Travel Budget for Balaton Lake Visit Balaton Lake on a Budget or Travel in Style

Balaton Lake, Somogy megye, Hungary

How much does it cost to travel to Balaton Lake?

You should plan to spend around $87 (Ft31,599) per day on your vacation in Balaton Lake. This is the average daily price based on the expenses of other visitors.

Past travelers have spent, on average for one day:

  • $28 (Ft10,017) on meals
  • $12 (Ft4,317) on local transportation
  • $97 (Ft35,092) on hotels

A one week trip to Balaton Lake for two people costs, on average, $1,217 (Ft442,389). This includes accommodation, food, local transportation, and sightseeing.

All of these average travel prices have been collected from other travelers to help you plan your own travel budget.

  • Average Daily Cost Per person, per day
    $87
    Ft31,599
  • One Week Per person
    $608
    Ft221,195
  • 2 Weeks Per person
    $1,217
    Ft442,389
  • One Month Per person
    $2,607
    Ft947,977
  • One Week For a couple
    $1,217
    Ft442,389
  • 2 Weeks For a couple
    $2,433
    Ft884,778
  • One Month For a couple
    $5,214
    Ft1,895,953
This data comes from the travel budgets of real travelers - How it works. Put these numbers on your website.


How much does a one week, two week, or one month trip to Balaton Lake cost?

A one week trip to Balaton Lake usually costs around $608 (Ft221,195) for one person and $1,217 (Ft442,389) for two people. This includes accommodation, food, local transportation, and sightseeing.

A two week trip to Balaton Lake on average costs around $1,217 (Ft442,389) for one person and $2,433 (Ft884,778) for two people. This cost includes accommodation, food, local transportation, and sightseeing.

Please note, prices can vary based on your travel style, speed, and other variables. If you're traveling as a family of three or four people, the price per person often goes down because kid's tickets are cheaper and hotel rooms can be shared. If you travel slower over a longer period of time then your daily budget will also go down. Two people traveling together for one month in Balaton Lake will often have a lower daily budget per person than one person traveling alone for one week.

A one month trip to Balaton Lake on average costs around $2,607 (Ft947,977) for one person and $5,214 (Ft1,895,953) for two people. The more places you visit, the higher the daily price will become due to increased transportation costs.




Independent Travel

Traveling Independently to Balaton Lake has many benefits including affordabilty, freedom, flexibility, and the opportunity to control your own experiences.

All of the travel costs below are based on the experiences of other independent travelers.

Is Balaton Lake expensive to visit?

Prices in Balaton Lake are reasonable and comparable to your average travel destination. Hotels, food, and sightseeing are generally within normal price ranges.

Within Europe, which is known to be an expensive region, Balaton Lake is a reasonably affordable destination compared to other places. It is in the top 25% of cities in Europe for its affordability. You can find more affordable cities such as Novi Sad, but there are also more expensive cities, such as Avignon.

For more details, and to find out if it's within your travel budget, see Is Balaton Lake Expensive?

How much money do I need for a trip to Balaton Lake?

The average Balaton Lake trip cost is broken down by category here for independent travelers. All of these Balaton Lake travel prices are calculated from the budgets of real travelers.


Category Cost
Accommodation 1 (Double Occupancy) Ft35,092 ($97)
Local Transportation 1 Ft4,317 ($12)
Food 2 Ft10,017 ($28)
Entertainment 1 Ft7,512 ($21)
Alcohol 2 Ft1,612 - 4,835 ($4 - 13)
Accommodation Budget in Balaton Lake
Average Daily Costs

Calculated from travelers like you

The average price paid for one person for accommodation in Balaton Lake is $48 (Ft17,546). For two people sharing a typical double-occupancy hotel room, the average price paid for a hotel room in Balaton Lake is $97 (Ft35,092). This cost is from the reported spending of actual travelers.


  • Accommodation1 Hotel or hostel for one person
    $48
    Ft17,546
  • Accommodation1 Typical double-occupancy room
    $97
    Ft35,092

Hotel Prices in Balaton Lake

Looking for a hotel in Balaton Lake? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options.

Find the best hotel for your travel style.

Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world.



Transportation Budget in Balaton Lake
Average Daily Costs

Calculated from travelers like you

  • The cost of a taxi ride in Balaton Lake is significantly more than public transportation. On average, past travelers have spent $12 (Ft4,317) per person, per day, on local transportation in Balaton Lake.


  • Transportation1 Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    $12
    Ft4,317


Flights to Balaton Lake
How much does it cost to go to Balaton Lake? Naturally, it depends on the dates. We recommend Kayak because they can find the best deals across all airlines.

Rental Cars in Balaton Lake
The price of renting a car in Balaton Lake will depends on dates, the type of car, the location, and your age. We recommend Kayak because they can find the best deals across all car rental companies.



Food Budget in Balaton Lake
Average Daily Costs

Calculated from travelers like you

  • While meal prices in Balaton Lake can vary, the average cost of food in Balaton Lake is $28 (Ft10,017) per day. Based on the spending habits of previous travelers, when dining out an average meal in Balaton Lake should cost around $11 (Ft4,007) per person. Breakfast prices are usually a little cheaper than lunch or dinner. The price of food in sit-down restaurants in Balaton Lake is often higher than fast food prices or street food prices.


  • Food2 Meals for one day
    $28
    Ft10,017


Entertainment Budget in Balaton Lake
Average Daily Costs

Calculated from travelers like you

  • Entertainment and activities in Balaton Lake typically cost an average of $21 (Ft7,512) per person, per day based on the spending of previous travelers. This includes fees paid for admission tickets to museums and attractions, day tours, and other sightseeing expenses.


