Siofok guide
The spa town of Siofok is located on the southern shore of Lake Balaton. This charming town is one of the most popular tourist sites in Hungary. That is why it is also called the "capital of Balaton". Siofok covers an area of 125 square kilometers, with a population of 25 thousand inhabitants. During the summer months, however, about 200 thousand tourists come here to visit Siofok.
Accommodation in Siofok
Siofok is a very popular resort, especially during the summer months. Therefore, we recommend to book accommodation well in advance. You can choose from more than 200 accommodation facilities. Very popular is a private accommodation, ie. apartments or large apartment buildings. They have wide range of services such as swimming pools, gyms, tennis courts or hairdressers and beauticians. These apartments include for example Siófoktourist Apartmanok, La Perla Wellness Apartment. If you enjoy privacy, you can choose one of the vacation homes that you can find in our offer (Lenart House 2, Balassa Weekendhouse). Mostly, the holiday homes consists of 2 or 3 bedrooms. The most popular hotels in Siofok are Hotel La Riva, Hotel Corso, Hotel Lido, Hotel Azur Premium, Hotel Azur Siofok, Luxury Apartment Hotel Siófok or Oazis Panzio.
History of Siofók
Siofok was only a small village until the beginning of the 19th century. The development of the city came up with the construction of the railroad, which began in 1810. The city then slowly began to welcome the first visitors. In 1878, the first spa house "Hungarian Sea" was built here. The house is in a Swiss style - with decorated facade and large windows towards the Lake Balaton.
How to get to Siofók
The nearest airport is right on the other side of Lake Balaton, Hévíz (Héviz Balaton Airport), approx. 100 km far from Siofók. If you do not wish to go round the entire lake, you can land in Budapest, this airport is probably the same distance far.
Weather in Siofok
The best season to visit Siofok is from spring to autumn. The warmest months are July and August, with temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius. If you do not like too high temperature, you can visit Siófok during spring or autumn, when there are still pleasant temperatures around 25 degrees and there are not so many tourists.
Beaches in Siofok
Siofok boasts a 17 km long coastline with beaches with really characteristic names such as Golden Shore (Aranypart) or Silver Shore (Ezüstpart). To some beaches you need to pay admission fee to access it. Amongst the free accessible beaches belongs for example Golden shore or beach Ujhelyi. These beaches are also much quieter and less full. In the port, you can book a cruise to visit other beautiful towns on the shore of Lake Balaton, such as Tihany and Balatonfüred. In the center of Siofok you can not find many historical monuments. On the central square (Fő tér), you can see the town hall and cultural center with an exhibition of Hungarian folk art. The fountain in the middle of the square is the work of the Hungarian sculptor Imre Varga.
Spa in Siofok
Spa “Galerius”, which is located about 5 km from the center of Siofok, was opened in 2006. This spa complex in the style of Roman baths is powered by geothermal water, which has beneficial effects on skin and movement disorders. The water temperature in small pools varies between 33-37 °C. You can also enjoy here other wellness services (Finnish sauna, whirlpool bath, aroma sauna, etc). Galerius baths are open year round from 9 a.m. till 9 p.m..
Famous personalities of Siofók
The most famous native of Siofok is operetta composer Imre Kálmán. His best known works include for example Czardas Princess, Countess Maritza and his debut Autumn maneuvers. Kálmán lived in Vienna until 1938. Because of his Jewish origin, he was forced to emigrate to America to escape the war. After World War II he returned to Paris, where, however, about two years later died.