The 14 Best Lake Balaton Day Trips from Budapest

1.Lake Balaton Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 108 reviews · 9.5 hours · from $128Our pick

Guided Lake Balaton day tour from Budapest with a Balatonfüred cruise, nostalgia train, promenade free time, and UNESCO Tihany Abbey.

“I was looking forward to this trip, i.e. leaving the hustle & bustle of the big city and getting some "fresh air". Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate: cloudy and rainy - NO sun!! A small group of 15 people and 2 guides (1x for the English & German speaking travellers and 1x for the Spanish ones). Nevertheless, it was a quiet & relaxing day with few people around.”

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2.Lake Balaton Tour

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

Full day from Budapest to Lake Balaton, with a lakeside walk, a 1-hour cruise, and Tihany Peninsula views.

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

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

Private Lake Balaton day trip from Budapest with hotel pickup, Balaton towns, Tihany, Benedictine Abbey, and an included ferry crossing.

“See the countryside on this tour. Beautiful lake area. Charming homes with thatched roofs. Cute towns. Experienced a ferry ride across the lake back to the city. Nice to see something other than city sites while in Budapest. Our Guide Atilla was enjoyable and made sure we saw what we wanted to.”

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4.Lake Balaton & Cruise

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

Spend a long day from Budapest exploring Lake Balaton, Tihany Abbey, Balatonfüred promenade, and a relaxing boat ride for about $100.

“A must to do ( relaxing country side day) Our Guide Sofia was very interesting Good cruise, time to swim in the lake. Visit of lavender village very nice and very good meal at Rege.”

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

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

Private Lake Balaton day from Budapest with Balatonfüred, the Tihany Peninsula, ferry views, and optional monastery history, led in English.

“Attila was a pleasure to have as our guide. We talked about Hungary, history, agriculture, and political economics. He took us to sites most people would never see. The restaurant was delicious with a wonderful view and it had many non meat options for us. Overall a great trip. We would highly recommend it.”

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6.Lake Balaton & Cruise

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

Lake Balaton cruise day trip from Budapest with Tihany Abbey views and Balatonfüred promenade stroll. 9 hours, English guide.

“A great day trip! The perfect choice for my first day - I did not have to get up too early, and, the tour was a nice, easy pace all day. Ample time to explore on my own at the different stops. Great driver and tour guide. Very knowledgeable and professional. I plan to arrange another of your tours on my next visit!”

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7.Paddle Board Tour of Tihany National Park

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 14 reviews · 2 hours · from $94Best value

Paddle Lake Balaton through Tihany National Park on a guided SUP, with boards and life-jackets included plus free parking for 2 hours.

“The padel boarding was great. We had lovely weather and the guide was very polite and really made the experience. I would recommend.”

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8.Tihany: SUP Course and Tour at Lake Balaton

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 11 reviews · 2 hours · from $94

Learn SUP in Tihany, Lake Balaton. Start on a simulator, then paddle independently near the national park. Equipment and life jacket included.

“We had a really great time at this paddle boarding lesson. By the end of the lesson we felt confident and were enjoying being out on the water on the paddle board. Andreas was a great teacher. Very patient with lots of helpful tips to improve our technique. We would really recommend this activity.”

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

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

Private Lake Balaton day trip from Budapest with Herend porcelain, Tihany and Balatonfüred, plus a 3-course lunch with drinks.

“A good day for a day trip to lake balaton on a big national holiday when the city would be jampacked. it was a hot day but still a nice day to be out and see the beautiful area. i was hoping to see some lavender fields as i kept mentioning to our private driver Atilla, but we did not stop at one. I thought a private tour could be tweaked somehow. oh we did, we managed to stop at the Tihany Abbey, which even the nonprivate tour stops at. The TIhany postcards always have the Abbey and the lavenders! We stopped at a porcelain factory, the pretty town of…”

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10.Lake Balaton & Herend Porcelain Private Day Tour

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

Private 9-hour Budapest day trip to Lake Balaton, the Herend porcelain factory with 3D tour, and Tihany Abbey, plus Balatonfüred.

“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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11.Lake Balaton and Herend Full-Day Private Tour

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

Private Lake Balaton and Herend day trip from Budapest with Tihany Abbey, Balatonfüred promenade, and expert porcelain visits.

“A very delightful day. We enjoyed the tour at Herend Porcelain Co. The guide was very informative,polite and very informative. Thank you for a wonderful experience.”

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12.Sunset SUP Tour along the Tihany National Park

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 4 reviews · 2.5 hours · from $94

Paddle into sunset on Lake Balaton from Tihany National Park, with calm water, wildlife chances, and SUP gear included for a 2.5 hour golden hour glow.

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13.Lake Balaton and Herend Guided Tour

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

Private 9-hour day trip from Budapest to Lake Balaton, Tihany and Balatonfüred, with optional Herend porcelain and expert 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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14.Lake Balaton Full Day Private Wine Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · from $1,919

Private Lake Balaton wine tour from Budapest with tastings up to 11-12 wines, Tihany Peninsula views, Balatonfüred promenade, lunch, and door-to-door pickup.

“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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