Villas in Lake Balaton - North Shore

Balatonfüred and Tihany suit first visits, Badacsony suits wine lovers, and Balatonalmádi is the closest stretch to Budapest. The north shore is hillier than the south, with vineyards, volcanic hills and old stone villages. The trade-off is the water: it deepens faster, and many beaches are grassy lidos with steps into the lake. A car helps for the hill villages.

Where

Villas: 52
From, per week: £265
Cheapest month: September
Nearest airports: Budapest is the main airport, around an hour and a quarter from Balatonalmádi and two hours or more from Badacsony. Flights from London take about two and a half hours. Hévíz-Balaton airport near Keszthely is closest to the west end but has few scheduled flights.

Where to stay in Lake Balaton - North Shore

Balatonfüred and Tihany

Balatonfüred is the oldest resort on the lake, with a tree-lined promenade, a yacht harbour and 19th-century villas from its spa days. Tihany, ten minutes away, is a peninsula with a Benedictine abbey on the ridge, lavender fields in early summer and the car ferry to Szántód on the south shore. Paths lead round its two small inner lakes. Budapest airport is around an hour and a half by car.

Best for: First visits, sailing and evening walks along the promenade

Not for you if: You want empty lanes in summer: Tihany's village and abbey draw coach parties all season.

Badacsony (Badacsonytomaj, Badacsonyörs, Ábrahámhegy and Révfülöp)

Badacsony is a flat-topped volcanic hill rising straight out of the vineyards, with basalt columns near the top and a lookout over the lake. Wine cellars and terrace restaurants line the lower slopes, and Badacsonytomaj and Badacsonyörs sit at its feet. Ábrahámhegy and Révfülöp are quieter, and summer boats cross from Badacsony to Fonyód. Budapest airport is around two hours away; Hévíz-Balaton airport is under an hour.

Best for: Wine lovers and walkers who want views over the water

Not for you if: You want sandy beaches: most here are grassy lidos with steps or ladders into the lake.

Balatonalmádi, Alsóörs and the east end (Balatonkenese, Balatonakarattya, Balatonfőkajár)

This is the end of the lake closest to Budapest, around an hour to an hour and a quarter from the airport. Balatonalmádi is a proper small town with a long beach park and a promenade, and red sandstone in its older buildings. At Balatonkenese and Balatonakarattya the shore rises to high loess cliffs with views down the lake. Balatonfőkajár is a village a few minutes inland, and Alsóörs, towards Füred, is quieter.

Best for: Short trips from Budapest and families who want town beaches

Not for you if: You want the wine hills and old villages: those are further west, half an hour to an hour away.

Balatonakali and Balatonudvari

These two villages sit on the shore road west of Tihany, with beaches, reed beds and the lakeside cycle path running through. Balatonudvari's old cemetery is known for its heart-shaped gravestones, carved from local stone in the 18th and 19th centuries. The Káli basin and the Pécsely valley are a short drive inland. Balatonfüred is around 20 minutes by car, and Budapest airport around an hour and three quarters.

Best for: Families who want a quiet beach village between Tihany and Badacsony

Not for you if: You want plenty of shops and restaurants: both villages are small and quiet outside July and August.

The Káli basin and the hills (Köveskál, Pécsely, Nagyvázsony)

The Káli basin is a wide valley of vineyards and stone farmhouses ringed by volcanic hills. Near Köveskál, the stone sea at Szentbékkálla is a field of sandstone boulders you can walk among. Pécsely lies in a quieter valley behind Balatonfüred. Nagyvázsony has a restored castle keep with a museum, and the Valley of the Arts festival at Kapolcs is close by in late July. Choice is very limited. Budapest airport is around two hours away.

Best for: Couples who want old stone villages, wine cellars and walking

Not for you if: You want to walk to the lake: these villages are inland, 10 to 20 minutes' drive from the shore.

Balatongyörök and Vonyarcvashegy (west end)

At the western end of the lake, these villages look down the length of the water with the Keszthely hills behind. Balatongyörök has the Szépkilátó viewpoint, and Vonyarcvashegy a hilltop chapel above the vines. Keszthely, with the Festetics Palace, is around ten minutes away, and Hévíz, where you can bathe in a warm thermal lake all year, about 15. Hévíz-Balaton airport is around half an hour away; Budapest is over two hours.

Best for: Keszthely and the thermal lake at Hévíz within a short drive

Not for you if: You want a big resort town: these are small villages, busy in July and quiet by September.

When to go to Lake Balaton - North Shore

July and August are high season, with Hungarian school holidays, the warmest water and every wine terrace open. June and early September are quieter and still warm enough to swim, and Tihany's lavender flowers in June and early July. Things wind down after the national holiday on 20 August. By October many beach bars and boats have stopped, but the cellars and walking stay good into autumn. Summer storms build quickly, so watch the warning lights.