Balatonlelle · the south shore of Lake Balaton
Where the water is shallow and warm, the sun sets behind the volcanic hills — and Budapest is ninety minutes away.
Photo: Christo / Wikimedia Commons
01 — For you
Set it, and the page shows your Lelle: the day plan, the map and the places that matter to you.
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02 — Panorama
From the south shore you look straight at the hills of the north shore. The sun sets over the water — behind Badacsony, Gulács or Csobánc, depending on when you come.
Pick a day. The skyline is computed from real elevation data, as seen from the end of the Lelle pier.
17 September: sunset at 18:50, behind Badacsony.
In late March and mid-September the sun sets right behind Badacsony.
Real terrain (SRTM) and solar position (NOAA). Hill heights exaggerated about 2× for legibility.
Rotate and zoom: the volcanic hills across, the shallow, warm lake between. The orange line is the direction of the sun from Lelle.
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Real terrain (SRTM, AWS Terrain Tiles) and OpenStreetMap shoreline. Height exaggerated 2.5×.
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The opposite shore is about 6 km away (Révfülöp), Badacsony 16 km from the pier. The lake is 77 km long and 7.8 km wide on average, with 1,950–2,000 hours of sunshine a year. Sources: computed from OSM and SRTM, vizeink.hu
03 — Water
On the south shore the lakebed deepens slowly. In the bathing area of Napfény beach the average depth is 0.6–0.7 metres: waist-deep for a schoolchild, thigh-deep for an adult.
Drag the water level within the range of Napfény beach’s bathing area (official profile: average 0.6–0.7 m, at most 1.2 m).
The south shore stays shallow for a long way, but further out the bed can drop suddenly. Stay in the marked bathing area and watch the storm warning lights.
Five-star Blue Wave Flag for Napfény beach in 2023, 2024 and 2026.kekhullamzaszlo.hu
Excellent water quality at all four designated bathing sites in Lelle.NNK / Pénzcentrum 2023
Water at 22–24 °C in the bathing season at Napfény beach.NNK beach profile
About 1 °C warmer is the south shore than the north.vizeink.hu
04 — Shore
Lawned free beaches, shady trees, a pier and a marina — on foot or by bike, all along the water.
Shoreline and stops from OpenStreetMap data.
2 km of free lawn, adventure park, giant slide.
BAHART marina from 1 April to 30 November; in summer the Révfülöp–Boglár boat also calls at Lelle.
The Lelle EYE Ferris wheel, a funfair, evening strolls — and the best spot for the sunset.
Sand, shallow water, a five-star Blue Wave Flag.
Shady trees, close to the upper railway station.
A smaller, quiet beach with a summer snack bar.
Full shade at the Balatonszemes border.
05 — Life
The pier, the open-air stage and the wine week on one side; the vines of Kishegy and the shady eastern shore on the other.
Pier promenade, the Lelle EYE wheel, concerts on the open-air stage, the July festival, Wine Week.
The wineries of Kishegy, a wine terrace above the lake, fish soup on the shore.
Misty mornings on the water, shady eastern beaches, the St Donatus chapel among the vines.
Source: balatonlelle.hu · turizmus.balatonlelle.hu
06 — Active
Sailing from the marina, SUP on shallow water, a 205 km bike loop around the lake — and races from March to December.
BAHART marina 1 Apr–30 Nov, boat rental, courses.
Tours, rentals and SUP yoga at Lelle Beach Club.
The 205 km Lake Balaton loop runs along the shore.
Fuss Neki (Mar), Kishegy Trail (Sep), New Year’s run (27 Dec).
Surf rental on the Western free beach.
Courts on the Western beach, beach football at Napfény.
Pick a time: these towns are within reach on the bike path.
Cycling route times: FOSSGIS / OpenStreetMap, average pace.
07 — Seasons
Lelle does not close in September. A running festival in spring, wine week in summer, new wine in autumn, ice and a sauna on the pier in winter.
A quiet shore, waking vines, a marathon festival.
Warm water, long evenings: in June the sun sets at 20:38.
Harvest, new wine — and a Badacsony sunset in mid-September.
Quiet, ice, misty mornings — and a sauna on the pier.
