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Day 1: Arrival in Tihany
Arriving at Budapest airport you will meet your guide and the rest of the group and then be transferred by minibus to Tihany, set on a peninsula in Lake Balaton. The hotel is located directly on the shore of Lake Balaton with its own beach. Then you will receive your bikes. In the evening a dinner is provided.
Day 2: Circular ride from Tihany to Balatonszőlős and Balatonfüred, 22 miles (35km)
The tour starts with a visit to the charming fishing village of Tihany. After a short ride you can visit the Abbey before leaving the village and riding to Balatonszőlős through Pécsely. The nearby hills are dotted with vineyards and small wine cellars. ’Szőlőhegy’, literally ’Wine Hill’ has a number of such protected cellars. You will stop for lunch and to taste this local wine and then continue on to Balatonfüred, a town with a unique charm brought about by it’s 2000-year history and hot springs and baths for which it is famous. After a short walk around town you ride back to the hotel in Tihany.
Day 3: Circular ride from Tihany to Nagyvázsony and Mencshely, 27 miles (44km)
Leaving through Aszófő and Pécsely, the road winds its way through two little villages named ’Barnag’ and ’Vöröstó’ where you will enjoy the wonderful scenery and the characteristic houses of the region. The road passes the Chapel of the Calvary built on a small hill around 1820. Nagyvázsony greets us with the mighty 15th century Kinizsi Castle, once part of a long defence line and then destroyed in 1702. After a short walk around the castle you will enjoy lunch in the local 'csarda' (inn). Then you ride on to Mencshely and, after a short stop at the ruins of the Roman temple in Dörgicse, continue through Vászoly to Aszófő and back to Tihany.
Day 4: Tihany via Balatonudvari to Badacsony, 28 miles (45km)
You ride along the shore towards Balatonudvari, where the main attraction is the 200-year old cemetery with its heart-shaped tombstones. This fascinating itinerary takes you by the lake and sometimes through small villages to Badacsony, located at the foot of the Badacsony Hill. The hill is a non-active volcano that has been formed out of basalt lava along with many other so-called ’witness-hills’. Its slopes are covered with the deposits of the former Pannon sea. Today the famous local Badacsony wines come from the region. An evening meal will be provided in your hotel.
Day 5: Circular ride from Badacsony to Tapolca and Káptalantóti, 30 miles (49km)
Cycling through the Badacsony hills towards Tapolca, first mentioned in the 12th century, you will find the ruins of the former Roman road in various parts. ’Tavasbarlang’, literally ’Cave with a lake’ draws most tourists here, who can boat on the shallow and crystal-clear water. The other cave, known as ’Hospital Cave’, is used for medicinal purposes (cardio-, respiratory and allergy problems are treated here). Stopping for winetasting and a picnic lunch at Hegymagas, you then set off for Káptalantóti through Gyulakeszi, and then continue to Szigliget to visit the castle. On your way back to Badacsony you cross the peninsula following the old Roman road.
Day 6: Circular ride from Badacsony to Salföld, Szentbékkálla and Kékkút, 24 miles (38km)
 Today you start out along the shore to Salföld, located at the entrance of the Káli Basin where the Upper – Balaton National Park has a nature reserve offering a quick insight into the local flora and fauna. To the north, riding by Mindszentkálla, you arrive at Szentbékkálla. The ’Kőtenger’ (Sea of Stones), lies on the outskirts of the village with huge sandstone blocks and rare flowers and other plants. Köveskál is the next stop with lunch at one of the local restaurants. After lunch you continue to Kékkút via Kővágóőrs. Kékkút, its name originally meant ’Stone Well’, is the smallest village in the country with approximately 70 residents. Today a mineral water factory bottles the famous water which you can also taste. Through Salföld and Ábrahámhegy you return to Badacsony for the night.
Day 7: Badacsony to Budapest
After breakfast you will be transferred by minibus to Budapest. Once in Budapest you will enjoy a tour of this amazing city by bus. Then you can decide on what to do for the evening - you might enjoy a dinner cruise on the mighty Danube and see Budapest by night or you might prefer to take in a concert. The choice is yours.
Day 8: Departure from Budapest
After breakfast it is time to say goodbye to your fellow travellers and make your way home. |
Freedom Holiday 
Lake Balaton, the largest shallow fresh water lake in Central Europe, sprung up around 25 thousand years ago and is now a popular resort with settlements along its shore offering plenty of opportunities for recreation and leisure time activities.