  • Entertainment1 Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    $21
    Ft7,512


Alcohol Budget in Balaton Lake
Average Daily Costs

Calculated from travelers like you

  • The average person spends about $8.86 (Ft3,223) on alcoholic beverages in Balaton Lake per day. The more you spend on alcohol, the more fun you might be having despite your higher budget.


  • Alcohol2 Drinks for one day
    $8.86
    Ft3,223


Balaton Lake On a Budget
Balaton Lake Lake Balaton, Hungary
Balaton is a major freshwater lake in Hungary and the largest lake in Central Europe with a shoreline of 197 kilometers. The region around the lake is a popular holiday destination with a great number of resort towns and high-rise hotels to accommodate visitors seeking out lakeside activities, beaches, volcanic hills, and vineyards. Some of the towns are also very historic, offering examples from eighteenth-century art and architecture to castle ruins.
Sights
Lake Balaton is one of the region's leading tourist destinations. The mountainous region of the northern shore, located largely within the bounds of Balaton Uplands National Park, is known both for its historic character and as a major wine region. There are plenty of hiking trails to explore the unique features of these volcanic hills, as well as wine trails to follow a different kind of journey tasting the wines produced by local growers. The flat southern shore is mainly known for its resort towns-the most popular three include Siofok, Keszthely, and Balatonfured. Each town has its own unique features from beaches and nightlife to historic sightseeing and architectural attractions. A few highlights near Balaton include the Lake Cave of Tapolca, Zirc Arboretum, Festetics Palace, and Tihany Abbey.
Neighborhoods
Listed below are some of the best-known lake towns of Balaton and their major features:

Siofok – situated on the south shore, charming and most popular holiday resort town with peaceful beaches and lively night life

Badacsony – located on the northern coast of Balaton, best-known for its wine

Balatonfured – on the north shore, another resort town like Siofok, though it is more traditional and less commercialized

Heviz – Hungary's most famous thermal spa with a large naturally-heated lake

Keszthely – the oldest town of Balaton, located on southern end; showcases architectural gems like the Festetics Palace

Szent György-hegy – an area known for its hiking opportunities, like the trail to the Basalt Organ Pipes

Szigliget – a village with hilltop castle ruins

Tihany – a peninsula town with an inner lake and landmark church that is visible from most of the lake

Activities
The region of Lake Balaton is home to a wide variety of activities. North of the lake there are volcanic hills with opportunities for hiking trails, as well as for exploring vineyards and tasting local vintages. Badacsony Hill, for example, combines the best of both worlds, providing a scenic climb peppered with small wine growers. Visitors can also spend time in Balaton relaxing in thermal spas, the most famous located at Heviz, which is home to Europe's largest thermal lake dotted with water lilies and surrounded by a nature conservation area.

The lake itself is also host to a range of activities. Boating is popular, with several annual sailing races and rentals available. The best rentals can be acquired at Fonyod, Balatonlelle, and Balatonfured. With fairly shallow waters, the lake also has many beaches. Beaches on the north shore typically have more facilities but with an entrance fee, while beaches on the south shore are usually free, though many sections are privately owned by hotels and campsites. In addition to boating and swimming, kite surfing is also popular with visitors.
Food and Dining
Cuisine of Hungary is primarily based on meats, seasonal vegetables, fruits, fresh bread, dairy products, and cheeses. Paprika is used generously in cooking and is considered the national spice. Goulash, a soup or stew of meat and vegetables and seasoned with paprika and other spices, is especially popular and common throughout Hungary. Other specialties include stuffed peppers, cabbage rolls, roasted meats, and casseroles, as well as a hot and spicy fish soup called halaszle, a chilled sour cherry soup called hideg meggyleves, and Hungarian crepes called palacsinta which can be stuffed with jam, cheese, raisins, or meat. The Balaton region is a great location for lake fish dishes, such as Fogas (Pike-perch or Zander, a white fleshed fish), Keszeg (bream), Ponty (Carp), and sometimes Harcsa (catfish), which is the base for halaszle (a spicy fish soup).

Transportation
Budapest is the nearest major city to Balaton, making it a hub for international travel into the general area. Most travelers will arrive via Budapest Franz Liszt International Airport, Hungary's largest airport. Frequent trains from Budapest Deli and Budapest Keleti connect the capital with both shores of Lake Balaton. The journey by train to Siofok will take about 1.5 hours.

There is also a small international airport in Sarmellek, called Heviz Balaton Airport, which is located on the south end of Lake Balaton. It offers flights arriving from many European cities, especially German cities like Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Erfurt, and Leipzig, but also from Moscow, Russia, and Riga, Latvia.

We've been gathering travel costs from tens of thousands of actual travelers since 2010, and we use the data to calculate average daily travel costs for destinations around the world. We also systematically analyze the prices of hotels, hostels, and tours from travel providers such as Kayak, HostelWorld, TourRadar, Viator, and others. This combination of expenses from actual travelers, combined with pricing data from major travel companies, gives us a uniqe insight into the overall cost of travel for thousands of cities in countries around the world. You can see more here: How it Works.



1 Categories averaged on a per-item basis.
2 Categories averaged on a per-day basis.
For example, the Food2 daily average is for all meals for an entire day, while Entertainment1 is for each individual purchase. Thus, the overall daily average cost is not a summation of the individual categories.