Classics on two wheels – churches, chapels and viewpoints around Keszthely

1. Route details
This 62 km long tour leads through the lines of Keszthely Hills.
Due to the terrain (level differences) and the length of the tour it is a performance tour.
The route contains a strong uphill and a heavy downhill section on the Büdöskút road (see point 2).
The tour can be completed in two directions.
The recommended route to complete the tour follows Keszthely, Gyenesdiás, Büdöskút road, Vállus, Várvölgy, Szebike forest, Tátikahidegkút, Zalaszántó, Várvölgy, Vállus, Balatongyörök, Büdöskút road, Balatongyörök, Balaton Bike Route and shore of Lake Balaton in Keszthely.
To complete the tour follow the bike signs green D, A and C.
The starting point of the tour is the shore of Lake Balaton in Keszthely. From here we ride on the northern Balaton Bike Route to Gyenesdiás junction where the green D sign starts. From the bike rest area named ‘Hármaselágazó’ follow the green A sign. After that from the Várvölgy crossings follow green C to the Szebike bike rest area and from here to Zalaszántó village centre green B. From here to the shore of Lake Balaton in Balatongyörök we ride along the green A sign and then on the Balaton Bike Route we can return to the starting point of the tour.
Road numbers on the tour: 10 (Balaton Bike Route), 132 (Pilikán – Hármaselágazó), 133 (Hármaselgazó – Szebike-erdei rest place, and Büdöskút – Balatongyörök pier), 135 (Tátikahidegkút – Zalaszántó), 23 (Zalaszántó – Várvölgy).
The route partially leads through inhabited area, and partly on asphalt roads (low-traffic and signed bike roads) and party on gravel roads.
Along the route there are several bike shelters and rest places (Pilikán, Nagy Messzlátó-hegy, Hármaselágazó, Lázi-hegy, Jágerházak, Szebike, Tátikahidegkút, Sztúpa, Zsidi, Büdöskút, Kígyós-völgy, Bélap, Böngyéres, Szent Mihály-domb, Vonyarc Marina, Diás, Libás) and other places to stop and rest (Képesfa, shore of Lake Balaton in Balatongyörök, St. Michael’s chapel).
In the inhabited areas of the tour there are dining, food and other shopping facilities.

2. Difficulty factors in the tour
The route runs through the rolling hills of Keszthely Hills thus it contains smaller and larger slopes.
The dashed lines on the maps indicate dirt and gravel roads that are difficult to cross after rain (Büdöskút road and Szebike forest).
The asphalt-gravel forest section (Büdöskúti road) there may be smaller and larger potholes.
After the Pilikáni rest place there is a 1.5 km long dirt road section. At the end of this we enter the forest where gravel roads are typical.
A slow but steady uphill road begins here. As it is interrupted by smaller downhill and straight sections and because there are resting places after the harder parts, it may not be an impossible mission to reach the top of the hill. There is a 2.5 km long challenging section before the ‘Nagy Messzelátó-hegy’.
From Büdöskút toward Balatongyörök we reach the foot of the hill and the banks of Lake Balaton on a heavy downhill road.

3. Highlights of the tour
One of the many advantages of bicycle tours is that you can also visit classic sights while doing active sports. Moreover, thanks to the exercise, the ride does not become boring at all, even if the stops along the way are very similar thematically. The tour, which is easy to ride at any time of the year, starts in Keszthely and shows beauty in the traditional sense of the word: magnificent churches, viewpoints to broaden the horizon, and even a long panoramic road towards Balatongyörök. If you are in good shape, you will certainly enjoy the climbs, but even if you get a little tired uphill, you will be rewarded by the scenic viewpoints where it is recommended to stop. During the route you can enjoy many rest stops: restaurants & pastry shops await the cyclists.