Hévíz is a small spa town near the western end of Lake Balaton, built around one of Europe’s natural wonders: a warm, spring-fed lake of about 4.4 hectares, surrounded by woodland and fed from a cave 38 metres below its surface. The water is warm enough to swim in all year, never dropping below about 22 °C even in January, when steam rises from its surface and bathers float in rubber rings among the dormant water lilies. People have bathed here since Roman times, and today the town is a quiet resort of spa hotels, clinics and cafés, popular with visitors looking for rest and relief for aching joints. Give it two nights to enjoy the lake slowly, or combine it with Keszthely and the north shore of Balaton.
Right now in Hévíz (Lake Hévíz)
- Wed10–23°C50–74°FClear
- Thu14–25°C56–76°F1 mm rain
- Fri12–15°C53–60°FMostly clear
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Hévíz at a glance
- Best for: year-round outdoor thermal bathing, spa holidays and treatments, quiet walks, and a base for Keszthely and Lake Balaton.
- How long: 1–2 days for the lake and the town; 4–5 days for a spa break with trips around Balaton.
- Best time: all year; May to June and September to October for lilies and mild weather, winter for the magic of a steaming lake on a frosty morning.
- Getting in: no railway; take the train to Keszthely and a 15- to 20-minute bus, or a direct coach from Budapest. Hévíz–Balaton Airport, about 15 km away, has only a few seasonal flights.
- Getting around: the town is small and walkable; buses run often to Keszthely.
- Before you go: if you have heart or circulation problems, high blood pressure or are pregnant, ask your doctor before bathing. Entry rules and money are covered on our Hungary country page.
How the lake works
Lake Hévíz formed about 20,000 years ago, around the same time as Lake Balaton. It is fed by a group of warm and cold springs that mix in a cave discovered by divers in 1975, at the bottom of a funnel 38 metres deep. According to the lake’s operator, the springs deliver about 410 litres of water a second, so the whole lake is renewed roughly every three days. The water is rich in minerals and gently radioactive, and the soft peat mud on the bottom is used in treatments. Its temperature follows the seasons: it does not fall below 22 °C in winter and reaches 35–38 °C at the surface in high summer, which is why many locals prefer the lake in spring, autumn and winter.
The lake is protected as a nature conservation area, ringed by a protective forest. In summer it is covered with water lilies, including red and pink tropical varieties planted in the early 20th century, which flower from about late spring to autumn. Swimming in the open lake is mostly from the central lake house, a wooden bathing building on stilts with changing rooms, sun decks and steps into the water, connected to the shore by covered walkways; a modern bath house and wellness area on the shore has indoor pools and saunas.
Top things to do in Hévíz
Prices and hours below were checked on the official sites in October 2026. They change, so check before you go.
Bathing in the lake: tickets and hours
The lake bath is run by the Hévíz St Andrew’s Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases. As of October 2026:
- 3-hour ticket: 4,500 Ft for adults; 4,000 Ft for seniors over 60 and students over 14; 2,400 Ft for children aged 6 to 14. Children under 6 go free. An extra hour costs 1,800 Ft.
- All-day ticket (single entry): 7,500 Ft for adults; 7,000 Ft for seniors and students; 3,600 Ft for children.
- Passes: a 10-hour pass for 13,000 Ft (valid 20 days) and a 20-hour pass for 23,000 Ft (valid 30 days), each with a 2,000 Ft deposit; handy for longer stays.
- Extras: a wellness supplement (indoor pools and saunas) for 3,300 Ft, and a cheaper “closing time” ticket for 3,600 Ft late in the day.
Opening hours change through the year. From 5 to 24 October 2026, the lake bath opens 9:00–17:30 (bathing until 17:00); from 25 October 2026 to 14 February 2027, 9:00–16:30 (bathing until 16:00); and from 15 February to 21 March 2027, 9:00–17:30 again, with longer hours in spring and summer. On 24 December it closes at 14:00 and on 31 December at 16:00, and on 1 January it opens at 11:00. Ticket types have changed in past winters (only 2-hour tickets were sold in winter 2025–26), so check the spa’s website before you go. Buy tickets at the entrance or online.
The Festetics Bath House and the lake promenade
The lake has been a spa since the 18th century, when the Festetics family of Keszthely, who owned it, began building bath houses. Walk the path around the lake through the protective forest, see the lake house from the shore and visit the bath museum displays when open. Behind the lake, the pedestrian streets of the town have cafés, pastry shops and a few souvenir stalls.
Egregy: the wine hill and its Romanesque church
On the hill above town, the old village of Egregy has a small 13th-century Romanesque church, one of the best preserved in the region, and a street of wine cellars and wine bars looking over the countryside. It is a pleasant walk of about 30 to 40 minutes from the lake, or a short drive. Nearby, the remains of a Roman settlement were excavated.
