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Balatonlelle, Kishegy and Balatonboglár |
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During the Kádár era, the settlements of Balatonlelle and
Balatonboglár were merged into a single entity called Boglárlelle, but
since 1991 they have re-established their own identities and also made
the most of the revival of the wine industry since then, becoming the
main centre of wine tourism on the southern shore of the lake. The fifty-kilometre
long strip of land that makes up this, the fifth largest wine region in
the country, yields an equal number of quality red and white wines. For
more information contact the South-Balaton Wine Route Association in
Balatonboglár (tel 85/351-311, balatonboglar@somogy.hu ).
BALATONLELLE does its bit to attract tourists by staging the Juniális
Festival of music and crafts in June, and folk dancing in an old mansion
at Kossuth utca 2 during July and August. You can rent private rooms
from the Siótour information office at Szent István utca 16 (June-Aug
daily 8am-7pm; May & Sept Mon-Fri 8am-4.30pm; tel 85/351-086), and there
are several hotels and pensions close to the lake on Köztársaság út,
including the comfortable Giuseppe at no. 36 (tel 85/350-433, fax
350-074, www.hunguest.hu ; 7000-10,000Ft) and the rather more simple
Zala at no. 31 (tel 85/351-411, fax 352-814, www.hotels.hu/zala_bacs ;
3000-5000Ft); guests receive free use of boats at the latter. The
Aranyhíd campsite is at Köztársaság út 53 (tel 85/350-449; mid-May to
mid-Sept). The Viktória , at Szent István utca 13 (daily 8am-10pm), is
an engaging restaurant with live music every day during the summer and
at weekends during the rest of the year.
Wine lovers should venture 3km inland to KISHEGY (you'll have to walk or
take a taxi if you don't have your own transport), where you can taste
and buy wine in the Szent Donatus winery at Kishegyi utca 42 (mid-June
to Aug Mon-Fri 7.30am-6pm, Sat 10am-6pm; Sept to mid-June Mon-Fri
7.30am-4pm; tel 85/354-701). It's another 2km to the Szent Donatus
Csárda at the top of the hill (the staff at the winery can direct you),
where you can get stuck into solid Hungarian fare and sample wines while
gazing over the lake (mid-May to mid-Sept daily noon-10pm).
BALATONBOGLÁR , 3km west of Balatonlelle, hosts a massive annual wine
harvest festival ( Boglári Szüreti ) from August 18 to 20, on two stages
down by the Platán strand , with a big fair and a procession, a
competition for the title of Wine Queen, nightly firework displays, and,
of course, lots of wine. On neighbouring Várhegy, a spherical lookout
tower commands a sweeping view from Keszthely to Tihany, while atop
Temetodomb (Cemetery Hill), behind the two chapels, there are regular
exhibitions by artists from June to August. Another fun time to be here
is the last Saturday in July when the swim across Balaton takes place;
each year several thousand greased-up swimmers set off from Révfülöp ,
5.2km away on the northern shore, to Balatonboglár in this popular
amateur swim-fest.
Balatonboglár's Tourinform office is at Erzsébet utca 12-14, a couple of
minutes' walk up off the main road (mid-June to mid-Sept Mon-Sat
9am-8pm, Sun 9am-6pm; mid-Sept to mid-June Mon-Fri 9am-noon & 1-5pm; tel
& fax 85/353-230, balatonboglar@tourinform.hu ). You can book private
rooms through Fredo Tourist, at Dózsa György utca 1 (July & Aug daily
8am-8pm; Sept-June Mon-Fri 9am-4pm; tel 85/350-665,
www.balatonboglar.com/fredo.tourist.hu ) and Tinódi utca 16 (tel
85/350-288; same times). The Vasutas Üdülo at Kodály Zoltán utca 9-15,
by the tracks to the east of the station (tel 85/350-634; under 3000Ft),
has cheap beds, or for something more comfortable, head along to the
Família Hotel at no. 64 (tel 84/350-604, fax 550-070,
www.hotels.hu/bb_familia ; 5000-7000Ft; May-Sept). The Sello Campsite
(tel 85/350-800; April-Sept) is on the west of the landing stage at
Kiköto sétány 3. Balatonboglár is as good a place as any along the
southern shore to buy wine and there's a well-established cellar and
discount wine shop at Szabadság utca 28 (Mon-Fri 8.30am-noon &
1-3.30pm), 300m up from central Vörösmarty tér; the entrance is on the
right-hand side of the road, directly opposite no. 29, through the rusty
gate. If driving carry on another 200m and you'll see the signs.
During the first weekend of June the small village of SOMOGYBABOD , 12km
south of Balatonboglár, stages the Somogybabod Off-Road Festival , an
established event for off-road enthusiasts with lively concerts and huge
beer tents complementing the series of races on the reconditioned track;
more information can be obtained from Tourinform in Balatonboglár.
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