Countryside: Lake Balaton and Herend (Full-Day Private Tour)

Countryside: Lake Balaton and Herend (Full-Day Private Tour)

The Hungarian “sea” (called Balaton) tour could cover the largest hand-painting porcelain manufactory of the world in Herend or Veszprém, the city of queens, the 1000-year old Benedictine Abbey in Tihany and a beautiful walkway in Balatonfüred.
Herend is famous for its Porcelain Manufactory – you can see how the luxury hand painted products are made (and also can buy products if you want).
In Tihany you can visit the Benedictine Abbey, and enjoy a delightful panorama of Lake Balaton.
In Balatonfüred you could take a walk on the bank. A lot of sailboats and yachts could be seen on the lake. If you get tired, there are a lot of benches to relax and cafés to refresh yourself. If the weather is enough warm, you can try a beach if you want.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Porcelain Museum of Herend, Kossuth Lajos utca 140, Herend 8440 Hungary

It's worth to take a tour to the legendary Herend Porcelain Manufactury (optional).

The Herend Porcelain Manufactory is a Hungarian manufacturing company, specializing in luxury hand painted and gilded porcelain. Founded in 1826, it is based in the town of Herend near the city of Veszprém.

In the mid-19th century it was purveyor to the Habsburg Dynasty and aristocratic customers throughout Europe. Many of its classic patterns are still in production.

After the fall of Communism in Hungary the factory was privatised and is now 75% owned by its management and workers. As of 2006, the factory is profitable and exports to over 60 countries of the world. Its main markets are Italy, Japan, Russia and the US.

The price of the tickets in 2019: adults - 10 EUR, student (6-18) - 5 EUR, family (2 adults with children) - 22 EUR, photo ticket - 4 EUR. Visit to the Minimanufactory and the Porcelain Museum including bonus coffee or tea or mineral water served at the Apicius Café. The family ticket includes three bonus drinks. No bonus drink goes to a student ticket.

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Stop At: Castle Hill (Veszpremi Varhegy), Veszprem Hungary

Veszprém (optional to visit) is one of the oldest urban areas in Hungary, and a city with county rights. The name of the city originates from a Slavic personal name Bezprem or Bezprym (Proto-Slavic Bezprěmъ) meaning "stubborn", "self-confident, not willing to retreat".

According to legend, Veszprém was founded on seven hills. The seven hills are Várhegy (Castle Hill), Benedek-hegy (St. Benedict Hill), Jeruzsálem-hegy (Jerusalem Hill), Temetőhegy (Cemetery Hill), Gulyadomb (Herd Hill), Kálvária-domb (Calvary Hill) and Cserhát.
You can take a walk in the Castle, visit the Piarist and Garrison Church, the Holy Trinity and the Old Town Square, the Gisella Chapel, the Saint Michael's Cathedral and the statues of Stephen I. and Gisella.

Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Tihany, Tihany, Veszprem County, Central Transdanubia

Tihany is a village on the northern shore of Lake Balaton on the Tihany Peninsula. The whole peninsula is a historical district.

The center of the district is the Benedictine Tihany Abbey, which was founded in 1055 AD by András (Andrew) I, who is buried in the crypt. The founding charter of this abbey is the first extant record of Hungarian language, preserved in Pannonhalma Benedictine Archabbey. The church itself was rebuilt in baroque style in 1754. The still functioning abbey is a popular tourist attraction due to its historical and artistic significance. It also has the best view of Lake Balaton.

The abbey also features as a footnote in Habsburg history - the last Habsburg Emperor of Austria, Charles I was briefly held prisoner here following his second attempt to regain the throne of Hungary.

Tihany is famous for the echo, existing since the 18th century. There were poems written for this echo, like by Mihály Csokonai Vitéz and Mihály Vörösmarty, but the most famous is by János Garay, summing up the legend of the place. The echo has since abated, due to changes in the landscape. The other part of the legend concerns with the "goats' nails", washed ashore from Balaton, which are in fact corners of prehistoric clams. According to the story, there was a princess with golden-haired goats, but she was too proud and hard of heart and was punished (cursed by the king of the lake): her goats were lost in Balaton, only their nails remained, and she was obliged to answer to every passers-by. A stone, remembering the Shouting Girl, is still to be seen near the village. On the shores of Lake Balaton stands the former summer residence of the Habsburg imperial family, which remained in the private ownership of the family until the end of the Second World War. It was since used as a hotel, but is now in private hands and not accessible to the public.

