13 Lake Balaton Day Trips from Budapest Worth Booking

1.Lake Balaton Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 107 reviews · 9.5 hours · from $128Our pick

Spend 9.5 hours exploring Lake Balaton from Budapest. Walk Balatonfüred’s marina, take a one-hour cruise, and visit Tihany Peninsula for lake views, the abbey, inner lake, and lavender fields. Multilingual guides, including Elizabeth on some departures, lead the trip.

“I don't usually post negative reviews, but I was really disappointed with this one. The guides were lovely, but the train was just of boring backstreets and roads, a complete waste of time. I only booked this tour because it promised swimming in the lake and lavender fields. If swimming was even a possibility, we were never told where to go for it, so I kept thinking it would be a later part. It never happened. Then the same with the lavender fields. I thought it was the last part of the tour, and eventually was disappointed to realise we were on route home. It was mid August so they…”

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2.Private tour from Budapest to a top hidden treasure region of Europe: Lake Balaton

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 79 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $265Top rated

Travel from Budapest to Lake Balaton in a private vehicle with guides such as Attila, Balazs, or Gabriel. See Balatonakarattya, Balatonfüred, Tihany, the Benedictine Abbey, and cross the lake by ferry. Expect about eight hours, hotel or port pickup, and a flexible pace.

“Balazs was an amazing guide. Great character and good sense of humour. Very insightful. Balazs turned up in a fully restored 1965 Volvo Amazon! Amazing car, so unique. That really made the day. This was an awesome experience. Lake Balaton is beautiful ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️”

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3.Lake Balaton & Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 35 reviews · 9 hours · from $100Best value

Spend nine hours exploring Lake Balaton from Budapest, with a visit to 1055 Tihany Abbey, free time in Balatonfüred, and a boat ride. An English-speaking guide, air-conditioned transport, and boat ticket are included. Lunch and abbey entry cost extra.

“Terrible experience. We are ordered English-speaking tour guide but gets nice old lady with some english and most of the group were speaking Spanish. She spoke Spanish to them. Very limited information were given. We weren't informed by company that will not be English-speaking tour guide. Was sewer rain and wind. In the last moment we didn't get any choices as to continue with this group. When we arrived to Lake Balaton, the 99% restaurants were closed and most of the stores too. It was a ghost city. We were put on the boat in sewer rain without seeing anything and were taking around the lake. On the boat we…”

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4.The Turquoise Sea of Hungary: Lake Balaton Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 25 reviews · 8 hours · from $235

Spend eight hours with a private English-speaking guide exploring Lake Balaton, Balatonfüred, and Tihany Peninsula. You’ll visit a historic Benedictine monastery, enjoy a scenic ferry ride, and stop for a meal at a restaurant with an exceptional lake view. Attila and Balascz Ackermann have both guided this outing.

“I travelled with Kids under 11yo. The guide was very empathetic throughout the trip, suggested activities for the kids (feeding ducks, Ground Squirrels, visiting little aquarium). The guide helped with the language during souvenir shopping. The children stayed very grateful for the travel and asked me to rate our guide 10stars if possible 🙂. We also found a little fountain on the promenade and it was a sweet and cooling entertainnent during hot weather (36'C).”

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5.Lake Balaton & Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 19 reviews · 9 hours (approx.) · from $102

Leave Budapest at 9:00 for Lake Balaton, Central Europe’s largest freshwater lake. Visit Tihany Abbey and village shops, stroll Balatonfüred’s Tagore Promenade, and take a boat ride. A guide such as Vera may lead the day, though timing and multilingual commentary can vary.

“Lovely day on the lake Balaton. We were a small group of four with a guide. Had a wonderful day visiting the Herend porcelain factory and the lake. Had a wonderful lunch and actually had a swim in the lake”

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6.Budapest to Lake Balaton and Porcelain Museum Private Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 9 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $385

Travel by private air-conditioned car or minivan from Budapest to Lake Balaton with a local guide. Visit Herend’s hand-painted porcelain museum, see Tihany Peninsula, stroll Balatonfüred, and enjoy a three-course lunch with drinks in Csopak. Guides have included Susan, Nora, and Attila.

