Adventures in Hungary
There have always been plenty of opportunities for recreation in Hungary. Whether it’s exploring nature or just a pleasant adventure in the woods, there is an endless source of possibilities for unique adventures. Whether it’s an incentive trip, team building or just an individual getaway, we can come up with a great idea for every possibility.
Once you arrive at Lake Balaton, there are plenty of alternative and sustainable transport options around the lake. Instead of a car, you can even cycle or take the train between stations. Catamarans were also an easy way to travel across the lake, and this year their fleet has expanded.
At this year’s opening ceremony of the shipping season in Fonyód-Badacsony (southern to northern shore), visitors could also meet the new catamaran of the Balaton Shipping Company. From spring, “Tomaj” will operate on the busiest Fonyód-Badacsony route.
Balaton Shipping Company has already started the 178th shipping season with four new ships. In addition to the two new ferries designed for Lake Balaton, two new catamarans have arrived, one of which will operate in the western basin.
The new ships will be ready to welcome passengers at their permanent station in the spring. The catamaran ‘Tomaj’ will operate between Fonyód and Badacsony; the catamaran ‘Balaton’ will operate in the Siófok-Balatonfüred-Tihany (southern to northern shore) triangle, and the ferries ‘Tihany’ and ‘Szántód’ will carry passengers between the havens, allowing more comfortable and frequent crossings between the coasts.
The next time those interested can see and try the new ships will be on May 26 in Keszthely (western shore), where visitors can take a free cruise. In addition, the new catamaran will offer a special children’s circus program on Children’s Day.
Hungary has a wealth of hidden and not so hidden natural treasures. Exploring these can be a great opportunity to get to know each other better through active recreation, in a great environment. Cycling is a particularly good way to explore Lake Fertő and its surroundings.
The Lake Neusiedl train service between Sopron (northwestern Hungary) and Neusiedl am See in Austria will run from April to August this year. The aim is to offer an environmentally friendly way to visit the Hungarian and Austrian side of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lake Neusiedl (Hungarian: Fertő tó).
The trains will run on Saturdays and Sundays, the first one departing from Sopron on Saturday, and will run until August 25.
If you look at the national map of cycling-friendly services, one of the most densely dotted areas is around Lake Neusiedl. Hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, beer houses, pubs, wine bars, and exhibition centers proudly display the “cyclist-friendly” sticker in the region.
The Lake Neusiedl area has been the meeting place of different cultures for eight millennia. This is graphically demonstrated by its varied landscape, the result of an evolutionary symbiosis between human activity and the physical environment. Being the westernmost representative of the Eurasian steppe lakes, the Lake Neusiedl Cultural Landscape and the settlements surrounding it were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2001, by UNESCO in the cultural category, followed by the joint nomination of Hungary and Austria.
The railway track and the entire fleet of trains of Mátra Railway (northern Hungary), one of Hungary’s most popular forest narrow-gauge railways, has been renewed in two phases from 2018, with a government grant of about HUF 1.2 billion (EUR 3 million).
At the project closing event, Secretary of State for Forests and Land, Péter Zambó, said that since 2013, state forestry companies have invested some HUF 42 billion (EUR 106 million) in the development of forest welfare and tourism infrastructure, in which forest schools, lookouts, ecotourism centers, educational trails and forest accommodation facilities have been renovated or established.
On the Mátrafüred section, more than seven kilometers of rail track ballast was replaced, old railway sleepers were replaced with concrete ones, and more heavy-duty track material was installed. This has improved passenger safety and load capacity on the railway section, and increased the sustainable frequency of services on the line.
At the event, Máriusz Révész, Secretary of State for an Active Hungary, pointed out that the only way to get people to move is to make it an experience, so cycle paths are being built, tourist chalets are being renovated – five buildings have been renovated in the Mátra in recent years – and narrow-gauge railways are also being renovated. On the Mátra Railway, the section leading to the Szalajkaház was opened earlier.
Source and pictures: MTI-Hungary Today, Facebook/Balatoni Hajózási Zrt., wikipedia.com
