Hike to the forested riviera

Itinerary

• We follow the P sign along the main road, which leads into the forest.
• We turn left on Cseri Street, transitioning to an unmarked section (it is recommended to follow the route with the Nature Walk app).
• When our path joins the S marking, we turn right on it.
• We join the K marking and at the intersection go straight onto the forest gym trail, which we follow.
• We leave the Great Field to the left on the K marking.
• When the K marking turns left, we continue straight on the S marking.
• We take a left detour on the S▲ marking to the Berzsenyi lookout, then return.
• We continue our hike on the P marking to the rain shelter at a fork.
• We turn left towards the Darnay-Dornyai Béla lookout following the red D letter shape marking.
• We take a left detour on the Z marking to the Cseri Gate.
• We return on the Z marking.
• At a clearing, we turn left again following the red D signs.
• At a fork, we turn right and retrace our steps on the Z▲ marking (running together with the red D signs) to head towards the Kitaibel lookout.
• From the Vas Mountain Kitaibel lookout, the Z▲ signs lead back to the main road of Vonyarcvashegy.
• On the main road, we turn right and find our way back to the hike's starting point.

About the hike in detail

Fishing village on the hillside

The P marking soon turns towards the mountains from the main road of Vonyarcvashegy, a now densely built and busy but once sleepy fishing village. Its name derives from the Slavic origin "vinarec", meaning vintner, naturally recalling the village’s tradition of viticulture. At the foot of the gently arching slopes of the Keszthely Hills, extensive vineyards enjoyed sunlight and the additional drying effect of rays reflected from the lake. By now the area is largely built-up but a few vines can still be seen below the forest boundary. In fact, the village was born from the unification of two settlements: one developed among the vineyards from the 17th century, while the lower fishing settlement may have existed since the 14th century. As a combined settlement, it became part of the Festetics estate of Keszthely in the 18th century; at that time the wine cellar named after the family was built, now hosting oenological and gastronomical exhibitions.

Entering the forest, initially through young growth and then a wooded path, we start the ascent. Geologically, we walk along the edge of the Pannonian Lake, which dried up millions of years ago, where the water masses incessantly lapped against the shoreline cliffs of the island-like Keszthely Hills, carving steep faces. The wave action shattered the easily crumbled dolomite, and since then mainly water erosion shaped the terrain of the Vonyarc Riviera into recessed valley mouths and narrow ridges. Because this area is primarily poor in precipitation, and the northern massif blocks the prevailing north-west winds, the Balaton hillside receives only a meager amount of rain (and snow) – hence it is extremely water-deficient. There are no streams or springs in the valleys; in the forest, there is an observable dominance of drought-tolerant species, with the presence of shrub forests and thin, low-growth specimens.

Life on the dolomite ridge

As we climb higher along the increasingly elevated ridge, the soil shallows and the dolomite itself appears in several places. It is well observed here how sparse a habitat the rock provides: due to temperature fluctuations it crumbles well (weathering), yet its disintegration is quite serious, resulting in slow soil formation. Thus, the vegetation must cope with harsh conditions, exacerbated by water shortage and frequent summer heat. Nevertheless, various species compete for their habitat, their colorful diversity accompanying our day. Where once extensive, economically poorly usable karst shrub forests and dolomite screes stood, huge black pine plantations were planted; while their Mediterranean atmosphere and pleasant resin scent undoubtedly dominate the landscape’s mood, they offer homes to far fewer species than their predecessors. This afforestation served a clear purpose: the Festetics family wanted to put a stop to dust storms driven by northern winds, which fed on the gravelly surface. The next wave of pine planting came in the mid-20th century, when fresh clear-cut areas were patched with fast-growing, quickly profitable conifers.

Reaching the ridge reveals the Balaton shimmering and the dull outlines of the Keszthely Hills. We can also see the hills of Zala and the plains of Vas county – only from this can we truly realize we are in a mountain range, as the terrain itself might not suggest it. We continue on pleasant paths through varied forests, frequently crossing pine groves on the ridge above the Hosszú Valley. Where no pine stands grow, the forest often lowers, enabling us to look around the landscape. From the more open wooded sections the increasingly distant Balaton intermittently gleams; then we descend a steep linear slope and join the S marking. Turning right on it, gently undulating, finally descending on a bike path, we reach a junction where we continue straight on a marked but unmistakable forest gym trail.

The heart chakra of the Keszthely hiking experience

Along various exercise equipment, we arrive at the Great Field parking lot and the wide Great Field behind it. Above it, the favorite hiking and resting place of the people of Gyenesdiás, at the top of Varsás Hill, the Festetics lookout protrudes from the forest drapery. Although our route does not reach it, it is worth visiting due to its uniquely wide panorama of Balaton. The manicured meadow is perhaps the most popular hiking destination of the mountain range, thanks to its green hill frame, excellent infrastructure, and lookout. And of course, its location is prime: at the edge of the mountain range, still close to the lake, yet inside the forest’s gate.

