Two circular tours, on two wheels, with countless attractions in the Balaton highlands!

Route: Tapolca – Kisapáti – Szigliget -Badacsony – Badacsonyomaj – Káptalantóti – Diszel – Tapolca
Distance: 40 km
Difficulty: medium difficulty

If you want an unforgettable cycling tour, but you do not want to cover huge distances, then the circular tour that goes along the cozy volcanic cones of the Tapolcai basin and also touches the Old Village of Szigliget and the vineyards of Badacsony is a great choice at any time of the year. We do not have to deal with a significant difference of levels, and we can travel almost all the way on low-traffic roads or on built-up bike paths.

Let's start from Tapolca south towards Kisapáti, on the route of the National Blue Tour! The Szent György Hill rises on the right-hand side, and from here we soon reach Kisapáti. Continuing south, after a few kilometres we roll in Szigliget. It is worth taking our first break here, at the cyclist-friendly Szigliget Ice Cream Parlour. The owner Zoltán Németh likes to experiment, so in addition to the classics, you can also find special flavour combinations. Continuing towards Badacsonytördemic, our path is lined with a real specialty: the 464-step Bujdosók staircase has been besieging the western side of Badacsony and has enriched the region's attractions for almost 90 years. We continue along the Badacsony vineyards, and soon the road turns north. From here – still following the National Blue Tour – we proceed towards Káptalantóti.  

Arriving in Káptalantóti, it is worth making a detour to the Istvándy Estate, which now also offers accommodation to visiting guests. On the terrace on the wonderful estate, you can relax and enjoy the combination of the magical panorama, local wines and heavenly food - we warmly recommend the poppy seed bread & butter pudding, Csilla Istvándy's heavenly creation, which is admired by many people! Getting back on the bike we head north, we only have 10 easy kilometres to go until we reach Tapolca again, passing through Diszel.

Route: Zánka – Hegyestű – Szentaltalfa – Monoszló – Balatonhenye – Balatoncsicsó – Mencshely – Dörgicse - Zánka
Distance: 49 km
Difficulty: difficult

If you want to raise the stakes, the circular route from Zánka to the tiny ancient villages of the Nivegy Valley is an excellent choice. The picturesque panorama on a pleasantly level tour calms our pulse, what is more, there are many secret attractions on the route just waiting to be discovered.

Let's start from Zánka, from the Herbal Ice Cream Workshop, where excellent, additive- and colouring-free artisanal ice creams are made. We warmly recommend the salted butter caramel ice cream - but here, not only the ice cream, but also the panorama of the Balaton highlands is captivating. Let's cycle north, where you will immediately come to a climb, and not a small one. Between Zánka and Monoszló, Hegyestű is 337 meters high, where a steep road leads up, but the view from the top is worth the effort! But not only the unearthly basalt columns are worth seeing, but also the exhibition of the Hegyestű Geological Exhibition Centre and the open-air rock gallery. Once we have looked around, let's continue through Tagyon towards Szentantalfa, from here turn towards Monoszló and then Balatonhenye. We continue through the forest, towards Balatoncsicsó, and after Óbudavár, Mencshely is our next stop. From here we turn south, and soon another steep section follows. But as we have already become accustomed to, the picturesque panorama always makes up for the harder cycling, and it will not be any different at the Kossuth Lookout either. The structure, originally built in 1962, was completely rebuilt in 2015. The 399-meter-high lookout is the highest point in the region, and it got its name from the fact that Lajos Kossuth and his family hid in Mencshely after the fall of the War of Independence in 1848.

Continuing on, we pass by Dörgicse, and when we reach the shore of Lake Balaton, we turn west. From here we only have a few kilometres and finally we can lump down in the Fészek which is just 30 metres from the water's edge. Whether you order melon gazpacho with crumbled goat cheese, cottage-cheese Kaiserschmarrn with lavender apricot jam, or something else from the seasonal menu, you will be enriched with super culinary experiences, and at the same time you can relax from the fatigue of the day.