The Kisfaludy Strand in Balatonfüred has won the title of Best Beach on Lake Balaton 2026. The award was presented on Friday in Fonyód at the Blue Wave Flag ceremony organised by the Balatoni Szövetség (BSZ).
At the competition, held for the 23rd time this year by the association of local municipalities, 42 beach operators undertook to have their beaches scrutinised and rated against a strict set of criteria, said Krisztina Fabacsovicsné Kovács, Secretary of the BSZ.
According to her, the applicants — the majority of whom were municipalities — included operators of both free and paid beaches. As partners of the BSZ, representatives of the Nők a Balatonért Egyesület, the Balatoni Turizmus Szövetség, the Balatoni Kör, the Balaton-felvidéki Nemzeti Park, and VisitHungary carried out on-site inspections at the beaches together, she added.
The secretary, who chairs the judging committee, said that this year, as in previous years, beaches received ratings from one to five stars. The Blue Wave Flag is in itself a hallmark of the best beaches on Lake Balaton, while the stars indicate the standard and range of their services.
She explained that during the inspections, assessors examined parking conditions, the state and cleanliness of the toilet and shower facilities, the level of accessibility at each beach, and the condition of the bathing area from the grass to the lakebed. The quality of playgrounds, sporting facilities, child-friendly services, and the offering of beach catering venues were also scored.
25 bathing sites received a five-star Blue Wave Flag, 13 received four stars, and 3 received three stars.
The special prize of the Hungarian Tourism Agency — Balaton Family-Friendly Beach 2026 — was awarded to the Diási Játék beach in Gyenesdiás. The Balatoni Kör Balaton Gastro Beach 2026 award was won by the Alsóörs Municipal Beach.
The Balaton Innovative Beach special prize was awarded by the Balatoni Turizmus Szövetség to the Föveny beach in Balatonfűzfő, which operates the first SUP-rental vending machine on Lake Balaton. The special prize of the Nők a Balatonért Egyesület, which recognises children’s animation programmes, was won by the Central Beach of Balatonszárszó. The Smart Destination Okos Strand special prize, which recognises digital solutions, was earned by the Csopak Municipal Beach.
The Balaton Uplands National Park Directorate awarded its Green Leaf prize to the municipal beach of Balatongyörök. The Green Frog prize from the national park, for environmental education, went to the Föveny beach in Balatonfűzfő, while the Green Nest prize, awarded on the basis of habitat protection criteria, went to the Kisfaludy beach in Balatonfüred. The national park also provided portable bat boxes to accompany the special prizes.
In the separate competition for county beaches, the winner in Somogy was the Panoráma beach in Fonyód, in Veszprém it was the Alsóörs Municipal Beach, and in Zala it was the Balatongyörök Municipal Beach.
Artificial intelligence was used for the translation of parts of the original Hungarian text.
