On June 11 we arrived in Budapest as a team with Steph and John! Arriving via bicycle was an amazing experience - the Parliament buildings stood out on the east bank and grew as we approached; although not entirely the same, it reminded me of my first time going to Dawson City with Kaya by canoe in 2011. Arriving by human power gives you a very different perspective than getting in fast by car or train, etc. Budapest reminded me of Vienna, with tall / densely packed ornate buildings and trendy shops. We only stayed one night before taking the train to Lake Balaton (the Hungarian Sea) for a tour around the coastline which is just over 200 km. Lake Balaton is very shallow (avg 3.3 m deep) and is excellent for swimming with kids. The water is light green and was very warm during our time there. The north side is more mountainous and known for its wineries; whereas the south bank is flat and known for its resorts. Felt great to swim everyday in the 30 degree weather. About half the beaches (strands) require you to pay an entry fee, but we were able to find all free beaches that were recommended by locals or that we found by chance. Steph and John also came to the lake, but decided to not bike around and chill out. Although not entirely needed, we purchased a biking guidebook for the lake, which was in English and Hungarian - guide books for the lake are easy to find at bookshops in Budapest. There are several tours in the guide book that take you to nearby sites away from the lake and it looks like you could spend a fair bit of time tackling them all, but we elected to tour the somewhat flat coastline - which we definitely recommend if you’re touring with kids and are nearby on the EuroVelo 6 route.
June 10 - biked 49 km from Esztergom to Tahitótfalu
June 11 - biked 39 km from Tahitótfalu to Budapest
June 12 - train from Budapest to Balatonfured
June 13 - biked 52 km from Balatonfured to Badacsonytomaj. Nice clean campground. Passed many vineyards and tasting rooms. Trail is in excellent condition with up/down hilly sections.
June 14 - biked 38 km from Badacsonytomaj to Keszthely. Had a great dinner at an American style pub (Johns Pub - pulled pork). Decent campsite. Keszthely was settled in Roman times and is the biggest and most culturally impressive town on the lake. Big triathlon happening the morning we left, so had to navigate closed roads.
June 15 - biked 50 km from Keszthely to Balatonlelle. Getting tired of camping in hot / buggy weather - booked an a/c apartment.
June 16 - layover day in Balatonlelle. Swimming/beach day. Patti now has two squirt guns and a beach ball - she likes getting us with the guns at close range.
June 17 - biked 47 km from Balatonlelle to Siófok. Met up with Steph and John, who had been there already for 2 nights. Cooked a big group dinner and kids got to play together 😀
June 18 - biked 80 km from Siófok to Tihany, took a ferry across to Szántód and looped back to Siófok to complete the tour of the lake. Did this section on my own without gear as a Father’s Day gift. Said goodbye to Steph and John and took the train back to Budapest to camp at Haller campground - nice place, but super loud. Biked another 16 km to get there. Jess and Robbie flew in that night with bikes to join us, woohoo!
June 10 - biked 49 km from Esztergom to Tahitótfalu
June 11 - biked 39 km from Tahitótfalu to Budapest
June 12 - train from Budapest to Balatonfured
June 13 - biked 52 km from Balatonfured to Badacsonytomaj. Nice clean campground. Passed many vineyards and tasting rooms. Trail is in excellent condition with up/down hilly sections.
June 14 - biked 38 km from Badacsonytomaj to Keszthely. Had a great dinner at an American style pub (Johns Pub - pulled pork). Decent campsite. Keszthely was settled in Roman times and is the biggest and most culturally impressive town on the lake. Big triathlon happening the morning we left, so had to navigate closed roads.
June 15 - biked 50 km from Keszthely to Balatonlelle. Getting tired of camping in hot / buggy weather - booked an a/c apartment.
June 16 - layover day in Balatonlelle. Swimming/beach day. Patti now has two squirt guns and a beach ball - she likes getting us with the guns at close range.
June 17 - biked 47 km from Balatonlelle to Siófok. Met up with Steph and John, who had been there already for 2 nights. Cooked a big group dinner and kids got to play together 😀
June 18 - biked 80 km from Siófok to Tihany, took a ferry across to Szántód and looped back to Siófok to complete the tour of the lake. Did this section on my own without gear as a Father’s Day gift. Said goodbye to Steph and John and took the train back to Budapest to camp at Haller campground - nice place, but super loud. Biked another 16 km to get there. Jess and Robbie flew in that night with bikes to join us, woohoo!
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