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Lake Balaton , affectionately known to Hungarians as "Balcsi", is the nation's substitute for a coastline. Millions of people come here every summer to enjoy the lake's remarkably clean, milky green waters, which, with an average depth of only 3m, are warm enough to swim in from May to October. Though few would subscribe to the old romantic view of Balaton as the "Hungarian sea", it is still the largest freshwater lake in Europe - nearly 80km long and varying in width from 14km to a mere 1.5km at the point where the lake is almost cut in two by the Tihany peninsula - and all that remains of the ancient Pannonian Sea that once covered the region. Balaton's low-lying southern shore is almost entirely built up with a continuous chain of fairly indistinguishable resorts, with brash and bustling Siofok the model for others, such as Fonyod further along. By contrast, waterfront development on the northern shore has been limited by reed beds and cooler, deeper water, and the attractions, such as the beautiful Tihany peninsula and the wine-producing Badacsony Hills , are of a less hedonistic bent, instead offering splendid scenery and sightseeing. The compact western end is perhaps the most appealing part of the lake, providing the setting for the delightful university town of Keszthely , the world's second-largest thermal lake at nearby Heviz and the reedy Kis-Balaton nature reserve, home to a bison reserve and a superb venue for bird-watching. Though its history is hardly writ large, the region was first settled in the Iron Age, and has been a wine-growing centre since Roman times. During the sixteenth century, it formed the front line between Turkish and Habsburg-ruled Hungary, with an Ottoman fleet based at Siofok and an Austrian one at Balatonfured. Spas and villas began to appear from 1765 onwards, but catered largely to the wealthy until the Communists began promoting holidays for the masses after World War II. During the 1960s, footloose youths started flocking here, and in the 1970s and 1980s there was a boom in private holiday homes and room-letting, fuelled by an influx of tourists from Germany and Austria. Today, visitors from these two countries still provide the bulk of tourists, although an increasing number of other foreigners are beginning to discover some of the undoubted charms of the lake. If visiting, it's best to do so outside July and August as this is the time when the natives descend upon the lake in their masses. Lake Balaton is easily accessible from Budapest and Transdanubia. Trains from Budapest's Deli Station run to all the main resorts, with daily InterCity services providing the fastest access to Keszthely (2hr 30min) via the southern shore. Buses to Szekesfehervar, Veszprem and Balaton leave from the Erzsebet ter depot. If you're driving to Balaton, the M7 to Siofok is the quickest road; to get to the northern shore, turn off the M7 onto Route 71 for Balatonfured. Over summer, however, you can expect long tailbacks on the M7 on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings, and also on the way back to Budapest on Sunday evenings. A great way to see - and get around - the lake is by ferry. From mid-April to October, passenger ferries run from Siofok to Balatonfured and Tihany on the opposite bank, and between Fonyod and Badascony. During July and August, a number of other services shuttle back and forth across the lake connecting the smaller resorts. Between March and November, there is also a car ferry between Tihany-rev and Szantodrev.
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