Keszthely

(pronunciation: [ˈkɛsthɛj], Slovene: Blatenski Kostel; German: Kesthell) is the oldest town in the Lake Balaton region of Hungary.

Understand
It is at the western tip of Lake Balaton and boasts a history of more than 750 years. The town is endowed with a wide range of architectural gems displaying Gothic, Baroque, Transylvanian and Eclectic styles.

The Festetics Palace, now the Helikon Palace Museum, must rank as the town’s major attraction. Its construction was started at the beginning of the 18th century, by Kristóf Festetics, on the site of the former Pethő Mansion. It obtained its final Neo-Baroque form in 1887. With some 111 halls and rooms, this is one of the largest palaces in Hungary and is maintained in wonderful condition by the Hungarian government. One of the most beautiful rooms and one of the greatest assets of the palace is a magnificent historic two-level library housing over 100,000 volumes, which were miraculously saved from destruction during the Second World War. The library was started in the 1700s and its collection includes copies of the earliest printed books, unique prints, scientific and art books together with its music collection of manuscripts by Haydn, Pleyel and Goldmark. The reception wing of the palace is now used as a conference center and a meeting place for scientific and international conferences. Participants may be accommodated in the 15 quest rooms and 4 suites within the palace. During summer, concerts are held weekly in the grounds.

The Festetics were one of the richest aristocratic families in Hungary and had a considerable influence on the development and culture of Keszthely and the surrounding areas. Family members founded pharmacies, hospitals, grammar schools and in 1779 count György Festetics founded “The Georgikon”, which was Europe’s first independent institution of agricultural higher education. It was established with an 11-hectare dendrological garden. Its successor, the Georgikon Faculty of Agronomy, now functions within the local university.

The center of Keszthely is a large square alongside the Lajos Kossuth street. The section of Lajos Kossuth street leading from the square to the Festetics Palace is now a pedestrian mall, were one can find a number of fine restaurants, which – in season – serve large numbers of alfresco diners.

A nice feature within the town is the Helikon Park, which sits between the town and the lake foreshores. It is prevented from reaching the lake by the railway. Across the railway beside Ferenc Csik promenade are to be found a large number of outdoor cafes and restaurants much frequented by students from the nearby university. A popular snack served at these cafes is the famous Hungarian Lángos, a deep fried potato pancake topped with either garlic dressing or cheese or both. On summer evenings the area is alive with people eating Lángos and drinking beer.



By train
Trains are available in every two hours from Budapest-Déli pályaudvar via Székesfehérvár, Siófok, Fonyód and Balatonszentgyörgy (junction point to Nagykanizsa), moving on the South Coast of the Lake Balaton. The journey takes 2½ hours and costs. Other direct connections are:
 * Toward the west: Győr via Tapolca, Ukk (junction point to Veszprém and Zalaegerszeg), Celldömölk (junction point to Szombathely) and Pápa in every two hours.
 * Toward the south: Kaposvár via Fonyód once a day.

At the summer, direct trains are available from Pécs, Szeged, Szombathely and Záhony (via Nyíregyháza and Debrecen).

By bus
Buses are available six times a day from Budapest-Népliget. The journey takes 2½ hours and costs.

By boat
Boats are available between Jun 2–Sep 9 once a day to Balatongyörök, Szigliget and Badacsony.

Get around
The town is compact and may be easily explored on foot.

By bus
Volánbusz operates local buses in Keszthely. Ticket (in 2019):, pass (in 2019): per month. Tickets can be purchased only at the driver. Public transport map.

By bike
There is a bike rental network. Bikes can be pick up and hand down in any Tourinform offices in this region (Keszthely, Gyenesdiás, Vonyarcvashegy, Balatongyörök and Héviz). Bike rental: for two hours,  for one day.

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Sleep
Keszthely has a variety of places to stay, ranging from rentable apartments to the 5-star 224 rooms, 8 suites.

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Connect
Keszthely's postal code is H-8360, and its telephone area code is 83.



Go next

 * Gyenesdiás – resort village east
 * Hévíz – town with natural thermal lake northwest
 * Marcali – town south
 * Pacsa – small town west
 * Sümeg – town with castle north
 * Tapolca – town with cave lake northeast
 * Vonyarcvashegy – resort village east
 * Zalaszentgrót – town with thermal bath northwest