Badacsony is a region on the North of Lake Balaton, in Hungary. It is famous for it’s wine and the basalt mountains. Got the name from the volcanic mountain.
Badacsony over Lake Balaton
There is a legend about the lake and the mountain:
“Balaton, the last giant lived his everyday life on the spacious uplands of the Badacsony with his daughter, Haláp. They were on good terms with the people who lived at the foot of the hill, and Haláp even had a playmate among them. The young human girl however soon grew up and left her giant playmate forever. Haláp soon became overwrought with sorrow because of her loneliness. Whilst Balaton was building a centophag for his daughter, he found a large stone. He remembered that a long time ago this had been the altar of the mermaids. As he lifted it, he lost his balance and the heavy weight buried him beneath it. Water gushed forth from beneath the moved stone and just flowed, unstoppable. Until one day people woke up to find a gently waving lake rocking the rays of the Sun at the foot of the mountain. This large water has been called Balaton ever since.”
– Source: badacsony.com
Vineyards, @ Badacsonytomaj
Sights around Badacsony
Róza Szegedy House and Sándor Kisfaludy Literary Memorial Museum
Róza Szegedy and Sándor Kisfaludy were married. Róza Szegedy made fine wines, and her husband worked here. He was the first romantic poet in Hungary.
I’ve been here once with my secondary school class. We walked up the mountain (I was tired as hell), but it was worth it. It is beautiful. Not just the museum (which was very informative – not only for literature classes), but the view of the lands and the lake were breathtaking.
The museum is open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Tickets cost 900 HUF (adult) and 300 HUF (children, retired).
8261, Badacsony, Szegedi Róza utca 1.+36 87 701 906
Basalt Church
It is an actual Roman Catholic church in Badacsonytomaj, which is a small town lying at the eastern foot of the Badacsony. This is the center of the wine region.
The church is called St Imre and is an architectural specialty, since it was built of black basalt stones in the early 1930s. It is very unique indeed, because this is the only basalt Church in whole Europe!
St Imre Basalt Church, @ Badacsonytomaj
Admission only by previous check-in!
8258, Badacsonytomaj, Hősök tere 2.+36 87 471 250
József Egry Memorial Museum
József Egry was an impressionist painter/graphic. He was obsessed with Lake Balaton, and he lived in Badacsony. A lot of his works can be found here, here are some of it:
The museum is opened from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. In preseason (28th April – 30th June) and postseason (21st August – 15th September): Wed – Sun. In the main season: (1st July – 20th August): Tues – Sun. An adult ticket costs 900 HUF and a children’s/retired ticket is 500 HUF.
8261, Badacsony, Egry sétány 12.+36 87 431 044
Fortress of Szigliget
“The castle of Szigliget celebrated its 750-year old anniversary in 2010. King Béla IV presented an island of Lake Balaton (Szigliget) to the Pannonhalma Abbey to build a stone castle there. It exchanged the castle for other estates and it was a royal castle after that. Szigliget had several owners and commanders. The most famous commanders were Bálint Török and Bálint Palotai Magyar.
This castle was an important part of the Hungarian border castle system. We are proud of the fact that the Turkish troops could never occupy it.Today the castle is in the hands of the local administration. It became the only castle to visit around Lake Balaton thank to the continuous reconstructions.”
– Source: badacsony.com
I’ve never seen it, but I’d like to! I love forts and castles. And it was also constructed of black basalt stones.
Some pictures of the fortress:
More info on Badacsony
Accommodation
If you wish to visit, and spare so money, I recommend you the followings:
Badacsony Apartman: They have apartments for max. 4 people. Comfy rooms, close to amenities and to the beach. Their prices are really low, ranging from 12 – 15 € / person / night. @ Badacsony.
Berni House: Also very low prices, but they have apartments for about 10 people too. @ Badacsonytomaj.
Bolla Apartman: They have internet! 😀 13 € / person / night. @ Badacsonytomaj.
Katica Fogadó: Dog-friendly. Low prices: 12 – 14 € / person / night. @ Badacsonytördemic.
Lakat Vendégház: Baby-friendly, discount for children. 10-15 € / person / night. @ Badacsonytomaj.
But if you want some luxury, then you should take a look at the “Comfort” menus on the left after you clicked:
Hotel Neptun: Close to everything. Breakfast included. 21 – 24 £ / person / night. @ Badacsony.
Borhotel Badacsony: 4 stars hotel. Breakfast included in the prices. All rooms facing Lake Balaton. 70,5 – 88 € / room / night. @ Badacsony.
Horse Farm Equital: 3 stars horse farm hotel. Dog-friendly, discount for children. A bit distant from Badacsony, but has wellness section. 100 – 124 € / 4 people / night. @ Nemesvita. Also, their homepage.
Some pictures of the region
Through my eyes 