Keszthely Travel Guide, Hungary

Keszthely, Travel guide – Location

Keszthely is a beautiful provincial city located in western Hungary on the shores of Balaton Lake not very far from Budapest and Zagreb. The city is known for its opening to the waters of the largest lake in Hungary, for the Festetics Palace which belonged to a Hungarian count and for the oldest university in the country, the Faculty of Agriculture.

Keszthely, Travel guide – Geography

The city is set on a flat terrain surrounded by low hills with fertile soils and with an average elevation of 120m. The landscape is dominated by the lake and its shores which are mostly exploited in tourism and by the abundant vegetation found within and around the city.

Keszthely is located in a continental climate area with Mediterranean influences but also with some influences due to the presence of a large water surface. The vicinity of the lake determines higher precipitations and also plays the role of a temperature regulator and as a consequence summers are milder and wetter than other places. Still in winter it can get pretty cold and usually the waters of the lake freezes.

The local hydrographic network is represented mainly by the waters of the lake and by a number of small streams flowing into the lake.

Keszthely, Travel guide – Flora and Fauna

The abundant flora is represented by small areas of oak forests, aquatic flora, important areas with cultivated vines and more. For a better understanding you can take a walk through the Festetics Palace gardens which are simply gorgeous and where you can see numerous species of trees, arboretums and flowers both local and exotic.

Fauna is just as rich represented by varied game, aquatic species in the waters of Balaton Lake and numerous bird species both local and migratory. The richness of the flora and fauna together with the presence of the lake make Keszthely a very popular vacation destination for Hungarians and not only.

Keszthely, Travel guide –Transport

Just like all the cities from the shores of the lake, Keszthely has a good transport infrastructure being connected with other important cities by modern roads and railways. You can arrive in Keszthely by bus, car or by train which offer regular routes from any other city in the country. If you arrive from abroad you can travel by air and get to Budapest International Airport located 188km away.

You can also choose to make a day trip by a vintage steam train which operates for tourists only in the summer months and which can offer you an unforgettable experience.

Due to small dimensions of the city within Keszthely you can travel by bus or you can take a taxi but if you are not too tired a walk would be the most efficient and pleasant way to get around.

Keszthely, Travel guide – Population and Economy

The city has only 22.000 inhabitants of Hungarian origin coexisting with small minorities of Roma, Germans and Slovaks. The main religion here is Catholicism followed by Protestantism and Orthodox Christianity.

The local population has as main occupations tourism which is dominant due to the presence of such multitude of natural attraction, crafts and commerce.

Keszthely, Travel guide - Cuisine

Traditional food in Keszthely is represented by gulas, also characteristic for the entire Hungary. All dishes are generally spicy having as ingredients red peppers, black pepper and onions and the soups are usually made of pork like the porkolt or veal. Some of the most popular dishes are the halaszle, fish soup, toltott kaposzta, stuffed cabbage, husleves, meat soup, ciganypecsenye, gipsy steak, kolbasz, a type of sausage with red peppers and hideg leves which is fruit soup usually served cold.

The most representative desserts are the dobos torta, a chocolate cream cake with caramel and nuts, plalacsinta, a pie filled with sweet of salty fillings and many more.

Hopefully this Keszthely travel guide gave you an insight into the city.