“Knowing we were in Budapest for a full week, we were looking for a day off where we didn't have to make any decisions and instead follow along while a guide showed us around. This tour did not disappoint. Susan showed up a little bit early and was friendly right from the start. The minute we got in her car, she was giving us interesting tidbits about Budapest we would never have otherwise known. She was funny and we managed to have some 'inside jokes' throughout the day. The tour itself was great. We got out of the car a few times in order to see different parts of the…”

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7.See the Hungarian Sea: Lake Balaton

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 9 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $131

Spend a full day at Lake Balaton, Hungary’s largest freshwater lake, with an English-speaking guide, air-conditioned transport, a nostalgia train in Balatonfüred, a one-hour boat cruise, and time in Tihany. Expect scenic walking, optional lunch, and some uphill hiking.

“Enjoyed this trip ,would have been better if the weather had been kinder to us.Lunch was at a very nice local restaurant and the food was of a high standard and inexpensive”

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8.Lake Balaton & Herend Porcelain Private Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 7 reviews · 9 hours · from $412

Travel by private car or minivan from Budapest to Lake Balaton, Herend Porcelain, Tihany, and Balatonfüred. You’ll see porcelain production, watch a 3D film, visit Tihany Abbey, and have time for an optional lakeside lunch. English, German, and Italian guides are available.

“Le Lac balaton est à voir au moins une fois si vous êtes de passage en Hongrie et la visite de la fabrique de porcelaine de Herend est très sympa à faire, tout comme le village de Tihany. Néanmoins, notre guide était très moyen !!! (comme l'atteste l'évaluation générale de notre journée). Elle répondait que brièvement à nos interrogations, elle nous a laissée que très peu de liberté concernant les itinéraires à suivre surtout au cours de notre promenade au cœur du village de Tihany et le pire est qu'elle s'est ajoutée d'elle même à notre table pendant notre diner au restaurant panoramique de Tihany sans nous demander si cela…”

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9.Lake Balaton and Herend Full-Day Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 5 reviews · 10 hours · from $436

Leave Budapest with a private guide and driver for Herend Porcelain, the Tihany Peninsula, Tihany Abbey, and Balatonfüred. Expect about 10 hours on the road, flexible timing, hotel pickup, and guiding in English, Spanish, French, German, or Italian. Entrance fees and meals cost extra.

“Génial ! Meme le musée de porcelaine très intéressant”

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10.Lake Balaton and Herend Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 3 reviews · 9 hours · from $412

Travel privately from Budapest with a professional guide to Herend Porcelain, Tihany Peninsula, and Balatonfüred. Expect a factory tour, museum time, lake views, historic streets, and door-to-door transport. Guides speak English, German, or Italian, and George Molnar is one named guide.

“Beautiful area of Hungary that was interesting to see. Nice combination with the lake and manufacturing tour. The quality of the tour does not match the price.”

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11.Lake Balaton Full Day Private Wine Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews

You’ll leave Budapest at 9:00 am with an English-speaking guide such as Gabor, visit Tihany and Balatonfüred, then taste up to 12 local wines at one or two North Shore wineries. Lunch, drinks, bottled water, and hotel pickup are included for groups of up to six.

“I traveled to Budapest with my husband and mother. I did multiple activities through Sweet Travel Private Tours. I worked with Kata Gyevat Dobo for months prior to the trip. She was amazing and organized my entire itinerary for us. She answered every email in a timely Read more”

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12.Private Lake Balaton Experience with an unforgettable Wine Tasting

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · from $372

Travel privately from Budapest to Lake Balaton with Gabor Dora’s local team. Visit Tihany, cross by ferry from Szántod, stroll Balatonfüred’s Tagore Promenade, and taste 7 to 9 wines at at least two wineries, with the route shaped around your group.

“Had a wonderful time at Csopak wineries, excellent wine, knowledgeable host, beautiful views. Tour guide was also very knowledgeable, comfortable ride, had a lunch at a the local place in Tihany with the incredible view of the Balaton lake.”

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13.Tapolca Cave Lake and Tihany/ Balaton private tour from Budapest

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 3 reviews · from $275

Travel by private car from Budapest to Tapolca Cave Lake, where you can row through the underground waterway, then spend time in Tihany and Székesfehérvár. An English-speaking driver, hotel transfers, and cave admission are included. Plan to buy your own lunch and drinks.

“We supposed to go see a historic town S before dropping us off in hotel. Our driver/tour guide, Richard, just go straight back to hotel. When I asked him about the historic town S, he said we are not going because it is under construction!!”

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