The Harvest has Officially Begun - Hike through Picturesque Vineyards!
If it's the end of August, the harvest starts, and if it's the harvest, then Balaton grapes come in all quantities! Around Lake Balaton, there are countless chapels, nature trails and hiking routes through the most beautiful vineyard-lined countryside, and we're recommending our favourites.
In the Footsteps of Béla Hamvas - The Berény Wine Hill
Béla Hamvas wrote his The Philosophy of Wine in the shadow of the vineyards of Berény, where he had a view of the monadnocks of the northern coast and where he was able to follow through several harvest seasons. Today, the vineyard is the site of the Béla Hamvas trail, which takes you all the way to Balatonkeresztúr, where you can admire the panorama of the Lake and the northern shore, the vines heavy with grapes and the centuries-old press houses.
Where We Keep Walking in Vineyards - Kishegy in Balatonlelle
Everywhere you turn on Kishegy (Small Hill) in Lelle, you come across vineyards. This is where the region's finest wines are made, predominantly from blue grapes. If you're in the area, it's worth walking up to the 18th-century Majthényi Press House and the adjacent chapel of St Donatus - St Donatus is considered the saint of vineyards and wine regions -, for not only can you see the endless vineyards, but also the undulating lines of Badacsony and the northern coast. At sunrise and sunset, the interplay of light and landscape here creates a real miracle.
Basalt Towers Above, Vineyards Below - Szent György Hill
Stopping at the Lengyel Chapel on Szent György Hill and taking the path uphill next to it, you only have to walk a few metres to see breathtaking scenery. Above you are the multicoloured forest and the basalt towers, below you the typical 17th and 18th century press houses and the vineyards, still green in September and orange in October and November, the chapel, Lake Balaton and Szigliget. It's worth coming up here on sunny afternoons and at sunset to soak in the warm light and the view.
Badacsony One Cannot Get Bored With
If the words grapes, wine, Lake Balaton and excursions are mentioned in the same sentence, Badacsony is probably one of the first places that comes to mind, as there are grapes everywhere on the hill. If you would like to admire the vineyards and the view, and not least to capture the sight, it is worth walking up Kisfaludy Street towards Kisfaludy House and turning right on Radnóti Miklós Street to Badacsony Szépkilátó Wine Bar. Here you can see dozens of rows of vineyards at your feet, which you can even walk through, with nothing but glistening Lake Balaton in front of you.
