Keszthely, Hungary

Keszthely is a small town at the western end of Lake Balaton. In addition to convenient beaches, it boasts authentic old streets and the baroque palace of the Festetics family located in a magnificent park. And just four kilometers from Keszthely, surrounded by baths, is Lake Heviz, whose healing water is rich in mineral salts, and the bottom is covered with silt with a high content of radium.

A special train for tourists runs around the city: it is considered the most convenient and inexpensive way to see local attractions. According to populationmonster, Keszthely is one of the largest cities in Hungary.

How to get there

Keszthely is located in the southwest of Hungary, 160 km from Budapest. A railway passes through the city, running along the entire northern shore of Lake Balaton. The journey by train from Budapest takes approximately 3 hours, and the journey by car will last from 2 to 3 hours, depending on which side of the lake the route will pass along: you can drive along the E71 / M7 highways, while taking into account that there are toll roads.

History

Keszthely received the status of the city in the 15th century, by that time it was already an important trade center of the region. Numerous historical and architectural monuments make the appearance of Keszthely unique, and the program of stay in this resort is rich and interesting.

Keszthely Hotels

Most Keszthely hotels have a level of 3* to 5*. The cost of rooms in them is quite low compared to other European resorts (a double room will cost from 20,000 HUF per night), and the level of service is high.

Most of the hotels are located either in close proximity to the beaches, or a short distance from them. In addition, almost every hotel offers its own “highlight”: it can be a swimming pool, a restaurant with its own wine cellar, a tennis court, a garden with sun loungers, a wellness center. For example, Helikon 3 * is located on the very shore of Lake Balaton, has its own beach, indoor pool, indoor and outdoor tennis courts. Each room at this hotel has a balcony, and most rooms offer views of Lake Balaton.

There are many small guest houses here that offer a very high level of service, but at the same time they take a deposit upon entry. When booking rooms, you need to carefully look at the conditions of the reservation, they are very diverse in Keszthely hotels. Some hotels do not accept credit cards.

Entertainment and attractions of Keszthely

The most striking architectural and historical attraction is the castle of the Festetics family, one of the largest and most beautiful in Hungary. It was built on the model of famous French palaces in 1745 in the Baroque style. The luxury of decoration of its interiors is not inferior to its architectural design. Numerous rooms of the palace abound with paintings by famous masters and elegant furniture. Here you can see a wonderful collection of Hungarian weapons from different historical eras, and the collection of books, which has about 100,000 volumes, is admirable, as it contains many unique folios and books autographed by the authors. Inspection of the castle will allow not only to get visual pleasure, but also to get an idea of ​​the life of the Hungarian nobility of the 18-19 centuries.

The English park, laid out around the palace, is a masterpiece of landscape design and is recognized as a conservation area.

Nowadays, international conferences and concerts of outstanding performers are held in the premises of the castle.

The Festetics family became famous not only for their wealth, but also for patronage. Representatives of the clan systematically made serious investments in the development of science and art, as well as in practical affairs: thanks to them, a hospital, a pharmacy, a gymnasium appeared in the city, and at the end of the 18th century the first agricultural school in Europe was opened.

Franciscan church

The Franciscan church on the main street of the city during its long history (it was built in 1386) managed to be a fortress and undergo numerous reconstructions. Since 1880, a bell tower has been attached to the church. Another interesting baroque building that adorns the city is the Pethe house. Interestingly, it was built on a Gothic foundation. In the courtyard of this building is a synagogue built in the 18th century.

City Hall

The City Hall is located on the main square and, as is typical for Europe, is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city. Currently, its premises house a cultural center.

Sümeg Fortress

Not far from Keszthely is the Sümeg fortress. She played at one time a prominent role in the defense of the city, was known for her impregnability. Then, after 1552, it was the residence of the bishop, and today it serves as a venue for the most interesting historical reconstructions, which tourists from different countries specially come to see.

Kestheia Museums

The birthplace of Karoly Goldmark, composer and virtuoso violinist, native of Keszthely, is open to visitors as a museum. You can’t ignore the Lake Balaton Museum. The collection contains not only exhibits that tell about the flora and fauna of the lake and its shores, but also archaeological finds, household items of local residents, documents telling about the history of the region.

The Bacchus Wine Museum is very interesting and informative, where you can get acquainted with systematized information about the wines of Hungary and the traditions of winemaking in this country. And the museum-confectionery “Marzipan” offers to see a sweet exposition, the central place in which is occupied by a fabulously beautiful marzipan castle. The rest of the museum exhibits look more modest, but the taste is wonderful. Here you can also buy marzipan products, which will become a wonderful souvenir.

The prices on the page are for February 2022.