Beaches in Lake Balaton
The lake is the same from every shore, but the ticket is not: one beach charges for the gate only, another includes the sunlounger, and the difference in price can be several-fold.
- Cheapest
- Siófok Sóstói, €4.69 (1,700 HUF)
- Dearest
- Tihany Plage18
- Bottom
- maintained beaches
At Lake Balaton you reach the water through a strand, a maintained beach with a gate and a day ticket, and the five compared here run from €4.69 (1,700 HUF) at Siófok Sóstói to €20.70 on weekdays, €27.59 at weekends (7,500 / 10,000 HUF) at Tihany. Tihany's price covers a sunlounger, a towel and a table. The others charge for entry only. The order below follows the road out of Balatonfüred, the base for the region: the north shore, the peninsula, then the south shore and the western end.
Kisfaludy and Csopak — the north shore
Kisfaludy is the strand in Balatonfüred itself, so it is the easiest for a day that starts from the base: the adult day ticket is €6.07 (2,200 HUF). Csopak is on the same north shore and dearer, at €7.73 (2,800 HUF). Both cover the whole day.
Tihany Plage18 — the peninsula
Plage18 sits on the Tihany peninsula, close to Balatonfüred, and it is the only one on the list whose price changes by the day: €20.70 on weekdays, €27.59 at weekends (7,500 / 10,000 HUF). The price covers a sunlounger, a towel, a table and a parasol shared by two loungers, so the comparison with the others is fair only once you add a lounger hire to them.
Siófok Sóstói — the south shore
For the south shore this holds: maintained beaches, mostly flat sandy/grassy bottom (especially south shore). Siófok Sóstói is the cheapest of the five, €4.69 (1,700 HUF), which makes it a sensible choice for a family that spends the whole day in the water. From the north you reach it by BAHART boat, 1–1.5 h (Siófok–Balatonfüred), for €6.60 (one-way); the boat does not run off-season (after 25 Oct, until end of March).
Keszthely — the western end
The city beach in Keszthely is at the western end of the lake and costs €5.79 (2,100 HUF). It suits a day shared with the town, and makes most sense for anyone already sleeping in Keszthely, at the far end of the lake from Balatonfüred.
Adult day ticket, 2026 season. Plage18 charges a different price on weekdays and at weekends.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
How much does a beach cost at Balaton?
The adult day ticket: €4.69 (1,700 HUF) at Siófok Sóstói, €6.07 (2,200 HUF) in Balatonfüred, €7.73 (2,800 HUF) at Csopak. Tihany Plage18 includes a sunlounger, €20.70 on weekdays, €27.59 at weekends (7,500 / 10,000 HUF).
Which shore has the flat bottom?
The south one. The maintained beaches mostly have a flat sandy or grassy bottom, especially on the south shore: maintained beaches, mostly flat sandy/grassy bottom (especially south shore).
When is the swimming season?
mid-Jun – end Aug (official lifeguard season) · May–Sep wider (some beaches open).
Ready for Lake Balaton?
Where to next
Lake Balaton in 3 days
→Day one Balatonfüred and Tihany on the north shore, day two Keszthely and Hévíz to the south-west, day three…
Győr · 82 km
→A town where three rivers meet, halfway between Budapest and Vienna: a square, a cathedral hill and an island in the Rába fit into one walking day, with Pannonhalma a second.
How well does Lake Balaton suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
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