Experience tour by bike: outing to Veszprém from the Balaton shore

Itinerary

Between Balatonalmádi and Veszprém, follow the route marked with 249.

Between Veszprém and Alsóörs, follow the route marked with 248.

• Starting from the Alsóörs railway station, we head towards Balatonalmádi on the Balaton bike circle.
• After the Káptalanfüred station, at a railway crossing we leave the bike circle turning left towards Veszprém.
• We cross Balatonalmádi via Töltés street.
• We join the Vödör Valley bike path.
• In Szentkirályszabadja, we follow the red bike signs as we cycle through.
• We continue along the roadside bike path to Veszprém, then cross a bridge to enter the town.
• At the second roundabout, turn left, then turn left again at the 2nd street.
• We cut through the industrial area and arrive at Felsőörs via bike path.
• After leaving the settlement, we ride again on the bike path to Alsóörs.
• In the streets of Alsóörs, we follow the signs back to the shore.

Detailed tour description

We start from the center of Alsóörs by the shore, where everything can be found in one place: railway station, parking, food and drink, boat station, and a lake-view park. Next to the tracks, we join the Balaton bike circle heading towards Balatonalmádi. Between route 71 and the railway embankment, we warm up on a great section; on the right behind reeds, Lake Balaton appears, and to the left, there is a view of the hills above Alsóörs.

Arriving at the Káptalanfüred part of Balatonalmádi, we cross the tracks, then ride past the beach continuing along the atmospheric Kócsag street. At the first corner, a boat installation and a cyclist sign reading “Veszprém” indicate a left turn. We cross the main road, continue on the opposite street following signs via Vécsey Károly then Töltés street. On the cycling signs, a lookout tower pictogram can be seen: this is the Óvári lookout tower, which our route does not directly pass, but can be reached with a small detour.

The wide, well-paved, and low-traffic street climbs slightly while allowing views of the neat houses and holiday homes of Öreg-hegy. Riding peacefully through this quiet street, it’s hard to imagine that a few decades ago steam locomotives puffed here heading to Veszprém.

Along a short-lived railway

At the end of the 1800s, when the phylloxera plague destroyed much of the vineyards, railway access became important around Lake Balaton to assist the local people, boost quarry and spa traffic. Several plans were made, finally approving a line starting from Veszprém, stringing together Szentkirályszabadja, Vörösberény, and Almádi, reaching the shore, then continuing via Balatonfüred to Keszthely (the northern shore railway did not yet exist). The main driver of this plan was Ferenc Óvári, a parliamentary representative of the region and founder of the Balaton Association, after whom the earlier mentioned lookout tower is also named.

The first train ran in September 1908 on the newly built 22 km branch line between Veszprém and Alsóörs, but passenger traffic only started in summer 1909. It was a truly popular line because not only could you easily get from Veszprém to the Balaton shore, but trains coming from Győr allowed all Northwest Hungary to benefit from rail transport advantages when heading for holidays here.

Therefore, it was incomprehensible when in 1968 the state decided to close the line citing economic inefficiency. By 1974, the tracks were removed, which was obviously a huge loss—especially for Balatonalmádi—but now suits us well because the former railway’s protected route now serves as a long bike path. Don’t be surprised when by a resting spot you see a 375 steam locomotive along the road. The 375s were important branch line steam engines produced in 596 copies between 1907 and 1959. This unit, together with the red sandstone bridge built from Permian rock since 1994, commemorates the Veszprém–Alsóörs railway line.

Into the greenery!

The curving Töltés street bends widely onto the bike path winding in Vödör Valley, where we no longer need to worry about traffic. Over the next 4-5 km, we can enjoy the natural environment under shady trees or through green fields. Since on our circular route the road climbs toward Veszprém, expect a slow, prolonged elevation gain. Once a steam railway had to climb here, so fortunately the path avoids steep hills—hence we suggest riding this direction. The cycling path, built in the 2000s, is already showing its age (the difference will be felt well in the second half of the tour!), but there are worse sections along Balaton.

Around the middle of the valley, a sign indicates a cyclist resting place awaiting refreshed tourists. The best part is a simple outdoor bar called The Green—just perfect for some food and drinks. The place is open on weekends before the season and throughout the week in summer with various oven-baked delicacies.

Into the town

Arriving at the edge of a field, we reach Szentkirályszabadja; the tower of the small Catholic church on a hill shows us from afar that we are near the settlement. The village today is mostly known for the “ghost town” located northeast of it, the abandoned building complex which was once a Soviet army barracks. The name Szentkirályszabadja might also be familiar because the poet Miklós Radnóti wrote the Razglednicas here shortly before his death.

We quickly pass through the streets, then turn onto the straight road to Veszprém past a pine forest. The bike path runs parallel with the highway but fortunately it’s not the busiest between the shore and the county seat. On one side there is nearly continuous forest belt, and between the cars and us grow rows of young trees.

We reach the southern ring road and cross over it on a professional bike lane bridge. At the second roundabout, we turn left but only briefly enter the city. Veszprém offers many sights, and anyone interested can continue on this bike path straight to downtown. We instead head south (left), toward Balaton, beginning our return journey.

Enjoyable ride back to Balaton

This time we tunnel under the highway and zigzag on a well-signed route through the industrial area buildings. Leaving the buildings behind, we cycle through orchards, grassy pastures, and agricultural fields. Soon we reach the busier route 73 where for about 5 km we roll on a perfect, mirror-smooth bike path to Felsőörs.

Entering the settlement, a large sign beside the town hall draws attention to water provision, a truly useful info since in summer water bottles run empty quickly on this route with little shade. Following the cycling signs, we go around a small hilltop to a church built from the typical red sandstone of the area. If time allows, lock your bikes and take a closer look at this imposing building as it is the most significant Árpád-era church in the entire Balaton Uplands. Built in the 13th century, its Romanesque tower has remarkable details: the recessed gate with finely carved animal and human figures and the triple window above the gate separated by distinctive so-called Hercules knots.

Despite lacking a waterfront, this picturesque village is growing in popularity, which you can feel riding mainly among newly built houses down streets that perhaps didn’t even exist in the 2000s. At the last houses, the surface of Lake Balaton suddenly appears—it's worth slowing on the descent to enjoy both the view and the ride.

Continuing towards Alsóörs, if possible, the scenery only improves. This section will likely be a favorite for anyone who has been here even once. Here a short but memorable stretch has been found that exemplifies the perfect bike path. Around us is grassy, hilly terrain dotted with scattered whitewashed peasant houses. In the distance are vineyards and houses studding the hillside, while right ahead a glimpse of Lake Balaton emerges. And along with all this comes the perfect quality bike path lined with fruit trees.

Slowly, we return to the shore, and our tour reaches its end: we descend back to our starting point via Alsóörs’s “ruler-drawn” streets.