the Balaton’s soft water, great hotels and sport facilities, with organised programs and warm hospitality.
Hungary’s summer capital is only 104 km away from Budapest and it is really easy to reach it with either fast motorways (M7) or great train transportation. There are only few classic tourist sites in Siófok, so you will surely have enough time to visit them, including the Water Tower and the Mineral Museum. The city’s Evangelic Great Church also deserves attention, since it was designed by the legendary Hungarian architect Imre Makovecz.
In fact Siófok is much more a buzzing holiday city: the famous Petőfi walkway is really popular among tourists, many bars, restaurants, cafés and clubs await guests. Near to the walkway you can find the nice and shallow beach, which is a great place during the day, with music and entertainment the visitors can enjoy the lake and wide range of water games as well. Siófok’ golden beach is not only a perfect choice for “go-ahead” families but also for long nights’ fans.
The surroundings of Siófok also offer great opportunities. Around 15 kilometres southwest of the city lies the village of Szántód, where one can take the car ferry through the Balaton to discover the unique landscape on the other side of the lake. The peninsula of Tihany, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is the symbol of the unique harmony of man, nature and history. The medieval abbey of the Saint Benedictine Order, founded as far back as 1055, with its towers into the sky, indicating the direction to the stranger from afar.
If you are looking for a more pulsating vacation programme, you’d better to visit Zamárdi instead. The tiny holiday village, located 10 kilometres southwest of Siófok, is famous for its beach where the popular Balaton Sound electronic music festival takes place every summer. This year’s party will be held between 8th and 12th of July and not only top DJs like Afrojack, Hardwell, Nicky Romero, Tiesto and will bring the music, but more than 200 programs on 15 venues will get the party rolling at the 5-day mega event.
source and photos: visithungary.com, whc.unesco.org and sziget.hu/balatonsound