Bike routes

Hévíz-Egregy/ 7,95 km/ ascent: 75 m Distance: 7,95 km | Ascent: 75 m | Difficulty: easy

Hévíz-Egregy bikeroutr map

1. HeBi docking station at the Large Car Park
2. You pass by well-kept private houses in Attila Street
3. The ruins of a Villa Rustica, the Egregy Museum, a dry Kneipp path and a herb garden can be found in the Roman Ruin Garden. In the ruin garden several sculptures can be seen, such as the Danish dog statue sitting in the gateway called "The Gateway to Home", the Emperor Flavius Theodosius with his nurse, and "The Fawn", which may have been an ornament on a late Roman tomb.
4. The green Church of the Heart of Jesus, also known as the Fradi Church with a memorial park for the victims of the war in its garden.
5. You can even dock your bike at the HeBi station on the Egregy hillside. After 600 metres along the Egregy row of wineries, you reach the church of St. Magdalene, a precious Árpád-era monument.
6. The street named after the famous Hévíz doctor Dr János Babócsay offers a wonderful panoramic view of Hévíz, so it is worth tackling the small ascent at the beginning.
7. The seven towers of the Church of the Holy Spirit, the unique dove-wing-shaped floor plan and striking blue colour attract the attention of visitors from afar. The church, together with the Town Hall, was completed in 1999.
8. At the end of Vörösmarty Street, you can see impressive villa buildings, which were the first villas of Spa Hévíz, such as the Sorg sanatorium or the House of the Officials. The newest church of Heviz, the Icon of the Holy Mother of God "Fountain of Life” Orthodox church with its spired tower is located next to the cycle path.
9. Bypassing the main attraction of the town, the Lake Baths - and its two entrances, the Festetics Bathhouse and the summer entrance on Deák Square -, you arrive back in the centre of Hévíz and the HeBi docking station.

Distance: 27 km | Ascent: 413 m | Difficulty: difficult, mountain bikes are recommended

Hévíz-Rezi-Cserszegtomaj-Hévíz map

1. The starting point of the tour is the Tourinform Office, where you can also rent a bicycle. For this tour, we recommend tracking or mountain bikes.
2. You pass by well-kept private houses on Attila Street
3. The ruins of a Villa Rustica, the Egregy Museum, a dry Kneipp path and a herb garden can be found in the Roman Ruin Garden. In the ruin garden several sculptures can be seen, such as the Danish dog statue sitting in the gateway called "The Gateway to Home", the Emperor Flavius Theodosius with his nurse, and "The Fawn", which may have been an ornament of a late Roman tomb.
4. The green Church of the Heart of Jesus, also known as the Fradi Church with a memorial park for the victims of the war in its garden.
5. At the green church, the tour is continued along Zrinyi Street, the street under the row of cellars of Egregy and the Church of St. Magdalene. The asphalt road ends after a short road section.
6. You ride past the Jewish cemetery of Karmacs, which was used by the Jewish community of Hévíz from the 19th century until the end of the World War. The cemetery was nicely renovated in 2012.
7. Following the blue sign, it is worth taking a short break at the Gyöngyös Betyárcsárda (Highwayman’s Tavern), which was built in 1729 as a manorial tavern. Near the tavern, a willow tree marks the graves of the highwaymen Pista Kökes and Illés Vak.
8. Past the tavern, towards the Meleg hill, the road leads to the small wine-growing village of Rezi. The almost 6-kilometre stretch climbs steadily. You follow the blue sign mostly on an asphalted road to Rezi.
9. In the charming centre of Rezi, you can see a statue of Cardinal Mindszenty carved in a lime tree in the garden of St.Luke's Church.
10. Several well-marked hiking trails lead to the castle from the village. Whichever route you choose, you can reach the castle ruins on a dirt road, so from here you will need a mountain bike. The castle of Rezi was built sometime in the 11-12th centuries. It changed hands several times and was blown up for strategic reasons at the end of the 16th century.
11. On the way back, we pass the Dino adventure park on the Rezi road and continue parallel with the Csókakő stream to Cserszegtomaj. Holes and caves dissolved by ancient hot springs can be found in the area around the Meleg hill. The Csókakő (Jackdaw stone) got its name from the fact that its hard-to-access cavities were used by jackdaws.
12. Passing by the Local Government’s Office of Cserszegtomaj, you continue past the entrance to the Kútbarlang (Well Cave). The cave was discovered in 1930 and it can only be visited with a permit.
13. Another attraction of Cserszegtomaj is the privately-owned Margaret Lookout Tower, built in the early 2000s.
14. Passing by the Dobogóhalom and the Balaton Ballooning airstrip we return to the centre of Hévíz. Dobogó (‘stamping, drumming’) is said to have got its name from the strange drumming sound of horses' hooves on the hill, which is home to tombs from the Migration Period.

