Central European Lake Gem Scouting: Hévíz, Hungary

While Slovenia is home to some of the most beautiful lakes in the world, I’ve been simultaneously having a Hungarian and a spa craving.

Hungary is one of those countries I have kind of a love-hate relationship with. It has the best food in Central Europe, hands down. Budapest is one of my most beloved cities in Europe. I almost moved to Budapest in 2012 instead of Prague. I’ve been to quite a few places. It has lovely towns and I quite like lake Balaton. However, Hungary showed its butt to the European Union some years ago with its politics. I dealt with some insane and ignorant people there as well. But coming from the US, I should know best that people are not their government. There is also more to the country than some idiots who live there that don’t necessarily represent the people.

I also have not been to Hungary since 2019 due to Covid 19. Before Covid 19, I usually made it to Hungary around twice a year. So I was overdue for a Hungarian experience and a bit in need of a day at the spa. Last week was a three-day weekend due to All Saint’s Day. I decided it was time to go to Hungary. It’s the only neighboring country to Slovenia I have not visited since moving there. Originally the plan was to see Sopron, Hungary. I wanted to include a spa day. After reviewing spas in Western Hungary, I decided that I would choose something a little closer. So I went with Heviz, Hungary.

So what is so great about this lake?

Heviz has the world’s largest thermal lake that is available for swimming. The lake is completely replenished every 72 hours. It goes between 2 meters and 72 meters. The temperature ranges between 28-34 degrees for most of the year. It drops to the mid-20s in the winter, but you can enjoy it all year. I loved the fall foliage around it.

The lake has a wellness area that you can also pay a supplementary fee to use. So you can have your sauna, thermal lake, and jacuzzi. There is even a little cafe where you can enjoy a drink in the middle of your swim.

It does seem to attract an older crowd. I was one of the youngest people there by 20-30 years. It seems very popular with Austrians and Germans who want to have a more inexpensive spa experience. Many Germans get to do something called Kur, where they spend 3-4 weeks at a spa receiving various treatments. Many of them get to do it every ten years with no questions asked. Although, if you have mental health problems and can get the right doctor to sign off on it, your work and insurance will pay for you to do it basically whenever it is needed. Many decide to do Kur in Hungary because it is often a much better deal, and the spas are often better.

It also seems to get a fair number of Russian tourists, although due to covid they were not around as much. The locals all around the area seem to have pretty strong German language skills. But everything there is written in 4 languages.

Things to note

• Don’t forget to bring slippers or try to rent them. I forgot to bring mine and everyone looked at me funny and I nearly busted my ass several times. Bring a bathrobe as well. I did remember to bring that. I also broght my Banya hat for the sauna

• The best value if you are just going for the day is the deal where you pay 5500 HUF ( 15 euros/ 17 USD) to swim in lake and use the wellness center for four hours. There are other deals, but this is probably best if you want to combine both in a day. You can find more about the pricing here.

• You can’t use your entry bracelet like you can in most spas and saunas to pay for things at the cafe. Try to carry some Hungarian forint cash with you, so you don’t have to go back and forth to your locker to get your bank card to pay for everything.

• As nice as the place is, it is a little old and the feng shui is a bit off. If you are a sauna purist, you won’t be too crazy for the wellness area. There is one legit sauna and several smaller ones. The cold pool is not very cold. Also you can’t just run directly from the sauna to jump into the lake. You have to leave the wellness area and go through a bit of a maze to get into the water

• If you don’t feel like threading water, be sure to get one of those noodle things. I think most pensions have them for their guests and you can probably rent one there or somewhere in town.

How do I get there?

It is most accessible by car. There isn’t a train station, but you can take a bus from Keszthely. There are frequent connections from there. You can also take the bus from other Transdanubian cities in Hungary, such as Sopron, Pecs, Szombathely, and Gyor.

You should make an effort also to visit Keszthely on the Western shore of Lake Balaton. Once you are there, you can see other parts of the lake that are more lively, such as Balatonfüred, Siofolk, or visit Budapest. Although to be honest, I would recommend coming here AFTER a fun time in Budapest to recuperate.

So there, y’all have it! If you are looking for a place to replenish and have a pleasurable Hungarian spa experience, I recommend Heviz. I hope to go again and spend more time unwinding and relaxing.