# Hévíz A spa town beside Balaton with a natural thermal lake where you can swim outdoors all year round, about two hours fifteen minutes from Budapest. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/hungary/heviz · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Hévíz is a small spa town near the western tip of Lake Balaton, built around a natural thermal lake of 4.4 hectares. Its spa presents it as the largest thermal lake in the world with a biologically active peat-mud bed: a spring 38 metres deep renews it completely every three days and keeps it warm all year. You swim outdoors in January, with steam rising off the water. It is Hungary's great winter outing outside Budapest and, with Lake Balaton next door, a two-night break. ## Getting there from Budapest By car, on the M7 motorway towards Balaton: about 200 km from the airport, a little over two hours. It is the best option if you plan to move around the area. By long-distance bus, direct from Budapest. By train to Keszthely, 6 km away, and then a local bus. Details in the train to Keszthely and bus to Hévíz. ## Bathing in the lake The thermal lake is paid for by the hour: two hours cost 3,000 Ft, children aged 6 to 14 pay 1,500 Ft and under-6s do not pay; with the wellness area, 5,000 Ft. In winter 2026–2027 you enter only through the Festetics Fürdőház and swim outdoors, because the central building on stilts is closed. The lake is deep in the middle, so many people bring a float. Afterwards, walk around the lake through the forest that protects it. ## What to see nearby The Festetics Palace in Keszthely, 6 km away: more than twenty rooms, the Helikon Library and the park; with children, the carriages and miniature railway. The Tapolca Lake Cave, 30 km away: 180 metres by rowing boat beneath the town. The Tihany peninsula, an hour away, with its abbey. ## Where to sleep and eat The Hotel Spa Hévíz, run by the spa itself, is on the lakeside promenade, and its Platán Étterem is the most convenient table before or after your bath. For a luxury break, the Lotus Therme, a five-star with its own spa, is a short walk from the lake. ## Dónde está - Zonas: Thermal getaways - Cerca: Keszthely (a 5.0 km), Lake Balaton (a 55.0 km), Pécs (a 112.4 km), Lake Neusiedl (a 119.0 km · Austria) ## Qué hacer - **Hévíz Thermal Lake** (2 h · All ages; under-6s free; sauna and wellness from age 12 · 2 h 3,000 Ft · pensioners and students 2,500 Ft · children aged 6 to 14, 1,500 Ft · with wellness 5,000 Ft · extra hour 1,500 Ft): What it is Hévíz lake is, according to its spa, the largest natural thermal lake in the world with a biologically active peat-mud bed. It covers 4.4 hectares and is fed by a spring 38 metres deep that supplies 410 litres per second, so the water is completely renewed every three days. You bathe outdoors, among water lilies in summer and in steam in winter, when the water stays warm (26 degrees in mid-November 2026) against the cold air. The lake is deep in the centre: many bathers bring a float. Winter opening hours From 25 October 2026 to 14 February 2027: opens at 9:00, bathing until 16:00 and doors until 16:30. From 15 February to 21 March 2027: bathing until 17:00. On 24 December it closes at 14:00, on the 31st at 16:00 and on 1 January it opens at 11:00. From 2 November 2026 to 21 March 2027 entry is only through the Festetics Fürdőház and you can only swim outdoors: the central building of the lake is closed. Prices (from 2 November 2026) 2 hours: 3,000 Ft; over-60s and students from age 14, 2,500 Ft; children aged 6 to 14, 1,500 Ft; under-6s, free. 2 hours with wellness: 5,000 Ft. The sauna and wellness area are only for ages 12 and over. Extra hour, once per ticket: 1,500 Ft. Every half hour over the time, 1,000 Ft. Getting there Dr. Schulhof Vilmos sétány 1, in the centre of Hévíz. Buy online at jegy.spaheviz.hu. - **Festetics Palace in Keszthely** (2 h 30 · All ages · Palace and one exhibition 4,600 Ft · reduced 2,300 Ft (summer 2026 prices)): What it is The Festetics Palace in Keszthely, 6 km from Hévíz, is one of the largest palaces in Hungary. Kristóf Festetics began it in 1745 and the family extended it over two centuries. You visit more than twenty rooms furnished with the life of the family, the Helikon Library and the park, which is a protected natural area, with a palm house. In the surrounding buildings there are exhibitions of