Tihany Southwest

Level of difficulty 1 |  Gastronomy 1 |  Distance 4.2 km |  Time 1 hour

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Tourism is a strong suit for the Tihany Peninsula, but nature conservation is also one of its core strengths. Here, you’ll usually paddle alone to the vibrant sound of cicadas and crickets.

General information

• Balaton TravelPass
• Tihany Wikipedia
• Tihany tourist information
• Hungary tourist information
• Tour video
• Climate
• Wind, waves, weather

Navigation rules

On the northern shore of Lake Balaton, you may paddle no more than 500 meters from the shore toward the center of the lake on a SUP. On the southern shore, the limit is 1,000 meters due to the significantly shallower water. Crossing the lake from north to south or vice versa is prohibited, unless you are participating in the annual Balaton Crossing (Balaton-átúszás).

Since the entire lake has been a nature reserve since 2004 and you’ll also be paddling past the Tihany Nature Reserve, please paddle respectfully by keeping a sufficient distance from the reeds and avoiding litter and noise.

Only enter the small marina or the four fishing piers shortly after the tour starts with permission.

Keep a safe distance from boats, swimmers, and other water sports enthusiasts, and give way in a timely manner if necessary.

Dangers and risks

Lake Balaton is a popular and well-established spot for windsurfing and kitesurfing, with winds of three Beaufort or higher occurring frequently, especially in the spring. The best time for stand-up paddleboarding, on the other hand, is midsummer, when wind speeds are significantly lower. Be sure to check the wind and weather conditions in advance, as strong winds can drive paddlers out onto the open lake, where they are then left unprotected.

The water can be very shallow in front of the SUP Center. Therefore, carefully lift the SUP down to the lake via one of the two docks, with the fins leading the way.

A lot can happen in the water near the starting point of this tour, as there are plenty of swimmers and water sports enthusiasts in the vicinity. The waves caused by the ferries can occasionally create choppy conditions, since the ferries operate just 350 meters away, shuttling between the peninsula and the south shore.

If you absolutely want to go ashore, you’re best off wearing water shoes. Many accessible sections of the shore are somewhat rocky, or short, jagged reeds protrude from the ground. Walking on them barefoot can be very painful.

There may be boats in the harbour area where the tour turns around, so please paddle with caution and give way.

Time and again, you paddle through shallow water and must constantly be careful not to hit the bottom with the paddle blade or get the fins stuck on the lake bottom.

Directions

From Route 71 (Hungarian: 71‑es főút), which runs between the Hungarian capital of Budapest in the east and Tapolca in the west, largely following the northern shore of Lake Balaton, you turn off toward the peninsula at the village of Gödrös.

Once you’re on the peninsula, the route to the SUP Center is the same for travelers coming from the west as it is for those coming from the east. Follow the road for about 5.3 km through the municipalities of Tihany and Kopaszhegy, and turn right toward Hotel Club Tihany about 220 m before the harbor entrance (barriers). At the barrier, tell the security staff that you’re continuing on to the SUP Center; you'll get permission to enter and follow the road another 550 m to the SUP Club.

Please note, however, that only SUP Center customers are permitted to access this area — that is, if you subsequently plan to actually take advantage of the SUP Center's services. You cannot paddle from here on your own with your own SUP; to do so, you would need to start your tour at a different spot.

If you'd prefer to travel from the south by ferry, you can do that as well, and from there it's not far to the SUP Center Balaton.

You can also take the bus, and this spot is easily accessible by train, although depending on your starting point, the trip may involve a combination of train and bus. However, only buses stop at the southern end of the peninsula, specifically at the stop Tihany – Rév. From there, it’s just a 650-meter walk to the SUP rental.

It's worth mentioning the great deals available to public transit travelers in Hungary. With the Balaton Sound TravelPass, you can ride the train around Lake Balaton as often as you like for a week.

The Balaton24 and Balaton72 tickets, on the other hand, are affordable one-day and three-day passes, respectively, for all public transportation around the Great Lake.

Parking

If you can find a free parking spot near the SUP Center Balaton or the sailing school, that's ideal. Otherwise, you'll need to stop a few meters before and ask at Club Tihany Resort if you can park there for the duration of the tour.

Swimming

The water temperature in Lake Balaton averages 22°C to 24°C in midsummer, with maximum temperatures of around 28°C recorded on very hot days. Those who enjoy natural swimming spots will find what they’re looking for along the western shore but will have to venture a bit off the lakeside trail — at least from land — since the shore is heavily overgrown. The only public swimming area on the western shore of the peninsula is Sajkodi Beach. However, it lies off the route for this tour.

In contrast, the eastern shore offers several free accesses to the water along the waterfront promenade, as well as beaches that belong to hotels and are therefore not open to the public. There are also affordable lidos on all sides of the peninsula, all of which boast adequate facilities, ensuring that families with children, in particular, are well taken care of.

Sajkodi Beach
Sajkodi sor 22, 8237 Tihany
Phone +36 (0)70 380 0328

PartKert
Kenderföld út, 8237 Tihany

Városi Beach
Váralja u. 23, 8237 Tihany

Somosi szabad Beach
Tihany 7117, 8237 Tihany

Tour

From the SUP Center Balaton, head right to the small lighthouse and back again.

