The 13 Best Lake Balaton Tours in Hungary

1.Lake Balaton Day Tour

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

Review of the Lake Balaton day tour from Budapest, with a boat cruise, Balatonfüred train ride, Tihany Abbey, tips, costs, and drawbacks.

“The drive to Lake Balaton was good and enable us to see another part of Hungary. The little train journey was fun, however as other comments have said the only disappointment was it was in Hungarian - the guide doesn’t come on the train with you. You are given a booklet but to see everything you can’t be reading the booklet at the same time. The boat trip on the Lake was great and there was a good mix of shaded and sunny seats. There was a toilet on board and you could also purchase drinks. Th views of the peninsula were fabulous and then the drive up to the…”

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2.Lake Balaton Tour

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

Review of the Lake Balaton day trip from Budapest, with Balatonfüred, a one-hour cruise, Tihany views, costs, timing, and practical tips.

“Elizabeth is a wonderful tour guide. Would’ve liked more time at the peninsula, felt a little rushed.”

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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

Review of a private Budapest to Lake Balaton tour, with Tihany, Balatonfüred, ferry views, flexible guides, and practical tips.

“The tour was fantastic. Our tour guide Balazs was very knowledgeable about the area and points of interest along the trip. The lake and surrounding towns were stunning and we stopped in several places to enjoy the lake front area. We had a fantastic lunch at a restaurant along the lake with majestic views. Balazs was friendly and fun to spend the day with. We would never have had this experience on our own.”

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4.Lake Balaton & Cruise

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

Review of the Lake Balaton and Cruise tour from Budapest, with Tihany Abbey, Balatonfüred, boat ride, costs, tips, and drawbacks.

“Escursione completa al Lago Balaton, la suora ha spiegato molte cose interessanti; luogo tranquillo, dorata e tappe giuste”

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

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

Review of a private Lake Balaton tour from Budapest, with Tihany, Balatonfüred, ferry views, guide details, costs, and practical tips.

“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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6.Sailing at Lake Balaton

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 21 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $418

Review of private Lake Balaton sailing from Balatonföldvár, with hands-on lessons, swimming, safety tips, pricing, and booking advice.

“I had the absolute honor of sailing with Szilárd, and I can genuinely say it was one of the most beautiful, empowering experiences of my life.”

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7.Lake Balaton & Cruise

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

Review of the Lake Balaton day trip from Budapest, with Tihany Abbey, Balatonfüred, a lake cruise, practical tips, and honest value advice.

“This trip was amazing. Who would of thought that this beautiful lake existed. Vera was a great guide and very knowledgeable. It is definitely worth a visit if staying in Budapest.”

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8.Lake Balaton: Paddle Board Tour of Tihany National Park

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

Paddle across Lake Balaton’s Tihany National Park on a guided SUP tour with equipment, nature views, free parking, and swim breaks.

“Akos and Andreas were super friendly. Contact around the event was really easy. My boyfriend and I had a great time as first time suppers, as the explanation was clear and it was a very small group. We ended up doing the sunset tour instead. You can take your phone in a waterproof case to take extra photos (although some pictures will be taken). We really recommend taking a big water bottle on the paddle board! We took too little and were very thirsty on the water, as it was really hot.”

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9.Tihany: SUP Course and Tour at Lake Balaton

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

Learn SUP basics at Lake Balaton, then paddle into Tihany National Park with equipment, instruction, and free parking 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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10.Lake Balaton Tihany & Tapolca Cave Lake trip by Private Transport

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 10 reviews · 6 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $270

Review of a private Budapest day trip to Tapolca Cave Lake, Tihany, and Balatonfüred, with transport, guide, costs, and practical tips.

“Tapolca Cave Lake is an amazing place. You do not want to miss the fun underground boat ride through the caves. My adult son and I had a blast. The beauty of the water and caves is stunning and otherworldly.We had a wonderful lunch nearby and saw the beautiful town and mill pond. Lake Balaton was also a part of the tour and it was absolutely beautiful. I had two tours with Peter during our week in Budapest, and we learned so much from him. He really gives you a personalized tour that is unique and he is very attentive to your needs. We didn't feel like tourists, we felt…”

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

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

Review of a private Budapest to Lake Balaton tour with Herend porcelain, Tihany, Balatonfüred, and a three-course Hungarian lunch.

“Our tour guide Nora was excellent and very knowledgeable about the area. Even though we had some rain she made sure we all had an enjoyable experience. Would highly recommend this trip and Nora for the tour guide.”

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12.See the Hungarian Sea: Lake Balaton

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

Review Lake Balaton from Budapest with Balatonfüred, a boat cruise, Tihany Abbey, lavender fields, transport tips, and honest value advice.

“Such a beautiful experience! Wonderful little city by the lake. Took a little train ride around the city. Had free time to eat/shop. Took a 1 hour boat ride on the lake followed by a short drive to a close by village know for lavender.”

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13.Lake Balaton & Herend Porcelain Private Day Tour

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

Review of a private Budapest day tour to Lake Balaton, Herend Porcelain, Tihany Abbey, and Balatonfüred, with practical tips and value advice.

“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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