Discover Hévíz: Thermal Lake and Egregy

Hévíz combines its thermal lake with the historic traces in the Egregy district. If you are looking for a hotel for your stay, you can plan your trip around the themes that interest you most: nature, Roman history, or winegrowing culture. Egregy offers archaeological remains and a themed walking trail; the lake provides its own natural focal point.

Lake Hévíz as a nature destination

Lake Hévíz is the world’s largest biologically active natural thermal lake. Its water combines the properties of medicinal waters rich in carbon dioxide, sulphur, calcium, magnesium, and hydrogen carbonate. Pink and violet water lilies float on the surface. The water’s characteristics and the water lilies each give the lake its own distinct, tangible character.

Roman traces and winegrowing culture in Egregy

Roman villas in Hévíz’s Egregy district were inhabited from the first half of the 1st century until the beginning of the 5th century. In the Roman Ruin Garden of Hévíz, the early imperial villa had warm, lukewarm, and cold bathing pools. These two scales complement each other as you explore the history: the long period of Roman villa settlement in Egregy and the specific bathing pools of an early imperial villa.

The Roman Ruin Garden also has a dry Kneipp walking path that runs over the floor plans of Roman building walls preserved underground. Its route over the floor plans connects the use of the walking path with traces of the earlier buildings. In Egregy, archaeological remains and a distinctive way to take a walk sit side by side.

The themed walking trail “Korok és borok” (Ages and Wines) passes through the picturesque vineyard landscape of Egregy. It presents historical evidence and archaeological finds dating back to Roman times, as well as Egregy’s centuries-old winegrowing culture. The trail thus brings together two different themes: historical finds and a long winemaking tradition. When planning your day, Egregy can be characterized not only by its Roman past but also by winegrowing.

Routes in Egregy

From Hévíz town centre, you can reach Egregy on foot via Attila or Zrínyi Street. The route is 1.5 kilometres long; the walk takes about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on your pace. This gives you an approximate idea of the time and distance involved when planning a visit to Egregy during your stay.

A description from 2022 lists four ways to reach the Hévíz Calvary in the Egregy district: on foot, by bicycle, by car, or as part of a guided walk. Since this information dates from 2022, check the current options before making plans. This lets you treat the walk from the town centre and a visit to the Calvary as separate parts of your day’s itinerary.

A wider look at Zala

The Zalai Borvidék is a wine region in Zala. It developed on the slopes and plateaus of the Zalai-dombság, as well as on the northwestern slopes of the Keszthelyi-hegység. The wine region comprises two wine districts and 38 settlements. You can encounter Egregy’s winegrowing culture on the local walking trail; the information about the Zalai Borvidék describes the wider landscape and regional context in Zala.

When planning your stay, you can give different weight to these interests: the lake as a nature destination, Egregy with its archaeological traces and wine trail, or a broader look at Zala’s wine landscape.

Discover more destinations: Alsópáhok, Rezi, Felsőpáhok, Nemesbük, Sármellék, Cserszegtomaj

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