carriages, hunting, a historic miniature railway and the nobles' journeys. Prices Its summer 2026 rate (1 June to 30 September) was 4,600 Ft for the palace with one exhibition and 7,500 Ft with five; the reduced rate, for young people aged 6 to 25 and over-62s, is half. Check its website for the winter rate. Getting there Kastély utca 1, Keszthely. From Hévíz, about 10 minutes by car or local bus. - **Carriages and Miniature Railway at Festetics Palace** (1 h · All ages; a good outing with children · One exhibition 2,500 Ft · two 3,800 Ft · reduced, half price (summer 2026 prices)): As well as the palace, the Festetics complex in Keszthely has exhibitions in the buildings of the park. The carriage exhibition, in the former coach house, brings together the family's horse-drawn carriages; the historic miniature railway is the one children like best. They can be seen without entering the palace: in summer 2026, one exhibition cost 2,500 Ft and two, 3,800 Ft, with half price for young people from 6 to 25 and over-62s. - **Walk Through the Protective Forest Around Hévíz Lake** (45 min · 2.5 km · All ages; flat): Hévíz lake is surrounded by a protective forest, the véderdő, planted to shelter it, and by paths that skirt it. Walking all the way round takes about 45 minutes with no climbs: you see the spa building on stilts in the middle of the water, the steam in winter and the water lilies in summer. It is free and is the walk to do before or after a bath, also for those who do not bathe. - **Tapolca Lake Cave, by Boat Beneath the Town** (1 h · All ages; under-3s with a registration ticket · Adult 5,000 Ft · reduced 4,100 Ft · children aged 3 to 14, 3,400 Ft · family (2 + 2) 15,000 Ft): Beneath the centre of Tapolca, 30 km from Hévíz, there is a flooded cave that you explore by rowing. The visitor centre of the Balaton Uplands National Park first shows how the cave was formed and then you go down into it: 250 metres of gallery, 70 on foot and 180 by boat, which you row yourself, without a guide, over clear blue water. It is a short and very different visit. Prices Adult 5,000 Ft; reduced 4,100 Ft; children aged 3 to 14 3,400 Ft; family of two adults and two children 15,000 Ft. Under-3s get a registration ticket of 300 Ft. Book a time on the park's website: in season it sells out. Opening hours Open all year, except 24, 25, 26 and 31 December and 1 January; the ticket office closes at 16:00. Check the hours for each season on its website. ## Dónde comer - **Platán Étterem** (Restaurant, Hévíz, €€). Qué pedir: The seasonal menu after your bath; if you are hungry in the middle of the afternoon, a lángos. ## By car: Hévíz by Car, with Keszthely and Tapolca By car, Hévíz is the base for the western tip of Balaton: the Festetics Palace in Keszthely 6 km away, the Tapolca Lake Cave 30 km and the Tihany peninsula an hour away. The budget is per person per day, with a spa hotel, food and petrol. Presupuesto orientativo: 90–200 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Hotel Spa Hévíz** (Spa hotel, desde 79540 € / night): The place The Hotel Spa Hévíz is the hotel of the public spa, a four-star with 108 beds, on the promenade beside the lake. The rooms face the protective forest or, some of them, the lake, with a view over the water and the promenade. It offers the traditional Hévíz treatments and a wellness area with a pool and saunas, as well as the Platán restaurant. Prices Its Christmas 2026 offer started at 79,540 Ft a night; check rates and packages on its website. - **Lotus Therme Hotel & Spa** (Spa hotel): The place Lotus Therme was the first five-star hotel in Hévíz: 227 rooms and 5 suites, with its own thermal-water spa and the Corvinus restaurant, with a buffet for breakfast and dinner and gala dinners. It is on the outskirts, a good kilometre from the lake. Who it is for For a luxury break with a thermal bath without leaving the hotel, and Hévíz lake a walk away. By car it combines well with Keszthely and Tapolca. ### Servicios - **By Car from Budapest Airport**: Hévíz is about 200 km from Budapest airport on the M7 · About 2 h 15 by hire car · Long-distance buses from Budapest ## By plane: Fly to Budapest and Continue to Hévíz by Hire Car Hévíz has no airport of its own with flights from Spain: you fly to Budapest-Ferenc Liszt (BUD), with direct flights from Madrid and Barcelona, and from there it is about 200 km on the M7, a