Average daily high and low by month. On average there are 79 summer days (≥ 25 °C) a year.
daily high nightly low summer days · Open-Meteo ERA5 reanalysis, Balatonlelle, 2015–2024 average.
08 — Getting here
The M7 motorway, an hourly InterCity, the bike path and boats in summer. Leave on Friday afternoon and still catch the sun on the shore.
M7, km 135: the Balatonszemes–Balatonlelle junction; the town recommends the Rádpuszta exit.
Hourly InterCity: about 1 h 43 min from Kelenföld, 1 h 49 min from Déli. Two stops in town.
In summer the Révfülöp–Balatonboglár boat also calls at Lelle.
Budapest Airport about 168 km; Hévíz–Balaton Airport about 42 km as the crow flies.
09 — Map
Beaches, shops, pharmacies, school, restaurants and wineries — real map data with walking rings around the centre.
The map needs JavaScript. The list of places is below.
5 · 10 · 15 min walk from the centreMap data and tiles: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
10 — Living here
Lelle is a small town that lives all year: school, doctors, shops, trains — and the water a short walk away.
4,808 permanent residents: a real town that lives all year.KSH, 2026. jan. 1.
School, kindergarten, nursery — including an arts school.balatonlelle.hu
Three GP practices, two pharmacies, a paediatrician, dentists and an ambulance station.balatonlelle.hu
Four supermarkets: Lidl, Penny, Aldi and Spar.Telex 2024
An hourly InterCity to Budapest — about 1 h 43 min to Kelenföld.MÁV line 30 timetable
249,000 guest nights in summer 2024 — the 5th highest in the Balaton region.KSH / Economx
Close to the shore
The rules for building on the Balaton shore keep getting stricter: no new building may go up within 30 metres of the shoreline, and no new building land may be designated in the waterfront zone. Since 2025 the Waterfront Plan protects the whole shore — in Lelle, the public beaches too. So only a few places near the water can still get new homes.
Source: Act CXXXIX of 2018, §71 and §71/B; Government Decree 287/2025 (VIII. 27.)
million HUF/m², typical range · Duna House estimate, March 2026 (Pénzcentrum). And the south shore has the better view: facing the hills.
11 — Questions
About 140 km. By car roughly 1.5 hours on the M7 without traffic (junction at km 135). By train there is an hourly InterCity: about 1 h 43 min from Kelenföld and 1 h 49 min from Déli station.
On the south shore the bed deepens gradually. In the bathing area of Napfény beach the average depth is 0.6–0.7 m and the maximum 1.2 m (official beach profile). Further out the bed can drop suddenly, so stay inside the marked bathing area.
Across the water: the volcanic hills of the north shore — Badacsony (437 m, about 16 km away), Gulács, Szent György-hegy, Tóti-hegy, Csobánc and Fülöp-hegy above Révfülöp. Seen from the Lelle pier, the sun sets behind Badacsony in late March and mid-September.
Yes. 4,808 permanent residents (KSH, 2026), a primary and arts school, kindergarten, nursery, three GP practices, two pharmacies, four supermarkets and an hourly InterCity. Events in every season.
There are over 4 km of free shore: the Western free beach (about 2 km), and the Szirom köz, Csöpi köz and Határ utca beaches. The paid Napfény beach received a five-star Blue Wave Flag in 2026.
Sailing from the BAHART marina (1 Apr–30 Nov), SUP, kayak, windsurfing, tennis and beach volleyball; the 205 km Lake Balaton bike loop runs along the shore; races from March to December; in winter skating and a sauna on the pier.
Less and less. Under Act CXXXIX of 2018 no new building may go up within 30 metres of the shoreline, and no new building land may be designated in the waterfront zone. Since 2025 the Waterfront Plan (Government Decree 287/2025) regulates the whole shore uniformly.
According to a Duna House estimate (March 2026), typical prices are 0.9–1.3 million HUF/m² on the south shore and 1.2–1.8 million HUF/m² on the north shore. New-build flats at the Balaton average about 2.0 million HUF/m² asking (Otthon Centrum, Q2 2026).
Lelle by Lellewave
A place where the sun sets behind the hills, the water is warm and life does not stop in September.
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Homes near the shore — lellewave.hu