Distance: 17,6 km | Ascent: 100 m | Difficulty: easy

Hévíz-Keszthely-Hévíz route on map

1. Starting from the Tourinform office in Hévíz, we take the beautiful panoramic road around Lake Hévíz in the Protective Forest.
2. One of Hungary's most beautiful cycle paths is the 2.5 km cycle path between Hévíz and Keszthely, which leads through a line of bald cypresses towards the Balaton Bike Circle cycle path. The Hévíz-Keszthely route, once peaty and waterlogged, was a challenge for horse-drawn carriages 150 years ago. Today it is an asphalted cycle path through a beautiful wild landscape.
3. The bike tour passes several sites closely connected to the Festetics family, the most important of which is the family palace, the third-largest baroque palace in Hungary with 101 rooms. The Helikon exhibitions include the Museum of Carriages, the Hunting and Model Railway Exhibition, the Amazon House's exhibition entitled “Travels of the Aristocrats" and the Palm and Bird House. The palace garden is open to the public.
4. The cycle path leads through the pedestrian street of Keszthely to the Main Square, where you can see the Holy Trinity statue, the Town Hall and the Balaton Theatre. The ruins of Keszthely's castle and the oldest church of the town, the Our Lady of Hungary Parish Church, can also be found on the square.
5. The beautiful villas of Erzsébet Királyné (Queen Elisabeth) Street recall the wealth of Keszthely at the turn of the century. The monument in the Helikon Park commemorates the literary meetings organised by György Festetics.
6. You reach the shore of Lake Balaton passing two historic buildings, Hotel Hullám and Hotel Balaton, which need to be renovated. In the summer months, you can see the West Balaton bay from above when riding the Ferris wheel set up here. The towered building of the Island Beach is now part of the Municipal Beach, which you cycle around to the Halászcsárda (Fisherman's Tavern).
7. It's worth stopping for a refreshing drink at the thatched-roof tavern, which opened in 1934. The Helikon beach next to the restaurant was often visited by members of the Festetics family, including Princess Maria Haugwitz and little Prince George.
8. Passing the Dormitory of the Georgikon University, we reach the institutional houses of the Szendrey-site district via the former farm road of the Festetics estate. Júlia Szendrey, the wife of the famous Hungarian poet Sándor Petőfi, was born here, and her birthplace has been marked by a memorial plaque since 1923.
9. Although the surface of the Fenyves (Pinewood) alley is not asphalted, it is easily accessible by a city bicycle. The alley was the favourite route of Princess Mary Hamilton, the wife of Tasziló Festetics II. She had the black pine trees planted that surround you while cycling along the alley, at the end of which you return to the cycle path.
10. On the outskirts of Keszthely, you pass through the chestnut grove and return to the same cycle path you took at the beginning of the tour.

Distance: 54 km | Ascent: Elevation: 264 m | Difficulty: moderately hard

Type of the roads: dirt road along the River Zala to Szentgyörgyvár and the Kis-Balaton visitor centre, asphalted cycle path between the visitor centre and Kányavári island. On the way back: side road between Zalavár and Alsópáhok.

Hévíz-Kis-Balaton (Kányavári-Island) - Hévíz - map of the route.

