Tour in the Keszthely Hills
The wonderful forest bike paths of the countryside closed to traffic, have something for everyone: a challenge of strength, an adventure and active recreation. A variety of routes are available, so everyone from families with small children to real “mountain bikers” can find the right one for them. Distances can be easily varied, and individual tour routes can be connected for a greater challenge. By choosing the trail of the right difficulty and the right bicycles, we are guaranteed to be renewed both physically and mentally by the end of the day, winding through the hilly roads of the countryside.
Keszthely Hills base circle from Gyenesdiás – green „A”
Route: Gyenesdiás – Keszthely – Cserszegtomaj – Rezi – Zalaszántó – Várvölgy – Vállus – Balatongyörök – Gyenesdiás
Distance: 55 km, travel time approx. 5 hours
Leaving Gyenesdiás towards the west via Keszthely and Cserszegtomaj we arrive in Rezi. Near the village there was a castle in the Middle Ages – now only its ruins can be seen atop the hill. Today a steep road leads to the castle ruins. From Rezi there is a winding road that leads to the next village of Zalaszántó. There you can find an ancient church from the XIIIth century, a small chapel and the biggest stupa in Europe. We could also get roundabout to the ruins of Tátika. The road leads us towards Várvölgy, then uphills to Vállus, and from Büdöskút via Balatongyörök a return to Gyenesdiás will close the day.
Keszthely Hills western circle from Gyenesdiás – green „B”
Route: Gyenesdiás – Keszthely – Cserszegtomaj – Rezi – Zalaszántó – Vindornyalak – Vindornyaszőllős – Karmacs – Hévíz – Keszthely – Gyenesdiás
Distance: 56 km, travel time approx. 5 hours
Similarly to the green “A” route we head towards the west. from Zalaszántó we take the path through the quiet village of Vindornyalak. The momentum takes us to the neighbouring Vindornyaszőlős via the dirt roads of the Öreghegy (Old Hill). From here we take a turn towards Hévíz via the small town of Karmacs. Hévíz is known for its thermal bath, but there are other places to discover as well. In the vineberg of Egregy we could learn about the roman past of the town. Our route leads back towards Keszthely and Gyenesdiás, where we could celebrate our day’s accomplishments with some ice cream.
Bakony forest tour – green „D”
Route: Gyenesdiás – Büdöskút – Balatongyörök – Gyenesdiás
Distance: 32 km, travel time approx. 3 hours
Despite the greater level differences the tour is recommended also for beginners. We leave the Bicycle Road at the beach in Gyenes northwards, through Faludi street right to the end of the town. Here we take the dirt road which leaves us to the asphalt route of the forestry. Slopes and inclines alternate to the rest at Büdöskút. From here a pleasant slope follows in the shady forest all the way to Balatongyörök. It is also recommended to climb the Bél Mátyás lookout tower.
A tour for mountain bikers – brown “MTB”
Route: Gyenesdiás – Keszhely – Rezi- MTB route – Vállus – Gyenesdiás
Distance: 38 km, travel time approx. 4 hours
This tour is made for the true mountain bikers hungry for real challenges. It leads from Keszthely towards Rezi, and then takes us straight to the dirt roads of the forest with a bold turn. Leaving the village of Rezi we can take ourselves to the wildly romantic landscape, wind up to the castle ruins of Rezi, and then from there under the shades of the trees we can make our way to Vállus. Be careful, you can expect more extreme road conditions after rain!
For a map and further tips contact the Tourinform office!