little over two hours by hire car. Without a car, there are long-distance buses from Budapest and trains to Keszthely, 6 km away. ### Dónde dormir if you're flying - **Hotel Spa Hévíz** (Spa hotel, desde 79540 € / night): The place The Hotel Spa Hévíz is the hotel of the public spa, a four-star with 108 beds, on the promenade beside the lake. The rooms face the protective forest or, some of them, the lake, with a view over the water and the promenade. It offers the traditional Hévíz treatments and a wellness area with a pool and saunas, as well as the Platán restaurant. Prices Its Christmas 2026 offer started at 79,540 Ft a night; check rates and packages on its website. - **Lotus Therme Hotel & Spa** (Spa hotel): The place Lotus Therme was the first five-star hotel in Hévíz: 227 rooms and 5 suites, with its own thermal-water spa and the Corvinus restaurant, with a buffet for breakfast and dinner and gala dinners. It is on the outskirts, a good kilometre from the lake. Who it is for For a luxury break with a thermal bath without leaving the hotel, and Hévíz lake a walk away. By car it combines well with Keszthely and Tapolca. ### Servicios - **By Car from Budapest Airport**: Hévíz is about 200 km from Budapest airport on the M7 · About 2 h 15 by hire car · Long-distance buses from Budapest - **Train to Keszthely and Bus to Hévíz**: Keszthely, 6 km away, has a railway station and frequent buses to Hévíz · For getting there without a car and for seeing the Festetics Palace ## As a family: Hévíz with the Family Hévíz is a quiet cure town, but it works well with children: the lake is free for under-6s and around it there are palaces, miniature trains and a cave you explore by boat. ### What works best The thermal lake, free for under-6s and 1,500 Ft from 6 to 14 The Tapolca Lake Cave, by boat The miniature railway and carriages at the Festetics Palace The walk through the forest around the lake ### Sleeping Hotel Spa Hévíz, by the lake ### Eating Platán Étterem, with lángos ### Bear in mind Sauna and wellness at the lake, only from age 12 The lake is deep in the centre: a float for those who do not swim ### Qué hacer as a family - Hévíz Thermal Lake - Festetics Palace in Keszthely - Carriages and Miniature Railway at Festetics Palace - Walk Through the Protective Forest Around Hévíz Lake - Tapolca Lake Cave, by Boat Beneath the Town ## With young children: Hévíz with Small Children With small children, Hévíz is good for a short bath, a walk and an excursion to the Tapolca cave. ### What works best The lake, free for under-6s, with a float The flat walk around the lake The boat cave at Tapolca The miniature train at Keszthely ### Sleeping Hotel Spa Hévíz ### Eating Platán Étterem ### Bear in mind Two hours of bathing is enough for them ### Qué hacer with young children - Hévíz Thermal Lake - Carriages and Miniature Railway at Festetics Palace - Walk Through the Protective Forest Around Hévíz Lake - Tapolca Lake Cave, by Boat Beneath the Town ## With teenagers: Hévíz with Teenagers For teenagers, Hévíz means outdoor bathing in winter and short excursions. ### What works best The thermal lake in the cold air The Tapolca cave, with them rowing The Festetics Palace and its library ### Sleeping Hotel Spa Hévíz ### Eating Platán Étterem ### Bear in mind From age 12 they can use the lake's sauna and wellness area ### Qué hacer with teenagers - Hévíz Thermal Lake - Festetics Palace in Keszthely - Carriages and Miniature Railway at Festetics Palace - Tapolca Lake Cave, by Boat Beneath the Town ## Consejos ### Go in winter Hot water with cold air is what makes Hévíz unique. ### Watch the clock Entry is by the hour and every extra half hour is charged. ### Combine it with Tihany One night in Hévíz and another on the northern shore of Balaton make a full weekend. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### Can you swim in Hévíz lake in winter? Yes, outdoors all year round. In mid-November 2026 the water was at 26 degrees. ### How much does it cost? 3,000 Ft for two hours; 1,500 Ft for children aged 6 to 14; free for under-6s. ### How long does it take from Budapest? About two hours fifteen minutes by car; longer by bus or by train via Keszthely. ### Can children go? Yes. The sauna and wellness area are only for ages 12 and over. ### What is nearby? The Festetics Palace in Keszthely, 6 km away, and the Tapolca Lake Cave, 30 km away.