At the very western end of Lake Balaton sits Keszthely (kest-hey), the lake's main town and a place of grand town houses and a gentle ambience. Its small, shallow beaches are well suited to families and the lavish Festetics Palace is a must-see.
Festetics PalacePALACE
The glimmering white, 100-room Festetics Palace was begun in 1745; the two wings were extended out from the original building 150 years later. Some 18 rooms in the baroque south wing now contain the Helikon Palace Museum (Helikon Kastélymúzeum). Here too is the palace’s greatest treasure, the Helikon Library (Helikon Könyvtár), with its 100,000 volumes and splendid carved furniture. Behind the palace in a separate building is the Coach Museum(Hintómúzeum), which is filled with carriages and sleighs built for royalty
Lakeside AreaBEACH
The lakeside area centres on the long ferry pier. From late April to early October you can take a one-hour pleasure cruise ( www.balatonihajozas.hu ) on the lake between three and eight times daily. If you're feeling like a swim,City Beach (Városi Strand) is just to the southwest of the ferry pier, near plenty of beer stands and food booths. Reedy Helikon Beach (Helikon Strand) is a further 200m south.
BUS
Buses link Keszthely with Hévíz (250Ft, 15 minutes, half-hourly), Balatonfüred (1300Ft, 1½ hours, eight daily) and Budapest (3410Ft, three hours, six daily).
TRAIN
Keszthely is on a railway branch line linking the lake's southeastern shore with Budapest (3705Ft, 3½ hours, six daily). To reach towns along Lake Balaton's northern shore, such as Balatonfüred (1640Ft, two hours) by train, you have to change at Tapolca (465Ft, 30 minutes, hourly).
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