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

Budapest, Hungary

8 hours
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Spend a day away from the crowds of the capital without having to join a massive tour group. This private tour takes you a short distance southwest of Budapest to Lake Balaton, a sprawling lake surrounded by charming towns and rolling countryside. Cruise through your day at a leisurely pace with only your private guide by your side. Take a ferry cruise across the lake, walk around the historic village of Tihany (home to the 11th-century Benedictine Tihany Abbey) and enjoy the picturesque views from the Balatonfüred promenade.

No stuffy tour buses: get around Balaton in your own private vehicle
Fees for the ferry and the Tihany Abbey are covered by your tour costs
Whether you’re staying in a hotel or on a cruise ship, transfers are included
Take the family: infant seats are available and this tour is stroller accessible

What's Included

All taxes, fees and handling charges
All activities
Driver/guide
Professional guide
Hotel/port pickup and drop-off
Private tour
Transport by private vehicle
Landing and facility fees

Food and drinks, wine tasting (appr. eur 25/person)

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

We pick you up where you stay, in Budapest.

What To Expect

Balatonakarattya

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Lake Balaton

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Balatonfüred

40 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Tihany

1 hour 10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Bences Apatsag

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Szantod-Tihany Ferry

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Infant seats available
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Minimum drinking age is 18 years
Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking

Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
Please send a message after booking if you are interested in the wine tasting option.
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

51 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 51 reviews

Balaton on my mind

Allen_B, Apr 2024

The best thing about the trek to Balaton was the beautiful lake and charming hamlets around it, but Attila was a close second. I asked all manner of odd questions and he fielded them all in a deeply informed while comically entertaining fashion. Thanks again for offering us your time and talent. Anyone wanting a more than common experience in Hungary should seriously entertain thoughts of Attila hosting, transporting, guiding, and all else ASAP!

Response from Host, May 2024

Thank you Allen, you are really kind. Attila

A recommended experience

Charlo_F, Oct 2023

The guide tour, his name Attila, was very friendly, helpful and well knowledgeable about Budapest especially lake balloon.

Response from Host, Dec 2023

Thank you, Charlo!

Perfect day at Lake Balaton

Tina_S, Sep 2023

Our trip to the Lake Balaton area was perfect Our guide, Atilla was helpful, prompt, courteous and entertaining. He truly went above and beyond to make our day beautiful and Comfortable!

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Thank you Tina. This was beautiful September day. You guys were very nice to be with, too. Thank you for the many questions. Questions are always good, especially on a long tour.

Awesome trip to Lake Balaton!

Anthony_G, Sep 2023

Best day ever! Attila was very knowledgeable and provided interesting details of the Lake Batalon, Budapest, and Hungary! He made sure we did things we wanted to do along the way! Very flexible! Highly recommend this tour to everyone! Great way to see the surrounding areas around Budapest! Thank you Attila!

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Thank you Tony. Also thank you for writing the REVIEW. It helps.

A day we'll spent

Sherry_W, Aug 2023

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip through the countryside to Lake Balaton, lunch at a wonderful local restaurant, and the ferry ride to the other side. Atilla, our private guide, was the best! Very informative, very flexible, and a great sense of humor. Don't pass up the chance to do this trip. It was well worth it!

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Thank you for the review, and your kind words. We like to be flexible because we like to what is best for the clients. If we find out what you like, you will get - if it is possible.

Awesome trip

Raj_N, Jul 2023

As mentioned, it’s a truly personal half day trip to the beautiful lake Balaton. My Guide Mr Attila was punctual and very knowledgeable about the region and willing to learn new things too. The one hour drive felt like it was only minutes. I really enjoyed the Tagore avenue and we had a small boating in an electric swan among sail boats (there was a sail boat competition going on which was an added bonus and we could have watch a horse cart riding competition too!). We also enjoyed some lavender picking and got some awesome photographs to cherish. Highly recommended

Attila is ügyes!

Michael_B, Jul 2023

Attila accommodated our whims and eccentricities without missing a beat. We had a great day of frolic, fun, swimming, eating, and sightseeing at Balaton. Extremely fluent in English - one might say he’s downright scholarly. Good driver, too! Highly recommended!

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Thank you! If you like languages - we can go there too. Even thon ügyes is sometimes impossible to translate, it is a very common concept. It is somewhere between nifty and skillful. Want to learn Hungarian? On the way there on the highway we have one hour for this, on the way back 1,5 hours.

A Mist See Tour

Amy_W, May 2023

This tour was excellent! Attila was a knowledgeable guide, friendly, + welcoming. He was a great conversationalist and the views of Lake Balaton, Tihany, and the Abbey can’t be missed! A short ride from Budapest in lovely wine and lavender country! It should not be missed! Thank you Attila for a fantastic day!

Response from Host, May 2023

Thank you Amy!

Highly recommend this!

Jasmine_C, Apr 2023

Our guide Atilla was a very well informed guide with a refreshing sense of humour. We had a great time exploring Balaton despite a mostly cloudy and rainy day - all thanks to our guide’s non stop engaging conversations as well as games, rubic cubes and again his brilliant sense of humour . Thoroughly enjoyed ourselves !

