Lake Balaton

Lake Balaton is Central Europe's largest lake. With a surface of 592 square kilometers, it is significantly bigger (by about 20%) than Lake Contance in Germany. Balaton has an elongated shape, but nevertheless, it is so big that it almost seems like the sea. That's what Hungarians, who live in a land-locked country, like to call it: The Hungarian Sea.

During the rule of communism, the Balaton Lake and the whole region surrounding it were a very popular destination among all the states of the Eastern Bloc. Not being allowed to travel to the West, the Balaton with its natural beauty offered them a great deal of consolation. The lake has always been popular with Western tourists as well, but after the fall of communism, their numbers exploded, which led to a large amount of development.

Luckily, with the Balaton being so big, they have still managed to preserve its wild appearance and great biological diversity. The Hungarian government has now evolved a quite favourable ecological awareness, and everything is being done to keep the Balaton unpolluted, healthy, and with a rich flora and fauna, while simultaneously further developing its tourist resorts. International investments into summer houses or bigger projects are of course welcome and at present they seem well-advised.

Although at some distance to the sea, Lake Balaton enjoys a Mediterranean climate.This factor and the region's volcanic soil are to be thanked for the fine wines that have been grown around the lake since Roman times.

In more than 2000 years they naturally have had quite enough time to be working on their wine, constantly improving and elaborating on it. Some coinaisseurs believe that wine can only fully be enjoyed at the place where it is grown. If this is true, then it's certainly a reason to pay Balaton a visit - because its wines are among the best in the world, like for example its renowned Badacsony.

Sarmellek International Airport is in the immediate vicinity of the lake. It is now the country's second biggest airport, serving all major European destinations, including Moscow. If you visit Balaton you can count on an amazing and active vacation.

You might just want to sunbathe on a sandy beach, but if you prefer a more proactive lifestyle, then you can go swimming, sailing, or fishing - among many other aquatic sports. Then there are the hills and, especially on the Northern shore, mountains surrounding Balaton. There too you'll find a whole world to discover.