Nature
- Lake Hévíz
Monuments
- Árpád-era Church of St Mary Magdalene, Egregy
Bathing safely: health guidance
Hévíz is a medicinal spa, and its operator gives clear advice, as of October 2026:
- Short sessions: stay in the water for about 20 to 30 minutes at a time, take breaks of at least 30 minutes, and keep to about 1 to 1.5 hours in the water in a day. Without a doctor’s advice, the spa recommends limiting bathing to about 30 minutes.
- Who should not bathe, or should ask a doctor first: people with cancer, diseases of the heart and circulation, thrombosis or other blood disorders, asthma or high blood pressure, and pregnant women.
- Float, don’t swim hard: the lake is deep and the water warm, so most people rest in a rented rubber ring or hold on to the ropes and float gently. Non-swimmers should stay near the steps.
- Drink water and get out slowly: warm mineral water can make you light-headed.
For treatments such as mud packs, weight-bath therapy or physiotherapy, book through the hospital or a spa hotel after a medical consultation. This is general travel guidance, not medical advice.
Spa hotels and treatments
Many of Hévíz’s hotels have their own thermal pools fed with medicinal water, saunas and medical centres offering rheumatology consultations, massage and physiotherapy, and many sell packages with lake tickets included. The town is particularly popular with visitors from Germany and Austria, so you will often see signs and menus in German. Most hotels and restaurants stay open all year, unlike many resorts on Lake Balaton.
Activities and best months
- Wine tastingThe Egregy wine hill, about 25 minutes' walk from the centre of Hévíz, has a row of wine cellars and restaurants among the vines with wine tastings and live music in the evenings, a Roman villa site and a 13th-century Árpád-era church; an 'Eras and wines' walking path explains the area's wine history since Roman times.
Around Hévíz: Keszthely and Lake Balaton
- Keszthely: 6 km away on the shore of Lake Balaton, with the baroque Festetics Palace, its library and gardens (in the 2026 main season, a ticket for the palace and one exhibition cost 5,200 Ft; from October to April it closes on Mondays), a pedestrian main street and a lakeside promenade.
- Lake Balaton: beaches in summer, the castle ruin at Szigliget, the volcanic wine hill of Badacsony and, further east, the abbey at Tihany. See our beaches and wine tasting guides.
- Kis-Balaton: reed beds and lagoons south-west of Keszthely, with birdwatching towers and a water-buffalo reserve.
- Tapolca: boat through the flooded passages of the Lake Cave under the town, about 30 minutes north-east.
- Cycling: the Balaton cycle path passes Keszthely; rent a bike and follow the shore. See our cycling guide.
Nearby destinations
- Lake Balaton41 km
- Graz136 km
- Zagreb143 km
- Bratislava151 km
- Budapest161 km
- Vienna169 km
- Wachau219 km
- Ljubljana221 km
Getting there and getting around
By train and bus. Hévíz has no railway station. Take a MÁV train from Budapest-Déli or Kelenföld to Keszthely (about 2 hours 40 minutes on the Balaton InterCity, every two hours), then a local bus to Hévíz, which takes 15 to 20 minutes and runs often. Volánbusz also runs direct coaches from Budapest’s Népliget bus station to Hévíz several times a day, taking roughly two and a half to three hours. By car. Take the M7 motorway towards Lake Balaton and Road 71 or 76 to Keszthely and Hévíz, about two and a half hours from Budapest; motorways need an e-matrica vignette (as of October 2026, 5,550 Ft for one day or 6,900 Ft for ten days for a car). Parking near the lake is paid.
By air. Hévíz–Balaton Airport (SOB) at Sármellék, about 15 km south, has only a handful of seasonal and charter flights, mainly from Germany; hotels and taxis provide transfers. Most visitors fly into Budapest, or into Vienna or Graz, about three hours’ drive away; see our Graz guide. In town, everything is within walking distance, and many hotels lend bikes.
When to go and how long to stay
Hévíz is a year-round destination. HungaroMet publishes no climate table for Hévíz or Keszthely, so the table uses its official 1991–2020 averages for Siófok, the official station on Lake Balaton, about 70 km east; Hévíz, inland in a sheltered basin, has very similar weather.
| Season | Average daily high | Average nightly low | Rain per month | Lake and town |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | 2.7–5.2 °C | −2.1 to −0.6 °C | 31–41 mm | Lake about 22–24 °C and steaming; shorter opening hours; quiet |
| Spring (Mar–May) | 10.5 °C rising to 22.0 °C | 3.1 °C rising to 13.0 °C | 31–57 mm | Water warming up; first lilies; pleasant walks |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | 25.8–27.8 °C | 16.7–18.4 °C | 54–65 mm | Lake surface 35 °C or more; lilies in full bloom; busiest season |
| Autumn (Sep–Nov) | 21.8 °C falling to 9.2 °C | 13.5 °C falling to 4.1 °C | 48–58 mm | Comfortable water temperatures, golden forest, fewer visitors |
The lake temperatures in the table are the spa’s figures for the season’s range; on any day the surface can feel warmer than water a metre down.