Great trip on an overcast day

Ojrs_L, Jul 2022

We travelled as a couple with a 7 month old. Our day started with our tour guide Baldrs meeting us in the lobby of our hotel and helping us into his classic car and helping us tuck in the toddler in the car seat Baldrs had provided upon our request. As we continued to Lake Balaton on and around it Baldrs proved to be a great speaking partner providing a lot of interesting information and being quite proactive in our conversations. It was enjoyable to get insights into how Hungarians live and the history of the country and the region. The 1st person interaction allows to hear things that you normally wouldn't hear in a guided tour meant for "everyone". It also allowed us to ask for the stopes when we needed them. Taking care of a 7 months old on a tour can be a hassle, but Baldrs was very helpful and we always had the possibility to feed the baby and change the diapers :) Others have written here that the tour hinges on sunny weather and to a degree it is so. I have been previously to similar tours in other countries and the views provided in Sunny weather are breath-taking, but then again that is the main impression you'd take from the tour. There's more to these tours than the colours of the water. The tour we took was on an overcast day and we even had very light rain in the early morning, but it was not an obstacle for our enjoyment at all. Tours like these, when you go out to countryside are always enjoyable even if the weather doesn't cooperate. Instead of being awestruck by the Lake shining in various colours on a sunny day you can still be delighted by seeing the countryside, enjoying the local towns and the information you hear while taking int he views of the Lake and it vastness.

Beautiful lake Balaton worth to visit

Wenying_C, Jul 2022

Beautiful lake Balaton, a day tour is not enough for this huge lake but surely we got some feeling about it. Our tour guide recommended to spend a couple of nights here, at least at Tihany peninsula- this is the heart of the beautiful lake. Next time definitely will stay there for a few days. Our guide took us on the bus driving along the lake to reach Tihany instead of taking ferry ride, it’s a very nice scenic ride, good to be flexible. Our guide Balazs is very good one with enthusiasm telling us stories of local cultures.

Excellent and informative

Galina_P, Jul 2022

Balacz, our tour guide and driver, was most knowledgeable and very kind! We enjoyed all the places he took us to. He showed us some hidden gems. Great day, overall!

Wonderful day trip in Hungary

Laurie_H, Jul 2022

We had several days in Budapest before the start of our river cruise. We booked this tour and had the best time! Attila provided an interesting and fun-filled day seeing Lake Belaton, a lovely lunch, and beautiful winery. It was a welcome break from city sights! Attila is awesome!

Better to go on a pretty day if you can.

Ruthanne_D, Jul 2022

The add on winery was the best part of the tour. We had a rainy morning and the monastery was under construction so not as much to see and enjoy as we had hoped for. Lunch restaurant a bit overpriced. Guide was friendly and had fun puzzles to do at lunch. He even gave us one to keep.

Perfect trip

CatherineMitchell, Jun 2022

Attila was excellent, personalised the tour and always went the extra mile to help us enjoy the day. Very k owledgeable and yet felt like being with a friend. Saw a lot of sides to Balaton and the surroundings, thank you very much!

Highly recommend

Tanja_R, May 2022

Atilla was a very nice guide. We had an enjoyable day exploring the Lake Balaton area and a wonderful lunch at a restaurant with an amazing view of the lake that he arranged

Wonderful experience

Venkataramana_P, Apr 2022

Balasz was very professional and friendly through out the tour..he was kind enough to answer all our questions.

Balaton

Roam26597686953, Nov 2019

Our trip to Balaton was great except that it rained. Aside from that our guide was informative and friendly. We learned a lot about the region and its history. Take the wine tasting add-on excursion.

Ein Tag am Balaton

Kay_S, May 2024

Unser Guide Gabriel hat sich viel Mühe gegeben, erklärt und Tipps gegeben. Rundherum ein toller Tag in einer traumhaften Umgebung, vielen Dank

Response from Host, May 2024

Thank you Kay, we wish you a pleasant holiday in Hungary!

Een dag naar het Balatonmeer is een absolute aanrader!

Catharina_A, Oct 2022

Onze gids Balázs Levay haalde ons op de afgesproken tijd op bij het hotel en dat was heel fijn, omdat mijn man wat minder mobiel is. Onderweg vertelde hij ook allerlei interessante weetjes en aangekomen bij het Balatonmeer stopten we bij verschillende mooie uitzichtpunten. In Balatonfüred namen we o.m. nog een kijkje in het Bodorka Balaton Aquarium. Daarna hadden we een voortreffelijke lunch in restaurant Baricska Csarda. Vervolgens gingen we naar het schiereiland en namen we een kijkje in de abdij van Tihany. Met de veerpont staken we over naar Szántód en reden we weer terug naar Budapest. Alle lof voor deze uitstekende gids (die ook nog behoorlijk Nederlands sprak en verstond en dat graag ook even met ons wilde oefenen). Dankzij hem een topdag gehad!