The 15 Best Lake Balaton Day Trips from Budapest

1.Lake Balaton Day Tour

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

Review of Eurama’s Lake Balaton day tour from Budapest, with a boat cruise, nostalgia train, Balatonfüred, Tihany Abbey, and practical tips.

“The trip was excellent but was marred by the state of the bus - all chairs were broken & leaned back & I had no back support. Our lovely guide organised some cushions for me which helped greatly. Also - no seat belts!! We were late leaving and lost an hour of the time we could have had at Tihany because we sat in a hotel car park waiting for a late arrival Otherwise the experiences were excellent & our guide Yolanda was outstanding.”

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2.Lake Balaton Tour

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

Review of the 9.5-hour Lake Balaton tour from Budapest, with Balatonfüred, a one-hour cruise, Tihany views, costs, and practical tips.

“El guía muy buena gente, y el hecho de saber varios idiomas, gana mucho puntos…solo que 90€ por persona me parece un poco caro, sin embargo, el país es caro en general”

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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

Escape Budapest for a private Lake Balaton day trip with scenic villages, Tihany Abbey, local food, and a ferry ride across Hungary’s great lake.

“The tour guide was exceptional. He picked us up in a beautifully restored 1965 Volvo, its vintage charm immediately setting the stage for a memorable adventure. His deep knowledge of Hungarian history was evident as he wove captivating stories and historical facts into our journey, making each location come alive with context and significance. Our conversations about cars were particularly engaging; his enthusiasm and passion for automobiles were infectious, and it felt like we were sharing in his lifelong hobby. The highlight of the day was crossing the serene waters of Lake Balaton on a ferry. The gentle breeze and stunning views made the ride unforgettable. We capped off the…”

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4.Lake Balaton & Cruise

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

Explore Lake Balaton from Budapest with a Tihany Abbey visit, Balatonfüred promenade walk, free time, and a scenic boat ride.

“Terrible experience. We are ordered English-speaking tour guide but gets nice old lady with some english and most of the group were speaking Spanish. She spoke Spanish to them. Very limited information were given. We weren't informed by company that will not be English-speaking tour guide. Was sewer rain and wind. In the last moment we didn't get any choices as to continue with this group. When we arrived to Lake Balaton, the 99% restaurants were closed and most of the stores too. It was a ghost city. We were put on the boat in sewer rain without seeing anything and were taking around the lake. On the boat we…”

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

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

Explore Lake Balaton, Tihany, and Balatonfüred on a private Budapest day trip with scenic views, ferry time, and a local guide.

“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.)

Sail Lake Balaton from Balatonföldvár with skipper Szilárd Goda, learning the ropes, swimming, and enjoying flexible private time on a 35-foot boat.

“Second time going sailing with him and we keep coming back! The experience is amazing, end to end. He adopts the plans to the weather and your wishes. He knows the lake like the palm of his hand! You can feel safe and enjoy a great sailing experience! He will be happy to teach you as well!”

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7.Lake Balaton & Cruise

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

Review Lake Balaton from Budapest, with a boat trip, Tihany Abbey, Balatonfüred, practical tips, costs, and honest drawbacks.

“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.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, wildlife views, swimming breaks, and free parking.

“We had an amazing time with our guide Hetti! She taught us how to sup and she was so kind. The lake is beautiful and the temperature of the water was around 26 degrees so really nice! I recommend this a lot, we had so much fun. The trip was relaxing due to the sunbathing and swimming we had in between but at the same time it was a great outdoor activity to bring some action into your holiday :)”

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9.SUP Course and Tour at Lake Balaton

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

Learn SUP basics at Lake Balaton, then paddle independently beside Tihany National Park with equipment, instruction, and 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

Explore Tapolca Cave Lake by boat, stroll Tihany, and see Balatonfüred on a private Budapest day trip with guide Peter.

“Peter, the tourist guide is a very easy going person and very good driver, we had a very nice day visiting and enjoying the day”

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

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

Visit Herend, Tihany, Balatonfüred, and Csopak on a private Budapest day trip with lunch, drinks, hotel pickup, and a local guide.

“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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12.See the Hungarian Sea: Lake Balaton

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

Explore Lake Balaton from Budapest with a nostalgia train, one-hour cruise, Tihany Abbey, lavender fields, and free time.

“Easy meeting point, comfortable mini coach, not too long a drive, lovely commentary, beautiful location. Remember your coins for the toilet stops. Well organised. Nice boat trip, not a lot to see from the boat as the shore line is relatively flat but it was nice and relaxing. The visit to the church and lavender village was lovely too. No hard sale to buy anything. Just a really nice trip!”

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13.Lake Balaton & Herend Porcelain Private Day Tour

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

See Lake Balaton, Herend porcelain, Tihany Abbey, and Balatonfüred on a private 9-hour day trip from Budapest.

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

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

Spend 10 hours beyond Budapest at Lake Balaton, Tihany Abbey, Balatonfüred, and the famous Herend porcelain factory.

“Génial ! Meme le musée de porcelaine très intéressant”

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15.Sunset SUP Tour along the Tihany National Park

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

Paddle 3 kilometers through Tihany National Park at sunset, with calm water, wildlife, free parking, and a guide-led SUP outing.

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