1. Starting from the Tourinform office in Hévíz (2 Rákóczi Street), you take the beautiful panoramic road around Lake Hévíz in the Protective Forest.
2. From Hévíz towards Alsópáhok, you continue on a gently ascending cycle path, where you reach the Main Street of the village and, on the opposite side, you can see the impressive building of the Catholic Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Then you pass the Kolping Hotel Spa & Family Resort, which is located in the immediate vicinity of the church. The name Páh was also used by several settlements in the area, such as Szentandráspáh (today Hévíz), Boldogasszonypáh, Hosszúpáh, Felpáh. This echo word refers to the occupation of the people living here, the leather-working.
3. The road to Nemesboldogasszonyfa climbs up to the Zalavár ridge in a nicely unperceived way. Along the way, you can see the “Plots of Zalaers", i.e. beautifully restored and tended cellars and vineyards.
4. In Szentgyörgyvár, you pass the cellar of the Bezerics winery, the almost 300-year-old building of the Széchenyi cellar. Then you reach the embankment of the River Zala, which is part of the cycle path but is only paved after the Kis-Balaton House. At this point, you pass Lake Hídvégi (meaning: lake at the end of the bridge), which is a dammed-up part of the River Zala and was established during the first stage of the reconstruction of the Kis-Balaton.
5. The Kis-Balaton House is an exhibition area of the Balaton-Uplands National Park with a canteen, toilets, a playground and several interesting attractions, such as the Millennium Monument designed by Imre Makovecz, the ruins of St. Adorján’s Church, the Cyrill-Method Memorial Column, and St. Stephen's Chapel.
6. In Hídvégpuszta, it is worth stopping at the fish ladder, next to which there are interesting wooden structures, the birdwatching huts, built by Zurich students.
7. At Kis-Balaton, your first destination is Kányavári Island, where you can cross an imposing wooden bridge and take a break on the 2 km long, 500 m wide island.
8. On the way back, staying on the main road, you pass the Fenyvespuszta Petting Zoo in Zalavár towards Sármellék, where you ride past the airport and continue on the road towards Alsópáhok. Along this route, there are sections where a cycle path has already been built.
9. Leaving Kis-Balaton behind, you ride via Sármellék and return to your starting point, the Tourinform Office in Hévíz.

Distance: 38,6 km | Ascent: 153 m | Difficulty: easy

Type of the roads: cycle path all the way long

Hévíz-Balatongyörök Szépkilátó - Hévíz map of the route.

1. Starting from the Tourinform office in Hévíz (2 Rákóczi Street), you take the beautiful panoramic road around Lake Hévíz in the Protective Forest.
2. One of Hungary's most beautiful cycle paths is the 2.5 km cycle path between Hévíz and Keszthely, which leads through a line of bald cypresses towards the Balaton Bike Circle cycle path. The Hévíz-Keszthely route, once peaty and waterlogged, was a challenge for horse-drawn carriages 150 years ago. Today it is an asphalted cycle path through a beautiful wild landscape.
3. The bike tour passes several sites closely connected to the Festetics family. The most important sight is the palace of the family, the third-largest baroque palace in Hungary with 101 rooms. The Helikon exhibitions include the Museum of Carriages, the Hunting and Model Railway Exhibition, the Amazon House's exhibition entitled “Travels of the Aristocrats" and the Palm House and Bird Park. The palace garden is open to the public.
4. The cycle path leads through the pedestrian street of Keszthely to the Main Square, where you can see the Holy Trinity statue, the Town Hall and the Balaton Theatre. The ruins of Keszthely's castle and the oldest church of the town, the Our Lady of Hungary Parish Church, can also be found on the square.
5. The beautiful villas of Erzsébet Királyné (Queen Elisabeth) Street recall the wealth of Keszthely at the turn of the century. The monument in the Helikon Park commemorates the literary meetings organised by György Festetics.
6. You reach the shore of Lake Balaton passing two historic buildings, Hotel Hullám and Hotel Balaton, which need to be renovated. In the summer months, you can see the West Balaton bay from above when riding the Ferris wheel set up here. The Keszthely sign on the lakeside next to the pier is popular with those who want to take some photos.
7. On the lakeshore, you head towards Gyenesdiás, but first, you pass the former goose pasture of Keszthely, which is now a popular beach, called the Libás (Goose) Beach. Gyenesdiás is today a popular family-friendly village. Until the last century, the press houses of Keszthely residents stood in the tiny villages of Diás and Falud.
8. After leaving Gyenesdiás, you ride through Vonyarcvashegy. This section of the cycle path runs in the shade of willow trees, right along the shore.
9. Before leaving Vonyarcvashegy, on the right side of the cycle path, a forest path leads up to the chapel of St Michael, which was built by forty fishermen in 1729. According to popular belief, the fishermen miraculously made it back to shore after being stranded on a block of ice during a winter fishing trip. From the chapel, in the shade of black pines, there is a wonderful panorama of the western bay of Lake Balaton and the buttes. You can leave your bike at the parking lot next to the cycle path, the few minutes' walk is well worth the detour.
10. In Balatongyörök you ride to the pier, around which you can see beautifully restored peasant houses with thatched roofs.
11. 11. Out of Balatongyörök, next to the Roman spring, which today stands alone under the Szépkiáltó, there was a Roman villa in the 3rd and 4th centuries.
12. After the spring, the cycle path climbs up to Szépkilátó (Lookout point), which was a favourite resting place of Lady Mary Hamilton, the wife of Taszilo Festetics II.
13. On the way back, you take the familiar cycle path towards Gyenesdiás, where you pass the Imre Festetics Animal Park and return to the starting point of the tour, the Tourinform Office in Hévíz.

