Budapest - Excursions

Lake Balaton
The hugely popular Lake Balaton region is romantically known as the Hungarian Sea. Its water is largely only waist deep, except for the Tihany Well in the north, where it reaches its deepest point of 13m (43ft). Activities centre on the water and include sailing, windsurfing and fishing for eels or fogas - the perch-pike unique to Lake Balaton, best enjoyed with wine from the nearby Badacsony Hills. The Tihany Peninsula, declared a national park in 1952, is one of the quietest spots in the region. The major resort in the north is Balatonfred, known since Roman times for the curative power of its waters. Approximately 120km (75 miles) southwest of Budapest, Balatonfred can be reached by train from Dli plyaudvar in Budapest or by bus from Budapest's Erzsbet tr.

Tourinform
Petőfi Sndor utca 8, Balantonfred
Tel: (87) 580 480.
Website: www.balatonfured.hu

Szentendre
Several waves of 19th-century Serbian refugees defined the character of this historic town, with its incense-filled hilltop churches, on the Danube Bend, 19km (12 miles) from Budapest. A group of artists found the Serb-abandoned Szentendre in the 1920s, liked what they saw and formed a colony there. Serbian churches include Blagovestenska Church, which looks on to the town's main square, as well as the spectacular Belgrade Cathedral, next to the Museum of Serbian Church Art. Szentendre also has a modern arts centre and a renovated 19th-century sawmill, Muveszet Malom (Art Mill). The exhibition hall displays graphics, paintings, sculptures and pieces of applied arts from local artists and artists connected to the town. You can reach Szentendre by train (40 minutes from Batthyny tr station), bus (from Volnbusz) or boat (up to three boats a day from June to mid-September).

Tourinform
Dumtsa Jenő utca 22, Szentendre
Tel: (26) 317 965.
Website: www.szentendre.hu