Cycling along the Sió

Itinerary

• From the railway station, pass through Millennium park to reach Main Street, then turn right towards the water tower. Ride past the water tower continuing on Main Street, then turn right onto Kálmán Imre promenade at the first traffic light.
• Kálmán Imre promenade leads straight to the Siófok harbor and pier (crossing the railway, it is called Mártírok Street). From the harbor towards the Sió riverside bike path, go along Mártírok Street to the railway crossing – before crossing, turn right, ride over Baross Bridge, then after descending from it, turn left onto the bike path.
• From Siófok, a bike path leads to the border of Somogy and Fejér counties – where it suddenly ends in the middle of nowhere. From here, the route continues on dirt road along the right bank of the Sió to Mezőhídvég.
• At Mezőhídvég, after crossing the bridge, the route changes bank and continues along the left bank to Simontornya. After leaving the bridge, ride along Honvéd Street to the first major junction, then turn right onto Petőfi Sándor Street. After passing the last houses, turn right onto a dirt road which leads to the dyke.
• Ride straight on the dyke until Simontornya. (At Ozora, it is worth crossing the bridge for a short detour to the castle.)
• In Simontornya, turn left before the railway bridge, then cross the railway crossing and turn left again (main road 61).
• Turn right at the first street (József Attila Street), then right again at the next opportunity (Várkert Street) – this leads to the castle.
• You reach the railway station from the castle by the same road; at the end of József Attila Street, turn right (main road 61), the station is four corners away from here.

Detailed description of the route

Siófok, the southern capital of Lake Balaton

The route starts from the railway station in Siófok, which radiates an old-world charm from the street front. In front of the station is Millennium park with a lovely bandstand featuring a statue of Kálmán Imre, a fountain, and some figures from a sculpture group evacuated here from Kaposvár. (They were moved because after the regime change, no one wanted the martyrs of the Soviet Republic in Somogy County to be displayed publicly in Kaposvár anymore). Besides Varga Imre’s mentioned statues, you can find more works by the artist around the town later.

After a short ride, you reach Main Square dominated by the water tower. This iconic building of one of Lake Balaton’s capitals rises to 45 meters and was built in 1912. It was renovated several times, served as an artillery observation post for the Germans during WWII (and was hit), and functioned in its original role until the 1970s. A complete renovation was done in 2010-11; today, among its tourist attractions, the two panoramic lifts, the viewing gallery, and the café rotating around the tower’s axis are probably the most attractive. From here you can see the Somogy hills, the eastern basin of Lake Balaton, and the Bakony mountains.

Back at ground level, it’s worth heading towards the shore before venturing into the interior of Somogy County. The harbor was built in 1863, like the railway station (the Southern Railway reached Lake Balaton in 1861), and a year later, regular shipping began with the reception of the Kisfaludy steamboat, which is still quite lively today with scheduled boat lines and graceful sailing boats.

It’s no coincidence that the park beside the pier has monuments commemorating the 100th, 125th, and 150th anniversaries of steam shipping on the Balaton, as well as a statue of the writer Krúdy, sitting in a carriage. Likely, there’s no tourist who wouldn’t take a photo sitting in the two-wheeled vehicle next to the artist. Tourists are many, especially in summer, but Siófok is worth visiting even off-season. Between the summer bustle and winter dormancy, the Indian summer in autumn offers a chance for an excursion, and in spring, the Balaton shore awakens from its winter sleep with the arrival of the first holiday homeowners.

Bike path along the canal

Leaving the shore by riding over the Sió on Baross Bridge – from which you can also see the sluice, playing a key role in regulating the water level of Lake Balaton (and thus the canal’s water supply). According to some data, the history of the canal dates back to Roman times, with Emperor Galerius digging the ancestor of the Sió in 292. The Sió valley is marshy and largely dependent on the water level of Lake Balaton (when the lake floods, it also causes flooding here). Regulation works were first carried out here in 1776.

Further interventions followed (regulation of more sections, riverbed cleaning and deepening), which had a significant impact on the water level of the Balaton: if the data is true, on three occasions when major interventions were made to the bed, the lake level dropped by 0.95-1.3 meters. The first wooden sluice was built in 1863 (partly justified by the construction of the Southern Railway, as the frequent flooding of the Balaton endangered the railway), replaced by a concrete sluice in 1893. Replacement of the current sluice began in 2019. Riding along the canal, it is hard to imagine large ships could also navigate here at the time of the sluice's opening; it requires even wilder imagination to picture the state 150 years ago, when many mills operated here.

Today, the Sió quietly flows like a larger creek, with an excellent bike path over 10 km long on its right bank from Siófok to the border of Siójut. Siójut, located on the Somogy and Fejér county border, was not necessarily helped by water regulation: losing its floodplain character, traditional fishing declined. On the other side of the 20-30 meter wide canal is Balatonszabadi, where the world’s first public statue of Lajos Kossuth was erected (in 1894). The two settlements are connected by a bridge, over which you can even switch sides (the left bank probably has a better quality dirt road than the right). Those staying on the right side can enjoy the smooth ride on the bike path’s asphalt for a few more kilometers, until it suddenly ends in the middle of nowhere. At the county border, sitting on a rickety bench, you might ponder how this was managed.