Distance: 47 km (5 km by boat) | Ascent: 138 m | Type of the road: cycle path or bicycle lane on a low-traffic road

Boat timetable: Please note that the tour can only be completed in the summer months! Usually, the boat departs at 10.10 in the morning from Balatonmáriafürdő to Balatongyörök, and the return boat departs at 10.45 from Balatongyörök to Balatonmáriafürdő. During the high season (from 02.07 to 31.08.) there are three boats a day between the two piers.

West Bay Round trip map

1. Starting from the Tourinform office in Hévíz, you take the beautiful panoramic road around Lake Hévíz in the Protective Forest.
2. One of Hungary's most beautiful cycle paths is the 2.5 km cycle path between Hévíz and Keszthely, which leads through a line of bald cypresses towards the Balaton Bike Circle cycle path. The Hévíz-Keszthely route, once peaty and waterlogged, was a challenge for horse-drawn carriages 150 years ago. Today it is an asphalted cycle path through a beautiful wild landscape. 
3. The cycle path leads through the pedestrian street of Keszthely to the Main Square, where you can see the Holy Trinity statue, the Town Hall and the Balaton Theatre. The ruins of Keszthely's castle and the oldest church of the town, the Our Lady of Hungary Parish Church, can also be found on the square.
4. The beautiful villas of Erzsébet Királyné (Queen Elisabeth) Street recall the wealth of Keszthely at the turn of the century. The monument in the Helikon Park commemorates the literary meetings organised by György Festetics.
5. We reach the shore of Lake Balaton passing two historic buildings, Hotel Hullám and Hotel Balaton, which need to be renovated. In the summer months, you can see the West Balaton bay from above when riding the Ferris wheel set up here. The towered building of the Island Beach is now part of the Municipal Beach, which you cycle around to the Halászcsárda (Fisherman's Tavern).
6. It's worth stopping for a refreshing drink at the thatched-roof tavern, which opened in 1934. The Helikon Beach next to the restaurant was often visited by members of the Festetics family, including Princess Maria Haugwitz and little Prince George. 
7. Leaving Keszthely behind, you reach the centre of the once-famous Festetics stud-farm, the Festetics manor and the small mansion in Fenékpuszta. It is currently a construction site, so it is not worth stopping here.
8. The area around Fenékpuszta has been continuously inhabited since Roman times, as it was the crossing point between Lake Balaton and the former marshy swampy site of today's Kis-Balaton. There was also a shipyard and a ferry crossing here. The first wooden bridge on the River Zala was built in 1839, and the bridge toll could be paid at the now 400-year-old Customs House.
9. At the Zala bridge, the junction of the M76 is currently under construction and the new cycle path is also being built towards Balatonberény, where you can still experience how wild and marshy Lake Balaton was formerly.
10. After a mixture of new and old holiday homes at Balatonmáriafürdő, you reach the pier and cross the lake by boat and get to the north shore at Balatongyörök. Check the timetable before you start your bike tour.
11. In Balatongyörök, you can see a beautiful thatched peasant house if you cycle along the designated cycle path towards Vonyarcvashegy. On your left, you will soon see the baroque St Michael's Chapel built on a rocky hill. The chapel, the story of which is linked to the legend of forty fishermen, is only a few minutes walk from the cycle path and is worth a stop to admire the panoramic view of Lake Balaton.
12. Cycle along the shore of Lake Balaton until you reach Keszthely, where you can join the Hévíz-Keszthely cycle path if you ride on to the town centre. The Hévíz-Keszthely cycle path will take you back to Hévíz.

On two wheels

Choose an outdoor spot for sports activities whenever it is possible. While you are on holiday, a lake-shore area, the edge of a forest or a park could be the most ideal spot for active recreation.

Hévíz and its surroundings provide you with good cycling facilities; there are a number of built cycle tracks and marked cycle routes. While cycling, you can get to know the towns and superb landscapes of the Balaton Highlands, the volcanic hills and the valleys hiding between the shore hills as well as the wildlife of the Kis-Balaton. You can hire a bike in various places, including tourist offices, hotels and even guest houses.

Bicycle and E-bike rent at the Tourinform Office

From January 2021, we await our guests with a whole new set of bicycles, e-bikes!

Prices:

Accessories for rent:

1. Helmet (free),

2. Visibility vest (free),

3. Phone holder (200 HUF / 2 hours, 500 HUF / 24 hours).