Lake Balaton in Hungary

Hungary isn’t anywhere near an ocean. If you’re Hungarian and you want to go to the beach, this 50-mile long lake is your only option. Even if you’re a tourist, if you’re in Central Europe you probably haven’t seen a beach in awhile. It’s not too deep – 52 feet in the middle. The southern shore is pretty shallow, but the north one is deep.

Lake Balaton is a popular tourist area, both for Hungarians and foreigners and the towns around the lake are full of inns, restaurants and bars. People come to swim, fish, sail, sunbathe, windsurf, hike in the hills, play soccer or tennis, ride horses, relax at nearby thermal spas – it’s the best vacation spot between Budapest and the Mediterranean. It even has good wine like the Mediterranean – the vineyards that produce most of Hungary’s wine are in this region.

It’s a good place to party over the summer and the discos are packed. Even in the winter, you can go ice-fishing or skating on the lake most years. Global warming is supposed to make Europe colder because of ocean currents or something, so even when snow becomes no more than something old people talk about in the US you’ll still be able to enjoy a winter here.

The south side of the lake is more developed, more bars and discos. The north side is better if you prefer solitude and being surrounded by nature—it’s woodsier, with lots of places to hike. If you like looking out for exotic wildlife, this is one of the few places in Europe where you can see a lynx or a boar in the wild. Or find them on a restaurant menu.

PREVIOUS: Debrecen