Castle after castle: the Italian builder

Here begins the more exciting part of the route when you have to leave the asphalt. A less frequented dirt road leads south towards the Danube, which becomes increasingly overgrown the further you get from the asphalt’s end – but this does not threaten its passability. On the other hand, perfect tranquility is guaranteed; it’s almost certain you won’t encounter anyone on this section. It is worth watching the canal's water, numerous waterfowl calmly take flight at the approach of an uninvited guest, then land a hundred meters away. This rising and landing repeats until they get bored and fly further away. The luckier ones may also encounter big game, but cycling through tall grass offers a lasting experience in any case.

After about 10 km, you reach a settlement again: Mezőkomárom on the right, Szabadhídvég on the left bank. An important Roman road once passed through Mezőkomárom: the route between Sopianae and Aquincum was part of the military road to Rome, and two Roman milestones are still visible in the village as a memory. A bridge leads to Szabadhídvég, which we also cross. A bit further, there's another bridge visible, remnants of the former Lepsény-Dombóvár railway line, where a bike path construction is planned, perhaps in the not-too-distant future. From here, the route takes a short detour in Ozora on the left bank. Do not be surprised if a herd of sheep or cattle crosses the road (although it feels quite strange to make your way among dozens of cattle).

Two things usually come to mind about Ozora: the Ozora Festival from recent and present times, and the name Ozorai Pipo from high school memories. About the former, just know that despite its name, the festival venue is in another settlement, so this time we stick to exploring the castle built by Pipo. Filippo Scolari (known in Hungarian as Pipo) came from Florence to Buda as a merchant assistant, first serving the Archbishop of Esztergom, then becoming the castellan of the Kanizsa’s Simontornya castle at the end of the 14th century. It happened that he engaged Borbála, the daughter of András Ozorai, who lived in neighboring Ozora, and Filippo climbed higher in rank at the court of King Sigismund of Luxembourg. In 1416, Ozorai Pipo was granted permission to build a castle on the bank of the Sió, but he constructed a Renaissance palace rather than the customary fortress of the time: its decoration and interior design followed Italian models.

The square-plan castle began construction in Gothic style, surrounded by a defensive wall, with the moat filled with Sió’s water. In 1423, Pipo hosted King Sigismund here. At the beginning of the 16th century, the castle was rebuilt in Renaissance style by its then owners; in 1545, it was occupied by the Pasha of Buda, from whom it was besieged and recaptured in 1686, with the southwest wing collapsing. Between 1727-1733, the Esterházy family transformed the castle into a steward center, rebuilding the collapsed wing in Baroque style and demolishing the walls. Today, except for the southwest wing, the castle recalls the Renaissance era.

Visitors entering the fortress courtyard through the Baroque gate are greeted by a breathtaking sight. Under the upper-floor gallery, well-kept plants flourish, and the capitals are decorated with Renaissance carvings. From the courtyard, one door opens to a period kitchen, and entering another, we find a castle history exhibition that tells everything about the building and its owners. On guided tours, you can peek into Borbála’s bedroom upstairs, admire a reconstruction of Ozorai Pipo’s armor in the armory, and see the fireplace throne room, a Renaissance dining room, and several rooms furnishing interiors from the Esterházy era. You can even stay overnight in the castle, as eight Renaissance-themed guest rooms furnished with historic furniture are available in areas closed to visitors.

However, the village has a lesser-known feature: at least two dozen places offer used goods. The local "flea market people" travel to Austria and Germany for their haul, and practically anything can be found here, from baby Jesus figures to machine guns (the most shocking was probably the industrial quantity of car rims in this mix).

Leaving this unique attraction behind, we return to the left bank of the Sió, continuing our journey to Simontornya. In the distance, the hills of Tolna appear, while on the right, the Kapos flows into the canal. At the border of Simontornya, we turn left before a railway bridge, leaving behind the 120 km long Sió, which flows into the Danube beside the Gemenc forest.

Simon’s tower

In Simontornya, there is also a castle on the Sió bank. At the time of building the first tower, the landscape was quite different from today: the first fortress was built on a large island in the marshy, swampy side of the Sió, at the meeting point of plains and hills. The tower was built by Simon, son of Salamon from the Döröcske clan, a national judge, from whom the town’s name stems. The following centuries were characterized by numerous additions and rebuilds, so the current castle is neither Gothic, Renaissance, nor Anjou knights’ castle – but it carries distinctive features of each period. In the 14th century, the Lackfis built a palace wing here, creating a significant property center, while in the 15th century, some parts were demolished and others added by the current owners, forming the Gothic facade.

One of the most important Renaissance castles of the era was created by Moses Gergellaki Buzlay at the beginning of the 1500s: the northern and eastern wings were completely rebuilt, and a new wing was erected on the southern side. At this time, the castle showed strong Italian influence. Unfortunately, little of that remains visible today, as the storms of history spared little of Simon’s tower’s descendant. First, the Turks occupied it, making it their seat for nearly a century and a half (the center of the Simontornya sanjak and the bey’s palace). Then at the beginning of the Rákóczi War of Independence, the castle was reinforced. Numerous alterations aimed at improving military use: windows were narrowed into loopholes, the residential tower became a cannon tower, and the loggia was demolished. However, the imperial power gained little with these changes because the fortress fell into Kuruc hands in 1704. Later owners, the Styrum-Limburg family, lived here until the mid-18th century, after which it was converted into a granary and economic building, worsening in condition until restoration between 1964 and 1974.

The bike ride along the Sió ends in Simontornya, but those with the will and strength can continue the journey to Szekszárd or even all the way to the Gemenc forest.