In the center of the Keszthely Hills

Turning our back to benches and tables, we take off along the K marking eastward for the next leg of our hike, now inviting us deeper into the mountain range. The trail joins the S marking, whose gentle, then increasingly steep ascent signals the approach of higher terrain. Wide, straight forestry roads follow, and although we say goodbye to panoramas for a while, our effort is eventually rewarded by a lookout. A small rain shelter is engulfed by sprout forest where the S▲ marking turns left: follow the signs along the sharply narrowing, hornbeam path! Suddenly we face the Berzsenyi lookout, completed in its current form (replacing an earlier platform) in 2002 (Note! The lookout was indefinitely closed in 2023). At its top we can feel at the peak of our hike: acquiring a comprehensive view of the mountain’s southern face and the Keszthely Bay. The dolomite surface here is crisscrossed by small valleys, and some peaks have been sharpened by erosion. The large pine stands are plagued by the effects of climate change: having dried and weakened, they are no longer resistant enough to attacks by pine weevils and other pests, resulting in massive destruction over recent decades. The forestry department has therefore begun replacing conifers with native species to prevent forest fires and economic damage. To the west, Vas county fades into the haze (on clear days the Kőszeg Hills appear blue in the distance), and the forested areas of Zala roll by. Near Keszthely, the western end of Balaton shapes the landscape, whose charm lies in the meeting of deserted forest landscape and the vast standing water. To the east, the plateau of the hills peeks out from behind Badacsony’s forehead. (The lookout bears the name of poet Dániel Berzsenyi, who was an official guest at György Festetics’s literary events in Keszthely but also fled to the city as a soldier, a fact that also appears as a title of one of his poems.)

The landscape we see is not only completely different from a few thousand years ago because of human interventions (mining, settlements, afforestation, etc.). The three lake basins of Balaton formed only about 17-15 thousand years ago; due to subsidence of the area, they later merged (about 5 thousand years ago) – thus the lake is geologically a relatively young formation. Water levels changed together with the climatic conditions and environment: once considerably more extensive, and later smaller, in Roman times surrounded by vast marshes. When we have enjoyed the view, we head back on the S▲ marking! Descending, we return to the fork equipped with a rain shelter, from where we continue south on the P marking. A long straight section with a gentle descent follows, turning at a neat rain shelter onto the route to the Darnay-Dornyai Béla lookout on the red D marking. The namesake teacher was an important pioneer of Bakony and Balaton Highlands tourism literature, and former director of the Balaton Museum. The route bearing his name passes through the mountain range’s panoramic towers.

Back under the pine forests

The hiking trail leads mostly through dense young forests with straight but still winding sections. After a wide clearing, we reach the Z marking, where a few-minute left detour leads to the atmospheric resting place of the Cseri Gate. The gate marks where one of the southern mountain range’s long valleys begins to merge into the central plateau. Established in 2014, the shady site offers covered forest furniture, a fireplace, and a playground, making it a refined family hiking spot despite its less prominent yet pleasant location. After resting under the huge oak, we set off on the last leg of our hike back towards Balaton.

The Z marking maintains a relatively straight line through mixed forest and at a small clearing we bid farewell: turning again left on the red D signs. We curve into the mountain interior through beautiful, vibrant groves as we ascend higher. A sharp right turn is followed by a left-bending arc, at which the next direction change is difficult to detect: we exchange the wide bulldozer track to the right for a trail that keeps the marking between the trees. A short but steep ascent makes us sweat, with stunted trunk trees twisting on the poor dolomite soil. Some pines ensure a pleasantly soft layer of pine needles as we enter a lightly wooded corridor following a terrain border. We again cross the more rugged southern terrain, soon revealing the bare side of a small ridge: pines appear everywhere, the Balaton already appearing rather close and Somogy extending beyond the other side. Healthy conifers mingle with deciduous vegetation; our walk continues on resin-scented paths. We soon reach a junction: be attentive, because the correct direction is right, back (from here, we must look for the Z▲ pictograms).

Back to the village

The gravel path is perhaps the most atmospheric part of our route, where we ascend through beautiful groves with Mediterranean influence until the structure of the Kitaibel Pál lookout, named after the famous botanist dubbed “the Hungarian Linnaeus”, appears from a bend. The austere tower was built in 2002 on the 217-meter peak of Vas Mountain and was closed in 2021 due to its deteriorated condition. The terrace level once opened a close perspective towards Keszthely Bay and Zala’s rendezvous, the houses of Vonyarcvashegy, and the southern edge of the Keszthely Hills. Facing the mountains, dark green textured forestry with large pines and otherwise blood-red mountain terrain could be admired. Looking towards the lake, the chapel of Szent Mihály Hill appeared among pine branches. The latter preserves an interesting shard of the settlement’s history: wintertime ice breaking by the residents of small fishing villages was vital for survival, and folklore tells that during a sudden thaw, 46 people were trapped on a broken ice floe. Thanks to the fortunately changing wind direction, they were ultimately rescued to shore, where they built the little chapel from their nets.

Returning to the Z▲ marking, this time we turn left and arrive at the village along the broad bike path on the hillside. About 10-15 minutes walking through streets brings us to the main road, where turning right leads us in about 5 more minutes to the end point of the hike, our earlier starting point.