Alternatives to Lake Balaton – 7 beautiful riverside beaches and bathing lakes in Hungary
When it comes to water and beaches, there is life beyond Lake Balaton. It's not just Hungary’s largest lake that offers great opportunities for an outdoor holiday. In our selection, we present seven beautifully situated riverside beaches and swimming lakes that, besides safe bathing, offer a different kind of beach experience.
The Beach at the Körös estuary near Csongrád
Many say that nowhere is the Tisza river bank as beautiful as where the River Körös flows into it near Csongrád. It's quite a sight to see the slower, greenish Körös slowing down the fast-flowing Tisza, which by depositing its sediment created the famous 700-metre-long sandy bank. And when the water level is lower, sandbanks appear making the beach look like the seaside. The riverside beach (‘Körös-torok Partfürdő’) is Csongrád's main summer attraction, a popular social centre, filled on warm days with families bathing, sunbathing, young children swimming in the shallow water, and young people playing volleyball and football. It has everything you need for relaxation or a fun holiday: snack bars, restaurants, camping, a playground, volleyball and football pitches, and even water bikes and boats for hire.
Tip: On weekend nights, life on the beach changes, with the daytime hustle and bustle replaced by club music. On the first weekend of August each year, the Körös Torok is the venue for one of the biggest popular music events in the Southern Great Plain, the Körös Torok Days (KTN) Festival.
Körös backwater near Gyomaendrőd
Gyomaendrőd is uniquely surrounded by a number of backwaters – there are sixteen in the outskirts of the town, all of varying size and condition, which are popular with the Hungarian fishing community, as they are home to a wealth of fish. The stretches of backwater are also ideal for those who long for a bit of retreat and spend a few days on the water in a wild and unspoilt environment. The open beach on the north-western shore of the Templom-zugi backwater, on the Gyomaendrőd section of the Hármas-Körös, has retained its natural setting and bird-filled tranquillity, so if you prefer to avoid the crowds and the noise, it’s the place for you.
Tip: After time on the beach, let's visit the Erzsébet grove in Gyomaendrőd! A few years ago, the five-hectare grove was expanded with an interactive canopy trail, which includes three different trails. It's also worth climbing up to the fifteen-metre-high wooden lookout tower.
Open beach in the Danube Bend
Along the Szentendre branch of the Danube, at the foot of the Visegrád Hills, lies the charming village of Dunabogdány. When the water temperature of the Danube is suitable for bathing, many people choose the beautifully landscaped open-air beach for a splash, both on weekdays and weekends. The beach is a safe choice for small children, with its one hundred and fifty metres of fine sandy beach and slowly deepening waters. There is plenty of shade to escape the summer heat. This stretch of beach has been officially open for swimming since 2009, the water sample is always excellent for swimming and the sand is always prepared on the beach for the big rush before the beach season. And it's not just sunbathing and swimming that you can pass the time with here: the beach has a playground, football and volleyball fields, and a bakery and restaurant are just a short walk away.
The good news for dog lovers is that a special beach has been set aside for them so that dogs can also have a chance to cool off.
Tip: The town of Visegrád is not far from here where you can visit the Solomon Tower, the citadel or choose the bobsleigh track! With small children, you can also visit the King Matthias Historical Playground and the Mogyoró Hill Wildlife Park.
Göd – One of the gates of the Danube Bend
Everyone should try open water bathing once in a while, and Göd, located on the bank of the Danube, offers two great alternatives: the Lower and Upper Göd open beaches, which are also accessible from Budapest by bike. On this stretch of beach, you can enjoy the closeness to nature, a slowly deepening sandy beach where you can rent a canoe and even bathe with your dog.
Tip: Walk to Homoksziget (’Sand Island’), where you can swim and bathe to your heart’s delight far from civilisation.
Lake Szelid
The Lake Szelid in Bács-Kiskun county with its grassy shore and sandy beach reminds us of the most beautiful beaches of Lake Balaton. The lake is five kilometres long, three to four metres deep, with a water surface area of approximately eighty hectares, making it the fifth largest natural lake in Hungary, and it was deepened thousands of years ago by the Danube.
Its water is excellent for bathing and even has healing properties.
It has not yet been classified as medicinal water, but the sodium magnesium carbonate and sodium iodide released from the soil are beneficial for nervous, hormonal and rheumatic disorders. The beach offers children more than just a swim, with other activities such as a giant water slide, water bikes and playgrounds. Older children can hire a boat, canoe or even windsurf.
Lake Kotró near Gyékényes
The biggest attraction of Gyékényes, the village on the Hungarian-Croatian border, is its gravel pit lakes, including one of the most popular, the three hundred and twenty-hectare Kotró, which is not only a favourite destination for anglers, but also for divers because of its crystal clear waters – visibility underwater can reach up to eight metres – and its open beach, where you can also enjoy all kinds of water activities.
The shore of the lake of Gyékényes is dotted with small cottages, cosy chalets and a campsite, an ideal destination for those who want to enjoy idyllic nature.
This popular recreation and fishing spot was awarded the title of ’Our Heritage – Treasure of Somogy’ in 2011.
The area is part of the Danube-Drava National Park, where there are plenty of other natural treasures, too to admire.
Tip: At Kotró Lake you can play beach volleyball, go water biking and wakeboarding. In summer, fishing and sporting events, festivals and diving cups are also held here. For the latter, the lake hosts have sunk several cleaned wrecks in the water, so that divers can see motorboats, cars and water bikes in the depths.
The Nagytevel Lake in the Bakony Mountains
The area around Bakonybél and Lake Hubertlak is probably familiar to many hikers, but in summer it is worth heading a little further west, as the reservoir of Nagytevel is a few kilometres away. The reservoir, which is artificially inflated from the waters of the Pápai-Bakony brook, is a popular fishing spot all year round, but in summer it is also a great place for a relaxing beach holiday. The water is not only at a pleasant temperature but also crystal clear, according to recent measurements. After hiking in the area you can relax on the shore of the Lake, on the north-western part of which you’ll find a well-equipped beach with a refreshment bar, playground and camping facilities.
Tip: Next to the beach, thirsty visitors will find the ‘Ida Spring’ with its fresh, cool water and a statue of the Holy Mary with a nice resting place.
This article was written with the professional support of the Hungarian Tourism Agency. Published in the July issue of Képmás magazine.
Resources:
https://www.top7hungary.com/legjobb-kis-hazai-furdotavak/
www.ilovedunakanyar.hu, https://csongradikorostorok.hu/koros-torok
www.szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu
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