Length

4.2 km

Time

1 hour

Start and landing

At the dock near the SUP Center Balaton.

SUP rental

Sajkodi Beach
Sajkodi sor 22, 8237 Tihany
Phone +36 (0)70 380 0328

SUP Center Balaton
Rév u. 7, 8237 Tihany
Phone +36 (0)30 701 9317

SUP Rental Siófok
Mobile SUP rental on the southeast shore
Vadalma u. 6, 8600 Siófok
Phone +36 (0)30 575 4516

Let's head to the nature reserve!

Even the drive across the peninsula to its southern tip is a rustic dream. Beautiful landscapes and quaint villages define the character of this part of Hungary, which is inextricably linked to the great lake. Since I’m in the mood to try a board other than my own, I head to the SUP Center Balaton, which has been run by Austrian Andreas Novotny since 2011.

But before I can rent a SUP there, I first have to pass through the gate at the entrance to the Club Tihany Resort grounds. This is free of charge even for non-residents, but only if you plan to take advantage of the services at the SUP Center . You just have to tell the security guard at the gate that you want to go to the SUP Center, and you’ll be given a pass.

It’s pretty quiet in the late morning, so Andreas takes me straight to his water sports empire. Back in 1988, a sailing school was up for sale here, and the Viennese man jumped at the chance. Almost forty years later, he’s still here between April and September, coaching water sports enthusiasts of all kinds. Andreas introduced stand-up paddleboarding here in 2011 and was initially met with skepticism, because surfing while standing with a paddle — that had never been seen before, neither on Lake Balaton nor anywhere else in Central Europe.

His foresight proved him right, and so today I can marvel at his RedPaddle boards stacked in dozens. Since there isn’t a guided SUP tour today, unfortunately, I grab a razor-sharp touring board and get a few more tips from the Tihany expert.

Originally, I had planned to paddle along the eastern shore from here, but Andreas advised against it because that would have required me to paddle right through the adjacent swimming area and across the ferry route, which is 350 meters away. He said the more scenic part of the peninsula was to the right, toward the nature reserve.

No sooner said than done — so I wade right out into the shallow water until I reach a reasonably high water level. Currently, though, that’s in short supply, because this summer is proving to be quite a challenge once again with its high temperatures and low water levels. Plus, I get to celebrate two firsts today: On the one hand, it’s my first SUP tour on the peninsula, and on the other, today marks the very first time I’ve seen the thermometer hit 40°C.

This area, too, is teeming with reeds, but unlike in the Revülöp area, for example, my RedPaddel glides past veritable reed mazes. The reeds are scattered in clumps everywhere, so you can easily paddle through them time and again. Nevertheless, please always keep a safe distance from ducks and swans, because in the nature reserve, we paddlers are merely tolerated guests.

And since guests are supposed to be respectful, I don’t paddle into the Tihany Yacht Club harbor either; instead, I content myself with a few snapshots from the outside before leaving the built-up area and heading into the nature reserve.

Just past the yacht marina, several fishing piers extend far out into the lake. Here, too, it’s best to paddle around them in a wide arc so as not to disturb the fishermen — and because these are also private piers. I don’t know this, but vacationers tell me about it.

By now I’m right in the middle of this natural paradise, and I’m actually experiencing a third first — hearing cicadas and crickets at the same time in the same place is also a first for me. Their chirping sets the background noise and even seems to bounce off the southern slopes of the peninsula toward the lake like an echo.

And somewhere up there to my right, the island is home to over 100 geyser cones that were formed 5 to 4 million years ago by carbonate-rich hot springs rather than by classic volcanic eruptions. These porous limestone formations constitute a unique natural monument that has been part of the UNESCO Bakony-Balaton Global Geopark since 2003. But unfortunately, I can’t see these formations from where I’m standing.

The tranquility here by the lake is also unique, and apart from a kayaker and two stand-up paddlers, I don’t run into a single soul. Not even at the small dock with the floodlight, where I turn around to head back against a weak headwind.

Now, about eight kilometers ahead of me, Hungary’s longest bridge — at 1,872 meters — looms large, framing my view to the south. The Kőröshegyi Viaduct runs inland behind the southern shore of Lake Balaton along the M7 highway and complements the ferries shuttling back and forth less than 2 km ahead of me between the peninsula and the southern shore of Lake Balaton.

So this tour combines a diverse natural experience with modern engineering, yet it doesn’t lose any of its charm because of the latter. Even though the temptation is strong not just to paddle back to the SUP Center but to continue on to the east bank, I’m resisting my instincts today — giving myself yet another reason to return to this wonderful area.

There are not only SUP-related reasons to do so but also culinary ones, among other things, the Lavender Spritz at Vibe Caffe & Brunch or the generous portions at the rustic Kecskeköröm Csárda. But first, I'm going to sign up in person with Andreas for the next sunset SUP tour.

Alternatives: You can, of course, venture even further into the nature reserve along the western shore, as this side of the peninsula is about 5.4 km long. The eastern shore is slightly longer and less pristine but offers a great view of the town of Balatonfured.