46.77° N · 17.25° E
The town of the Festetics Palace and its library, at the western tip of Balaton, about two hours from Budapest and 6 km from the thermal lake at Hévíz.
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
One of the largest palaces in Hungary, with more than twenty rooms of the Festetics family and the Helikon Library · 2 h · From 4,600 Ft · Open all year
The buildings in the palace park with the family's carriages, trophies, a historic railway model and the nobles' journeys · 1–2 h · From 2,500 Ft
The palace's palm house and bird park, with their own hours · 45 min · Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 16:00
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
From April to October, with the lake alive and the palace exhibitions open all day. In summer there are beaches and boats. In winter the palace opens Tuesday to Sunday and a bath at Hévíz, 6 km away, is the best complement.
How you travel
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
By car, Keszthely is about 190 km from Budapest on the M7 motorway along the southern shore of Balaton, with an electronic vignette. With a car you combine the Festetics Palace and a bath in the thermal lake at Hévíz, 6 km away, in one day. The budget is per person per day, with accommodation, food and petrol.
Without a car, you reach Keszthely by train from Budapest, a long journey, and then everything is on foot: the palace, the pedestrian street, the museum and the pier are less than 20 minutes apart. To Hévíz you go by bus from the station. It is better with one night. The budget is per person per day, with accommodation, meals and tickets.
For Keszthely you fly to Budapest-Ferenc Liszt (BUD), with direct flights from Madrid and Barcelona, and continue by hire car, about 200 km via the M0 and the M7. Closer is Hévíz-Balaton Airport (SOB), in Sármellék, about 15 km away, with few, seasonal flights: check before you go. From Budapest, most people do it as a break of one or two nights with Hévíz.
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
Keszthely has a palace designed for children too: carriages, a miniature railway, birds and palms and a historical playhouse, plus the lake ten minutes away.
With small children, the best of Keszthely is in the palace park and on the shore: birds, palms, miniature trains and a flat walk beside the water.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: A superior four-star hotel on the Balaton shore, with 176 renovated rooms, a large wellness area, tennis and pets up to 15 kg.
Why we like it: A four-star hotel 200 metres from the lake, with deluxe rooms, wellness with a jacuzzi and sauna, and a bar terrace with the sunset.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: The weekend brunch or something to share with a cocktail.
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
Tips
Palace in the morning and thermal bath in the afternoon, 6 km away.
The palace and its exhibitions are closed.
Seeing the whole complex takes the entire day.
Keszthely is at the western tip of Lake Balaton, about 190 km from Budapest, and is the town of the Festetics, the family of counts who filled it with culture: here in 1797 they founded the Georgikon, one of the first agricultural schools in Europe, and gathered in their palace one of the great private libraries of the country. Today you visit it for the Festetics Palace, for the lake and because 6 km away is Hévíz, the thermal lake where you can swim all year round. For a traveller leaving Budapest it is a long day trip by car or, better, a one-night break that combines palace, lake and hot water.
From Spain you fly to Budapest and continue by car; Hévíz-Balaton Airport, 15 km away, has seasonal flights.
The day begins at the Festetics Palace, one of the largest in Hungary: more than twenty rooms with the life of the family and the Helikon Library. It is open all year; in winter, Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00. Around it, the palace exhibitions on carriages, hunting, the miniature railway and the nobles' travels, the bird park and palm house and the historic playhouse for children.
From the palace, walk down Kossuth Lajos utca, the pedestrian street, to the lake: the Balaton Museum, next to the station, tells the story of the lake and its summers, and the lakeside promenade and pier is the place for the sunset. If you have the late afternoon free, 6 km away is the thermal lake at Hévíz.
On the pedestrian street, Klassz Kultbisztró, with a library and cocktails, also open on Sunday, and John's Pub, Monday to Saturday. To sleep, the Hotel Helikon, right on the shore, with a large wellness area and dogs up to 15 kg, or the Kristály Hotel, 200 metres from the lake.
| What | How much |
|---|---|
| Palace and one exhibition | 4,600 Ft (summer 2026) |
| Palace and five exhibitions | 7,500 Ft |
| One exhibition without the palace | 2,500 Ft |
| Lakeside promenade and pier | Free |
From April to October, when the lake is alive. In summer Balaton fills up with Hungarians on holiday. In winter Keszthely is quiet, the palace opens Tuesday to Sunday and the hot bath at Hévíz makes up for everything.
Questions
Around two hours by car on the M7; by train, considerably more.
By car, yes, with a long day; the comfortable option is to stay one night and add Hévíz.
More than twenty rooms of the family, the Helikon Library, the park and exhibitions on carriages, hunting, the miniature railway and travel.
6 km, about 10 minutes by car or bus.
Yes, for the miniature railway, the birds and the playhouse in the palace.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/hungary/keszthely
