Summer in Siófok, Hungary

Every month or so we take the long journey to Siófok usually to visit the bank. Yesterday was no different except now the virus restrictions have been lifted there were lots of street cafes and restaurants open for business. Time for a bit of sightseeing and then lunch.

Siófok is Hungary’s second most popular holiday destination after Budapest. The town can boast a 17-kilometre-long coast, with over 1,000 hotels, plenty of bars, restaurants and night clubs. Siófok is one of the richest municipalities of Hungary due to tourism. Hungarians often call the town “the capital of Lake Balaton”, as it is the largest town on its shores and acts as a touristic hub for the southern shore of Lake Balaton.

Approaching Siófok city centre the roads were lined with beautiful flower arrangements decorating the lampposts. There were hundreds of them on both sides of the wide road. The photo does not do them justice as we were speeding along! I wondered how they organised watering the many arrangements?!

We managed to park up the car and take a walk across the busy square towards the bank. It was mid-morning and the street cafes were just beginning to fill up. I particularly liked the colourful geraniums sitting on the pavement, such a colourful display.

For more details about Cafe Roxy look here

In the main square of Siófok, at the foot of the Water Tower is the statue of Count István Széchenyi placed in the middle of a circular fountain in 2012. The large bronze and chrome steel statue depicts the Count standing on the first steamboat of the Balaton, the Kisfaludy, as Széchenyi was the founder and lifetime president of the Balaton Steamship Company.

I could not resist taking a shot of the fountains. The bubbling sounds were so relaxing, great on a hot sunny day.

Seats all around the square accommodate weary walkers enjoying ice creams. A view from above captures the famous statue of Count István Széchenyi.

Siófok Water Tower

The Water Tower is a well-known attraction of Siófok, standing in the centre of the town. The tower was fully renovated in 2012 and houses two panorama elevators taking guests to the rotating Belvedere floor where you can enjoy staggering views over Lake Balaton. There is also a cafe if you need refreshments.

Siófok Water Tower – more information in English – here

A little closer to the lake and we came across a range of different eating establishments. This one had street food on offer.

A little closer to the lake and we came across a range of different eating establishments. This one had street food on offer.

Another selling Gyros.

We finally settled on Mustafa’s to eat our lunch, a Turkish/Mediterranean menu with a huge selection of dishes. We wanted to sit on the pavement and do some people watching!

Mustafa’s is a great place to eat good quality, tasty, inexpensive food. The surroundings were lovely with a pretty outdoor garden, TV included!

Our menu ….and the sticker on the pavement reminded us we are still vulnerable during this pandemic. It was pleasing to see this restaurant was taking things seriously.

So to our menu…an enormous pizza..

…with Falafel, Salad and Chips and Chicken Breast Caesar Salad. Beautifully cooked and politely served, I would certainly recommend Mustafa’s.

After finishing our meal and walking up the street we realised that Mustafa’s owned the full block, restaurants and takeaway. Impressive.

I discreetly noticed the local police constabulary seeming to be enjoying a Mustafa’s at lunchtime.

Adjacent to the restaurant were these beautifully manicured flower gardens and pretty parks.

Looking further into the park made it very inviting but alas we had no time left on our parking so we had to make a move.

The Siófok mini-train goes about its daily tour of the area. Riders can get on and off at various points around Siófok.

If skateboarding is your “thing” then you will be very comfortable in Siófok amongst the street skaters. I preferred to just sit and watch!

A lake resort would not be complete without a gift shop for tourists to pursue and buy trinkets and toys. This was one of many lining the streets.

Karika Tura was out in the sunny square offering Henna tattoos to anyone interested.

Travelling out of the town we encountered many railway lines with rather attractive crossings.

Waiting for the train to pass I hung out of the window and took this shot of a little cafe on the corner. The brightly coloured blue chairs caught my eye along with the lavender in the pretty flower bed.

This is my special man who took me out for a wonderful lunch and as usual, was my taxi for the day and a second eye for my photography. Thank you very much 💕

I hope you have enjoyed our little trip around Siófok there is so much more to see we will need to visit again one day very soon.