Hévíz in 2 days
Day 1: a morning session in the lake, lunch in town, a walk round the protective forest and a second short swim before closing. Day 2: another morning bathe, then Keszthely for the Festetics Palace and the lakeside promenade, with sunset over Lake Balaton.
Hévíz in 5 days
Bathe every morning with a 10-hour pass, book a few treatments, and spend the afternoons around the lake: Egregy’s wine hill, the Kis-Balaton wetlands, Szigliget castle and Badacsony, and a boat on Lake Balaton in season.
Weather month by month
Where to stay in Hévíz
- Near the lake: spa hotels and guesthouses within a few minutes’ walk of the entrance; the most convenient.
- Spa resorts on the edge of town: larger hotels with their own thermal pools and medical centres, often with packages.
- Egregy: quiet apartments and guesthouses on the hill, near the wine cellars.
- Keszthely: more choice of restaurants and a lakeside setting, a short bus ride away.
A local tourist tax per night is added to the bill. Hotels are open all year; book ahead for summer, Easter and Christmas.
Practical tips for Hévíz
- Go early: the lake is calmest in the first hours after opening, especially in summer.
- Rent or bring a swim ring: it makes floating in the deep water relaxing.
- Keep sessions short: follow the spa’s 20- to 30-minute guidance and rest between dips.
- Check winter hours: from late October the last bathing time is 16:00.
- Leave valuables at the hotel: lockers are small.
What to pack for Hévíz
Two swimsuits (so one can dry), a bathrobe or towel, flip-flops or water shoes for the wet walkways and steps, and a warm hat and coat for the walk between the changing rooms and the water in winter. Add a light rain jacket for walks and, if you come from the UK, North America or Australia, a type F plug adapter.
What to pack
- City walking shoesQuinta visits and harvest days mean steep terraces, gravel and cellar floors.
- Wine bottle travel protectorsPort and Douro wines bought at the quintas travel home safely in checked luggage with padded bottle protectors.
Hévíz travel FAQ
How much does it cost to swim in Lake Hévíz?
As of October 2026, a 3-hour ticket costs 4,500 Ft for adults and an all-day ticket 7,500 Ft. Children aged 6 to 14 pay 2,400 Ft or 3,600 Ft, and under-6s go free.
How warm is Lake Hévíz?
According to the spa, the water never drops below about 22 °C, even in winter, and reaches 35–38 °C at the surface in high summer.
Can you swim in Lake Hévíz in winter?
Yes. The lake bath is open all year; from 25 October 2026 to 14 February 2027 it opens 9:00–16:30, with bathing until 16:00.
How long should you stay in the water?
The spa recommends 20 to 30 minutes at a time, with breaks of at least 30 minutes, and no more than 1 to 1.5 hours a day; without medical advice, about 30 minutes in total.
Who should not bathe in Lake Hévíz?
The spa advises against bathing for people with cancer, heart and circulatory diseases, thrombosis or blood disorders, asthma or high blood pressure, and for pregnant women. Ask your doctor if in doubt.
How do I get from Budapest to Hévíz?
Take the train to Keszthely and a 15- to 20-minute bus, or a direct Volánbusz coach from Népliget bus station, roughly two and a half to three hours. By car, it is about two and a half hours via the M7.
Are there flights to Hévíz–Balaton Airport?
Only a few seasonal and charter flights, mainly from Germany. Most visitors fly to Budapest and continue by train, bus or car.
When do the water lilies bloom in Hévíz?
From about late spring to autumn, at their best in summer, when they cover much of the lake.
Is Hévíz worth a visit from Lake Balaton?
Yes. It is only 6 km from Keszthely, and a morning in the warm lake is a perfect change from Balaton’s beaches, especially outside summer.
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Sources · last reviewed 4 October 2026
Researched and last reviewed on 4 October 2026. Lake facts, tickets, opening hours and health guidance: Hévízi Tófürdő (the lake bath, run by the Hévíz St Andrew’s Hospital); town information: Hévíz tourism; Festetics Palace prices: the palace; flights: Hévíz–Balaton Airport; trains: MÁV; e-matrica: National Toll Payment Services; climate: HungaroMet 1991–2020 averages for Siófok. Bus and coach times, the water lilies’ history, Egregy’s church and the 2026–27 winter ticket types come from secondary sources or general knowledge and are flagged for checking. Prices, timetables and rules change, so check the official sites before you go.
Also: korokesborok.heviz.hu · HungaroMet normals 1991–2020, Keszthely (climate)
Data: Weather: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · Rates: ECB · Costs: World Bank ICP and price levels · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODBL) · Wikidata (CC0)