An Afternoon in Tóti - A Trip to Káptalantóti and Tóti Hill

Starting point: Liliomkert Market in Káptalantóti

If you're spending at least one weekend on the north coast, don't miss the market in Káptalantóti, which has become a fabled Saturday and Sunday programme in recent years. Here you can not only buy the finest local cheeses, hams, vegetables, fruit and handicrafts, but also sit down for breakfast or lunch under the cosy arbours. From antique furniture to vintage clothes, handmade ceramics, flowers and homemade cakes, the range of goods on offer is almost only limited by your imagination! It's worth stopping here for a little look around and then, recharged by the experience, heading for Tóti Hill.

Hiking to Tóti Hill

If you arrive by car, park near the market - for example in Petőfi Sándor Street, which runs through the village - and you will find yourself on the eastern side of Tóti Hill, from where a long winding road leads up to the top. Along the way you can see abandoned and functioning press houses, orchards, charming gardens and, if you're lucky, you can even pick fruit from the wild growing trees. All you have to do is follow the blue triangle sign, then about halfway along the road turn onto the green signposted road and you can walk in wild scenery all the way to the finish line at the top of Tóti Hill. There are no insurmountable obstacles or big differences in level during the 40-45 minute walk, but the last few kilometres to the steep top of the hill are a challenge. It is therefore worth taking a rest before the last 3-4 kilometres so that you can start the final stretch with renewed energy and vigour. It's well worth climbing, as you can enjoy one of the most beautiful panoramas of Lake Balaton at 347m altitude. From here, you can see the Szent György Hill, Hegyestű, Hegyesd and smaller hills such as Kab Hill or Fekete Hill, not to mention the Lake.

Wind down: a walk around the village and a coffee at Káli Cool

After admiring the panorama and taking a few photos, it's worth taking the green sign trail on the other side of the hill back to the village, where you can walk along the long Petőfi Sándor Street that runs through the whole village. This main street is also the location of the Káli Cool Grocery Bar, which used to be a general grocery store and was one of the main meeting places in the area. It stood empty for several years until it was revived, and is now a contemporary gallery, meeting place and accommodation. There was a pop-up flower shop here, but it is also a permanent place to buy design products by Hungarian designers, and in summer there are exhibitions of works by artists from the Zsófi Faur Gallery, since one of the owners is Zsófia Faur, the gallery's eponym. It's worth stopping here for a coffee and a look around the building, where every wall, every window and every detail tells a story.