Lake Balaton – South: Star Park, Nature and Cultural Heritage

Lake Balaton – South offers a range of regional themes to help you plan your trip: protected nature, cultural heritage and specific routes. Several natural and cultural sites are located in Somogy County. You can organize your choices by focus—such as landscapes, historical heritage or a cycling stage with a specified distance and difficulty level.

Nature and protected landscapes

The Zselici Tájvédelmi Körzet (Zselic Landscape Protection Area) was designated an International Dark Sky Park in 2009 because of its low light pollution. The Zselici Csillagpark was established in the heart of the protected area. The Zselic landscape covers approximately 1,200 km² and 45 municipalities in Southern Transdanubia; most of it lies in Somogy County, with a smaller part in Baranya.

In Somogy County, the Barcsi Ősborókás Landscape Protection Area, with its sandy steppes and swamp forests, is representative of Inner Somogy’s landscape. The Csokonyavisontai Fáslegelő Nature Reserve protects a rich variety of wildlife and plant life, as well as a form of land management that is increasingly being forgotten. The Dráva section of Duna-Dráva National Park features diverse habitats and rare protected plant species. These include Selaginella helvetica, which is rare in Hungary. Baláta lies between Kaszó and Szenta and is considered one of Somogy’s most highly valued natural assets.

Cultural heritage and seasonal highlights

The Kupavári Napok, an annual event series associated with the founder, Saint Ladislaus, has been held in Somogyvár every year since 1989; program details may vary. The National Memorial of Saint Ladislaus is also in Somogyvár. From the three-storey observation tower, you can see the monastery’s entire ground plan and the surrounding panorama.

Babócsai Basakert is a historic, protected ruin garden with a daffodil field. The 12-hectare site has been in bloom every May for centuries. In Szenna, the open-air ethnographic museum showcases the folk architecture of Somogy County and the Zselic hills. Together, these places offer different ways to explore history: an event series and memorial site in Somogyvár, a protected ruin garden in Babócsa, and an exhibition of folk architecture in Szenna.

Routes and getting around

At the Csokonyavisontai Fáslegelő, the open areas south of Csokonyavisonta can be reached via an unmarked footpath. The enclosed woodland areas can be reached by stopping on Road 86. For cyclists, the BalatonBike365 Kalandkör 400 includes a moderately difficult 43.62-kilometre stage between Balatonberény and Somogyvár. Distance and difficulty provide practical criteria for choosing a route; check the latest conditions and classification before setting out, as both may change.

The interregional Dráva network for active tourism includes water-tourism stopping points on its section in Somogy County. Individual facilities may change as the network develops. Therefore, check the latest information if you plan to include a specific stopping point in your itinerary.

Discover more destinations: Somogy, Veszprém, Lake Balaton – North, Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg, Fejér, Békés, Baranya, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén.

Back to the main travel guide: Hungary.