A recent newspaper piece reminds me that I want to tell you of good things from May to September in Keszthely, a town at the western end of Lake Balaton, eight hours by train from Vienna. I have known it ten years, have liked it from the start, and find it is improving steadily. During the (limited) season attractions include
A competent tourist information office, Tourinform
The museum and palace of the local, progressive, prince
A museum of farming from about 1750 to about 2000, with early machinery, and good examples of the equipment of the agricultural revolution, including a steam traction engine from England
A small regiomnal museum, the Baloaton museum
A traffic-free centre with cafes, open-air tables, strollers, young couples, and gypsy bands by night
A range of hotels, including lakeside
Fresh water swimming in water kept warm by the shallowness of the lake
Watersports, fishing, yatching, hill walking, bike hire and bike tours, riding
Wine tours
Decent food and drink, though you need a guide book to find the best meals
A spa town, Heviz, 15 minutes away by bus, with many good hotels, and coffee and cakes to replace the weight visitors have come to lose
Tihany peninsula, picturesque, with walks and old churches, in the lake a boat ride away
Other boat rides

Germans of both east and west used to hold family holidays here when they could not get East German visas to meet in Germany, and the town is still accustomed to Germans and Austrians. They are getting used to Britons now that there is a cheap no-frills Ryanair flight to a former air force base, now Balaton Airport. Keszthely and Heviz are the quieter, more contemplative, part of the lakeside: ninety minutes away by train Siofok is centre for rowdy nights for young people – good if that’s what you like, but easily avoided. Costs are a third those in Austria and a half those in France, but will rise as Hungary prospers. Plenty of people use English, especially the young.

Flights from the States often land in Munich and in Vienna, so I show a few of the many trains that can take you to Keszthely.
Munich 2344, sleepers with light breakfast (take a sandwich), Gyor 0741 to 0750, Celldomolk 0854 to 0900, Keszthely 1047
Keszthely 1700, Celldomolk 1813 to 1938, Gyor for supper 2108 to 2151, sleepers, Munich 0621
Vienna West 1003, restaurant car, Gyor 1131 to 1219, Celldomolk for lunch 1210 to 1314, Tapolca 1422 to 1428, Keszthely 1500
Keszthely 1055, Celldomolk for lunch 1245 to 1324, Szombathely 1355 to 1420,, Sopron 11528 to 1540, Vienna South 1656

Ben Haines, London
[email protected]

Many thanks for the info, this is a part of Hungary I haven't yet visited.

Wonder anything open in the winter?

Just the museums, two of which are excellent, but the town has the out-of-season feel that you know from American resorts.

Ben Haines

Two weeks ago I posted here a note on a town that will suit you well. I said this:
A recent newspaper piece reminds me that I want to tell you of good things from May to September in Keszthely, a town at the western end of Lake Balaton, eight hours by train from Vienna. I have known it ten years, have liked it from the start, and find it is improving steadily. During the (limited) season attractions include
A competent tourist information office, Tourinform
The museum and palace of the local, progressive, prince
A museum of farming from about 1750 to about 2000, with early machinery, and good examples of the equipment of the agricultural revolution, including a steam traction engine from England
A small regional museum, the Balaton museum
A traffic-free centre with cafes, open-air tables, strollers, young couples, and gypsy bands by night
A range of hotels, including lakeside
Fresh water swimming in water kept warm by the shallowness of the lake
Watersports, fishing, yatching, hill walking, bike hire and bike tours, riding
Wine tours
Decent food and drink, though you need a guide book to find the best meals
A spa town, Heviz, 15 minutes away by bus, with many good hotels, and coffee and cakes to replace the weight visitors have come to lose
Tihany peninsula, picturesque, with walks and old churches, in the lake a boat ride away
Other boat rides

Germans of both east and west used to hold family holidays here when they could not get East German visas to meet in Germany, and the town is still accustomed to Germans and Austrians. They are getting used to Britons now that there is a cheap no-frills Ryanair flight to a former air force base, now Balaton Airport. Americans are still rare. Keszthely and Heviz are the quieter, more contemplative, part of the lakeside: ninety minutes away by train Siofok is centre for rowdy nights for young people. Costs are a third those in Austria and a half those in France, but will rise as Hungary prospers. Plenty of people use English, especially the young.

Flights from the States often land in Munich and in Vienna, so I show a few of the many trains that can take you to Keszthely. With most of your travel done asleep try Munich 2344, sleepers with light breakfast (take a sandwich), Gyor 0741 to 0750, Celldomolk 0854 to 0900, Keszthely 1047
Keszthely 1700, Celldomolk 1813 to 1938, Gyor for supper 2108 to 2151, sleepers, Munich 0621.
Otherwise the rather long Vienna West 1003, restaurant car, Gyor 1131 to 1219, Celldomolk for lunch 1210 to 1314, Tapolca 1422 to 1428, Keszthely 1500
Keszthely 1055, Celldomolk for lunch 1245 to 1324, Szombathely 1355 to 1420, Sopron 11528 to 1540, Vienna South 1656.
Budapest to Keszthely is just 3 ½ hours by train, but I think flights from the States to Budapest cost more than those to Munich and Vienna.

You could ask the local information office, at [email protected] to tell you of suitable villas. You want something on the lake or near a park. The same office can tell you how to rent a car in the town or nearby.
If you set Google to Rent a Villa Keszthely you will find that there are plenty.

Ben Haines, London
[email protected]

I'd agree with Ben on Keszthely. A very nice place to spend a few days while visiting the Balaton. The area is much more than just the lake itself and it is east to get about by rail as a line goes around the whole lake