Tihany's inhabitants have the highest per capita income,[1] and the village has the highest housing prices[1] in the whole of Hungary.

Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Tihany Echo, Tihany Hungary

Tihany is famous for the echo, existing since the 18th century. There were poems written for this echo, like by Mihály Csokonai Vitéz and Mihály Vörösmarty, but the most famous is by János Garay, summing up the legend of the place. The echo has since abated, due to changes in the landscape. The other part of the legend concerns with the "goats' nails", washed ashore from Balaton, which are in fact corners of prehistoric clams. According to the story, there was a princess with golden-haired goats, but she was too proud and hard of heart and was punished (cursed by the king of the lake): her goats were lost in Balaton, only their nails remained, and she was obliged to answer to every passers-by. A stone, remembering the Shouting Girl, is still to be seen near the village.

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Bences Apatsag, I. Andras ter 1., Tihany 8237 Hungary

Due to its excellent location, the abbey has a magical view of the eastern corner of Balaton as well as the south shore. The oldest written words in the Hungarian language can be found in the 1055 establishing charter of the abbey. Founded by Andrew I, the abbey was dedicated to the Holy Virgin and to Saint Aignan. The crypt containing King Andrew’s tomb is open to visitors to this day. The abbey has recently hosted exhibitions, concerts and cultural events.

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Stop At: Balatonfured, Balatonfured, Veszprem County, Central Transdanubia

The town has two marinas, a string of carbonated mineral water springs, listed buildings from the middle of the 18th and the 19th centuries and fine restaurants. Although a shipyard was once the town's largest employer, now that place has been taken by the State Hospital for Cardiology. The largest industry is catering and providing boarding and other accommodations. The town has a pier, a harbour, a large camping site and several private marinas.

Visitors come for the mild micro-climate, scenery, the local wine, made of Olaszrizling grapes and sailing and swimming facilities, as well as to revive the two-century-old tradition of socializing around spas, bathing and vacationing.The main events of the two-month-long summer holiday season include a ball for first-time visitors with a beauty contest and a wine-tasting festival, both in August.

There are three churches in town: a typical red-sandstone Catholic church, a white Protestant church and a modern Evangelist church. A Pentecostal, American type of Christian denomination Faith Church is also active in the former Communist party headquarters.

Balatonfüred has a number of conference halls and a large clinic for heart patients. It also has a number of wine cellars that sell white house wine in the vineyards on the hillside overlooking the town and the lake.

In winter, the lake may freeze over for weeks so that skaters and ice boaters take over.

Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Tagore Promenade, Tagore Setany, Balatonfured 8230 Hungary

Tagore sétány in Balatonfüred has many shops at the part close to Tihany, but the reason why it is called Balaton's main street is different. You can literally bump into restaurants, cafés and ice cream parlors if you don't pay attention. Tagore is surrounded by tall trees, and the crowd is almost as huge as on a big city's main street. It is like an old-fashioned promenade, you have to show up here if you're in town.

The locals are nodding their heads at each other, tourists admire the boats in the marina and the promenade is full of the wineries' counters during Balatonfüred Wine Weeks.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Lake Balaton, Hungary

Lake Balaton is a freshwater lake in the Transdanubian region of Hungary. It is the largest lake in Central Europe, and one of the region's foremost tourist destinations. The Zala River provides the largest inflow of water to the lake and the canalised Sió is the only outflow.

The mountainous region of the northern shore is known both for its historic character and as a major wine region, while the flat southern shore is known for its resort towns. Balatonfüred and Hévíz developed early as resorts for the wealthy, but it was not until the late 19th century when landowners, ruined by Phylloxera attacking their grape vines, began building summer homes to rent out to the burgeoning middle classes.

Duration: 4 hours