The great advantage of this article is that it shows on a map which beach is where, and what is worth knowing about it, and you can even find pictures! If you are also interested in the prices, scroll down a little towards the end of the article!
A black poi indicates the Hévíz Tófürdő and beach
Red dots show the classic beaches on the Balaton shore
In the place of burgundy pois, there are adventure parks and adventure baths
The blue pois are lakes where you can't swim, but you can fish instead :)
Let's see which are the classic beaches next to Lake Balaton.
There are roughly 7+2 beaches near Hévíz that are very popular among guests.
Keszthely City Beach | Keszthely Libás Beach | Alsógyenes Lidó Beach | Gyenesdiás Play Beach | Vonyarcvashegyi Lido Beach | Balatongyörök Beach | Balatonberény Beach
+ Dog Beach in Keszthely and Naturist Beach in Balatonberény
It is typical of the above beaches that you can go for a walk or even take a bath outside of the high season. You can use the playgrounds and sports fields, but the buffets and restrooms are only open during the beach season. In the late spring period, you should expect that renovations, weeding, flower planting, and toys are being renovated, but by the beginning of June, almost all beaches can be visited. There are entrance tickets, where they start collecting from June 1, and where they start collecting from the beginning of the school holidays.
The opening hours - as long as you have to buy a full price ticket - are usually between 8:00 and 18:00, but in many places you can buy an evening swimming ticket before closing, which is cheaper and usually after 6 or 7, entry is free. Most beaches have student and pensioner discounts, family tickets or weekly passes can also be purchased.
In terms of accessibility, a common feature of the beaches in the area is that they are easy to find. By bicycle, the cash desks are almost within reach of the Balaton bicycle path, and by car, of course, you can park for free next to every beach. Moreover, with the exception of the dog beach and the Libás beach, all other beaches are close to the local train station, so if you can, you can even go by train.
Lake Hévíz, as a uniqueness, is a spa, lake spa and beach spa all in one
Unique in the world, Lake Hévíz combines thermal spas and beach spas in such a way that none of them really exist. Due to its uniqueness, you can bathe in the natural thermal spring all year round, and thanks to the covered parts, you can enjoy the experience of warm water even in pouring rain or snow. Depending on the weather, in the spring, usually in May, the beach area opens even earlier, where you can enjoy the pleasures of water around 30°C or even warmer before the Balaton beach season.
The children's pools are only filled in mid-June, as they have heated normal water.
From the point of view that you can swim in a real, natural, warm water lake and relax and sunbathe on its shore, it is more like a beach, but based on the services, opening hours and prices based on medicinal water, it can be classified more like a thermal spa.
You definitely have to try it once, because it is really unique and special, completely different from all the usual beaches and adventure pools!
Adventure baths and slide park
Near Hévíz, we have to write about 3 major thermal and adventure baths and a slide park.
Closer to Hévíz is the Kehida Thermal Bath in Kehidakustány, many people also visit the Karos Spa complex in Zalakaros, and Zalaszentgrót also has a thermal and adventure bath. Perhaps a little further, in Zalaegerszeg there is an Aquacity and slide park.
The common feature of the first three thermal spas is that their indoor pools are open all year round, but in the summer season they also open their outdoor beach with adventure park, slides and a large green surface to the public. These baths, although they cannot be called classic beaches, can be visited regardless of the weather, since even if we cannot use the outdoor experiences, the indoor pools are still open. Another important feature they have in common is that they have pools with medicinal water and heated normal water pools.
Aquacity, located next to the last-mentioned Zalaegerszeg, only operates in the summer, during the school holidays. It does not have an indoor bath, only outdoor pools and numerous slides, among which all ages can find their favorite. At the same time, just like the Balaton beaches, this adventure bath is only visited in nice, summer weather.
The ticket prices of the spas and beaches do not reflect the quality of the services! On the slightly more expensive beaches, the extra program options and extra experience elements provide the basis for a higher price category, while the slightly cheaper beaches are typically smaller, more family-friendly, and offer fewer but equally high-quality services. In addition, all the classic beaches listed here (except for dogs and naturists) have Blue Wave certification and are multiple category winners (child-friendly beach, sporty beach, green beach). The different types of ticket prices mean that entrance tickets to most beaches in the pre-summer season, in June, are cheaper than in July and August.
