In this guide
💡 The Short Version: The north shore is a direct MÁV “S” train from Déli to Balatonfüred, 1 hour 50 minutes, 2,520 HUF each way, then a 12-minute bus to Tihany. Tihany Abbey is 3,400 HUF. On your own the day is about £21.50. Rail works replace direct trains with buses on some weekends: on Saturday 10 October 2026 there is no direct train from Déli to Balatonfüred. Or book a tour: the small-group Lake Balaton and Tihany tour with Esztergomad (£118.13, 4.6 stars from 117 reviews, 8 hours, up to 8 guests) costs about £97 more than the train and includes hotel pickup, Esztergom Basilica and a Slovak photo stop (GetYourGuide).
Going on your own
The north shore is the easy part of Balaton by public transport. Fares are full adult second-class fares from menetrendek.hu.
The twin towers of Tihany Abbey. Photo: KovácsD, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
- By train: MÁV “S” fast train from Budapest-Déli to Balatonfüred, 1 hour 50 minutes, 2,520 HUF each way. On a weekday such as Tuesday 13 October 2026 there are seven direct trains between 07:05 and 19:05, about one every two hours, and the last direct train back leaves at 19:02.
- Weekends: engineering works replace trains with buses at weekends. On Saturday 10 October 2026 there is no direct train from Déli to Balatonfüred; the options take 2 hours 52 minutes to 3 hours 41 minutes with changes and a replacement bus. Check MÁV for your date.
- To Tihany: Volánbusz from Balatonfüred, 12 minutes, 400 HUF, about hourly.
- By ferry: the Szántód to Tihany car ferry crosses every day of the year, and only extreme weather and ice stop it. A passenger ticket is 1,000 HUF (bahart.hu). The scheduled passenger boats are seasonal, with single fares of 2,150 to 2,950 HUF by zone, sold at jegy.bahart.hu.
- The day: take a morning train, go to the abbey first and leave Balatonfüred for the 19:02 train.
| The day on your own | HUF | Pounds |
|---|---|---|
| Train, return | 5,040 | £11.50 |
| Bus to Tihany, return | 800 | £2 |
| Tihany Abbey | 3,400 | £8 |
| Total | 9,240 | £21.50 |
Tours from Budapest
The tours here are small and priced above the train. A tour saves the weekend works and the changes. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” price for one adult.
Small group with Esztergom
From £118.13 · 4.6 stars from 117 reviews · 8 hours
The Lake Balaton and Tihany tour with Esztergomad takes up to 8 guests by minivan with hotel pickup. The stops are a 10-minute photo stop in Štúrovo in Slovakia, Esztergom Basilica for an hour, a lake viewpoint, Tihany Abbey for an hour and two hours of free time in Balatonfüred. Visegrád Castle is an optional stop with an extra fee. The price includes bottled water, and you must bring ID.
Tihany hike with the train
From £127.48 · 5.0 stars from 9 reviews · 12 hours
The Tihany Peninsula hike and abbey tourad takes the train from Kelenföld to Balatonfüred and a bus to Tihany, with a guided hike of 8 to 10 km and entry to the abbey, for up to 5 guests. The train and bus fares are in the price.
The Program Centrum Lake Balaton tour, a bestseller that includes a one-hour cruise from Balatonfüred, has no dates before 4 May 2027.
Which to choose
- The train and bus for about £21.50, on a weekday.
- The small-group tour if you want Esztergom and the lake in one day and not the timetable.
- The hike if you want to walk the peninsula with a guide.
What to see
Allow a full day, most of it on the water side of Balatonfüred and Tihany.
- Tihany Abbey. 3,400 HUF; students and pensioners 2,500 HUF · October: Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 17:00, Sunday 11:15 to 17:00, last tickets 16:30. A Benedictine abbey on the Tihany peninsula with a Baroque church, the royal crypt, an interactive history exhibition and an art exhibition. The church alone is 300 HUF and the audioguide 500 HUF. From 1 November the abbey is open 10:00 to 16:00, and from Monday to Thursday only the church and the royal crypt open, free; the two exhibitions open from Friday to Sunday with a ticket (tihanyiapatsag.hu).
- Balatonfüred. Free. A lakeside town with a promenade along the water, which is where the small-group tour leaves two hours for lunch.
- The Szántód to Tihany ferry. 1,000 HUF for a passenger. A short crossing between the south and north shores, running all year.
- Skip: a Monday to Thursday visit from 1 November if you want the exhibitions, because only the church and the royal crypt are open.
Tihany Abbey on its hill above Lake Balaton. Photo: sternerz, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Practical information
- Abbey hours: from 1 November 2026 to 18 January 2027, 10:00 to 16:00 and Sunday from 11:15 to 16:00.
- Rail works: check MÁV’s disruption page for your date, since weekend trains on this line are replaced by buses.
- Passport: carry ID on the tour, which crosses to the Slovak side of the river at Štúrovo.
Lake Balaton is one of the day trips from Budapest. Hévíz and Keszthely is the other half of the lake, at the western end, and the tour above shares Esztergom with the Danube Bend. Eger is the other long trip to do by rail on your own, and Vienna and Bratislava the longest by coach. What to book before you go to Budapest has the city tickets, Budapest public transport has the metro to Déli, and 3 days in Budapest shows where a day by the lake fits.
Common questions
How do you get from Budapest to Lake Balaton?
Take the MÁV "S" fast train from Déli to Balatonfüred: 1 hour 50 minutes and 2,520 HUF each way, with seven direct trains between 07:05 and 19:05 on a weekday such as Tuesday 13 October 2026, and the last direct train back at 19:02. A Volánbusz bus then takes 12 minutes to Tihany for 400 HUF. Rail works replace direct trains with buses on some weekends, so check MÁV for your date.
How much does Tihany Abbey cost?
3,400 HUF for an adult, 2,500 HUF for students and pensioners and 9,700 HUF for a family of two adults and two children. The church alone is 300 HUF. In October it is open Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 17:00 and Sunday 11:15 to 17:00; from 1 November it closes at 16:00, and from Monday to Thursday only the church and the royal crypt are open, free.
Is Lake Balaton worth a day trip from Budapest?
It is about 4 hours on the train for the abbey and a lakeside walk, and about £21.50 with the abbey on your own. In winter the abbey exhibitions open only from Friday to Sunday.
Is there a Lake Balaton tour from Budapest?
Yes: a small-group tour of up to 8 guests, £118.13, that combines Esztergom, a Slovak photo stop, Tihany Abbey and free time in Balatonfüred, with hotel pickup. There is also a guided hike on the Tihany peninsula. The Hévíz and Keszthely trip has its own guide.
