I took a few photos for you.
In August I went on a trip to another part of the country and stopped at Lake Balaton to spend half a day on the beach. Whenever I have time and the weather is nice, I try to do so.
This time it was Balatonfenyves (fenyves means “pine forest”), a quiet village at the western end of the lake, relatively far from Budapest. It is famous for its shallow water, which is ideal for families with small children or for those who don’t want to swim but just relax in the warm water.
As I had some time on the shore, I took a few photos to illustrate what a typical Balaton beach looks like.
As you can see, there is a long grassy strip along the water with trees that provide shade. On weekends, when the weather is fine, shade can be scarce, so it’s advisable to arrive early.
10 or 20 years ago most beaches – especially on the southern shore – were free, but now local councils have introduced entrance tickets (typically around 1,500 HUF) to finance maintenance and development.
Balatonfenyves’ main beach is still free, but parking costs 350 HUF/hour and using the toilet is 250 HUF.
The infrastructure is really good, and you can easily spend a wonderful day here. There are free-to-use sports fields and playgrounds as well.
Last but not least, there are several open-air food stalls with a wide range of options, from hamburgers to fish and chips. The typical – almost mandatory – beach food for Hungarians is lángos (deep-fried flatbread), usually served with garlic, cheese, and sour cream on top.
The price of Balaton lángos has become an important indicator of Hungarian inflation, and every year at the start of the summer season the Hungarian press focuses on it.
This summer, the basic lángos cost around 1,000–1,500 HUF, while with cheese and sour cream it came to about 2,500 HUF. One portion is usually enough for a meal.
I also took photos of the beach bar and food stall prices. Unfortunately, they are only in Hungarian, but with a little effort you can figure them out.
Some examples (in HUF):
- Soup: 3,000
- Pulled pork sandwich: 3,000
- Bologna spaghetti: 3,700
- Smoky Boston Burger: 3,600
- Pancake: 550–600
- Pizza: 2,200–3,900
- Espresso: 600
- Cappuccino: 900
- Domestic beer (0.5 l): 1,000
- Domestic wine (0.1 l): 500–700
