Lake Balaton Hostels - Hostel List for Lake Balaton, Hungary

Lake Balaton may not be the Mediterranean, but dont tell that to Hungarians. Somehow over the years they have managed to create their own Central European version of a Mediterranean culture along the shores of their long, shallow, milky white lake. Throughout the long summer, swimmers, windsurfers, sailboats, kayaks, and cruisers fill the warm and silky smooth lake, Europes biggest at 48 miles (77 km) long and 9 miles (14km) wide at its broadest stretch. Around the lakes 123 miles (197km) of shoreline, vacationers cast their reels for pike; play tennis, soccer, and volleyball; ride horses; and hike in the hills. First settled in the Iron Age, the Balaton region has been a recreation spot since at least Roman times. From the 18th century onward, the upper classes erected spas and villas along the shoreline. Not until the post World War II Communist era did the lake open up to a wider tourist base. Some large hotels along the lake are former trade union resorts built under the previous regime. Most of these hotels in the meantime are rebuild to modern and comfortable accommodations.

Lake Balaton, it seems, has something for everyone. Teenagers, students, and young travelers tend to congregate in the hedonistic towns, like SiofOk, of the south shore. Here, huge 1970s style beachside hotels are filled to capacity all summer long, and disco music pulsates into the early morning hours. The south shore towns are as flat as Pest; walk 10 minutes from the lake and youre deep in farm country. The air here is still and quiet; in summer, the sun hangs heavily in the sky.

Older travelers and families tend to spend more time on the hillier, more graceful north shore. There, little villages are neatly tucked away in the rolling countryside, where the grapes of the popular Balaton wines ripen in the strong southern sun. However, if youre coming from Budapest, the northern shore of the lake at first appears every bit as built up and crowded as the southern shore. Beyond Balatonfured, this impression begins to fade. Youll discover the Tihany Peninsula, a protected area whose 12 square kilometers (4 3/4 square miles) jut out into the lake like a knob. Moving westward along the coast, passing from one lakeside settlement to the next, you can make forays inland into the rolling hills of the Balaton wine country. Stop for a swim or the night in a small town like Szigliget. The city of Keszthely, sitting at the lakes western edge, marks the end of its northern shore. All towns on the lake are within 1 1/2 to 4 hours from Budapest by a gyors (fast) train, but the trip takes much longer on a sebes (local) train.

This is the complete list of Lake Balaton hostels and other types of cheap accommodation such as cheap hotels, B&B s and guest houses in Lake Balaton, Hungary which you can book online free now with Hostel Bookers.

For more information about a single hostel, you can click the the hostel link from the list below. All hostels in Lake Balaton are hand picked and they are proven to be backpacker friendly. Check hostel photos, read customer reviews and if you are satisfied, you can book you dorm bed or private room from our site for free.