I am surprised why it is not a bigger tourist destination, because it has a lot to offer, and it is really easy to reach by many train lines and bus lines from all over Europe. Actually, this is how I have decided to visit this city: long weekend ahead, and not felling like staying at home, but like exploring around. I live in Graz and the whole trip took me around 3 hours. So I booked my tickets and I simply went there, open to be surprised.
Friday: First impressions of downtown
As soon as I arrived, I decided to explore the city and have dinner in downtown. The city center is quite small but pretty and well preserved with restaurants and stores everywhere. Almost all of them are located along a pedestrian street, which is the heart of the city center, called Kossuth Lajos.
Several museums and tourist attractions can be found in Downtown, like the Nostalgic Museum, with a collection of old and vintage objects, the Doll museum, with a collection from all over the world, and the Snale Parliament, a model of the Hungarian Parliament building, made just out of small snale shells. For the time I got to downtown all them where closed, but I am convinced they are very nice and entertaining museums to visit, and they all are located along the main street, which is maybe 500 meters long.
At the end of the main street, one can visit the Festetics Palace. It was built by Kristóf Festetics starting in 1745, but its construction lasted for over a century. It is now one of the most pretty and typical palaces in Hungary. It was very nice that the entrance to the gardens is for free, so one can get in, admire the palace closer, and walk through the wonderful gardens with small forests, bridges and ponds. One can also visit the inside of the palace, and a palm house, together with a chariot museum. Each of the tickets cost about 5 Euro.
Saturday: Wellness day at Heviz
On Saturday it was cloudy and colder than Friday, so I decided to follow an advise and to go to the neighbour town Heviz, because I read on the internet that they have a well-known wellness centre.
I was not prepared to find what I discovered there. They have the biggest thermal lake in the whole world, fed by underwater currents coming up at 38 degrees, at summer and winter. Because of weather, and depending on the season, water in the lake has between 22 and 32 degrees. And not only that, water is full of minerals who help people with skin, bone and joint problems, and nearby is located one of the most famous hospitals for such diseases in Western Europe.
But first, how to get there: about 4 times an hour, one can take a bus from Keszthely, in the bus station opposite to the train station. Heviz is located just 6 kilometres away, so the ride is about 10 minutes, and it costs 1 Euro.
In Heviz, one arrives to the bus stop, which is 200 meters away from the Wellnes Center main entrance. One just needs to follow the people, who are always heading there.
Prices were another nice surprise: for entering the place and having access to the lake for 3 hours, or for 4 if it is before closing time, one pays about 8 Euro. And for just 16 Euro, one can enjoy 4 hours sauna + access to the lake. A mud pool is included in the entrance fee, which is also important to mention.
When going inside, one can see that the installations are very good, that most of the visitors are elderly people, and that the place is simply amazing: One cannot believe that the whole lake is actually the biggest thermal water pool in the world, because it looks just so big!
When entering the water, one can believe it: It is warm, light green colored and very relaxing. Some flowers and plants grow in the water, but for my taste, they don´t disturb the whole nice experience, and they even add a touch of nature. Because of the heat, people do not swim, but hold pieces of wood installed in the water, to float and relax.
After 4 hours inside, including a visit to the natural mud pool, my skin was renewed – I mean, my skin was not that soft since I was born! I was very relaxed, and the experience was definitely worth the time and money!
After my visit to the Wellness Center, I just walked back to the bus terminal, and waited to the bus going back to Keszthely, which always departs from platform 3. You can imagine how good and relaxed I have slept that night.
Sunday: Beach day at Balaton Lake
On Sunday it was warmer, so I have decided to explore the Balaton lake shore. The main entrance to the beach is located aside the train station, and one should cross the train line. Immediately after, small stores, restaurants and ice dealers welcome the visitors with a very nice and familiar ambient.
I was again surprised of how clean, nice and well-kept the beach was, mainly because no entrance is charged, and usually that means that it is not often cleaned or maintained, but in this case, it was just the opposite. A wonderful shore, with more restaurants and cafés, nice areas for laying down with both sand and grass. I must say that the lake is not really deep, so one must walk a long distance to get water on the waist level. But this is also an advantage for families and parents with little children, because they can have all the fun with very little risk.
Also, I became aware of one of the most prominent forms of tourism in the region: Many people cycle around the whole lake, which takes 2 to 3 days, depending on the person. By doing so, one enjoys the beautiful landscapes and has the possibility of discovering smaller towns located in the shore.
At the beach, and all around the promenade, one can see people of all ages cycling around, including families with children. So maybe next time I come to Keszthely (because I am coming back again!), I will take my bike and cycle around!
Links of interest
