Tapolca

Tapolca (German: Toppolz) is a town and district near Lake Balaton in Veszprém County in Hungary.

Get in

Your best bet to get into Tapolca is road 77, a road which goes from the city of Veszprém to Lesencetomaj, a small village close to the border of Zala County. It is half an hour from Keszthely, and 50 minutes from Veszprém. There are also several roads (often of worse quality) to the neighbouring villages of Zalahaláp, Hegyesd, Monostorapáti, Gyulakeszi, Káptalantóti, Raposka, and Kisapáti.

Get around

See

In town

• Statue of Saint Mary. If you walk a bit south from Malom-tó along Tapolca brook, you will soon spot a statue of Saint Mary with Jesus in her hands. It's not a big monument, but still a nice little quirk of Tapolca.
• Main square (Fő tér). The main square was a historical trading centre, and today is mainly a shopping destination, with cafes.
• Garden of ruins. The Church Hill is the medieval centre of Tapolca. The church was built in the 13th century in Roman style, during the 14th century it was finished as Gothic church. After the Ottoman invasion, it was rebuilt in Baroque style in 1756.
• School Museum. The School Museum is located in the former cantor house. The greatest pedagogic collection of the Transdanubian region can be found there.
• Airport. There is a private club airport in the Airport district of Tapolca. You can't go inside.
• 1 Tapolca (NE 28 km from Keszthely take a train). -Cave Bath, Mill Pond, Garden of Ruins, City (School) Museum Templom domb 8, Main Square (the former marketplace, functioned as a trade centre from ancient times. Decorated with the statue of Holy (1757) and the Little Princess). Marton Gallery (permanent exhibition of works by László Marton). Catholic Church (Templomdomb). Protestant church (reminiscent of churches in Transylvania, 1936). Watermill. Y-houses. The Countrywide Blue Tour passing the Town. 

In the district

• 2 Gyulakeszi (SE 4 km from Tapolca, bus (hourly until 20:00, less than 10 min)). Sights: Remains of Csobánc Castle (nly a few meters Wall can be seen), ruins of the 'Bad' Church (Csobáncszög settlement, 1220s), the Roman Catholic Church of Bishop St. Martin, Csobánc Hill (a beautiful basalt hill with nice view ), St. Donat chapel (Hill of the Vineyards), Esterhazy Palace (18th century), Csigó Castle (18th century). 
• 3 Hegyesd (NE about 8 km from Tapolca). Castle ruins (1370s), Old Stone Bridge (1800s). To do: take an hour tour to Hegyesd Hill (281 m a.s.l.). - To stay: Sleep in the very cheap Culture House (call + 36 20 3382251, for max. 23 persons). 
• 4 Révfülöp (SW 27 km from Balatonfüred on the Hwy #71, take a train: Székesfehérvár-Balatonfüred-Tapolca railway line, By boat: Balatonboglár). The main historical attraction remains the old downtown and port, both featuring eclectic architecture evocative of the turn of the 20th century. - Homeland Collection, Lutheran church, the Fountain of the King of Frog (Bela Raffay work, 1993, marble and bronze). "Szigeti" church ruins, Ecsérpusztai church ruins (near Révfülöp but Kővágóörs administrative area), Boat Station building, Boat Station Pier, Millennium Lookout Tower (on the mountain north of the town). Révfülöp Tourinform office: Villa Filip tér 8/b, Tel. & Fax: +36-87 463-092, Tel. +36-87 463-194, E-mail: revfulop@tourinform.hu, Open in season 15 Jun-31 Aug M-F 09:00-18:00, Sa Su 09:00-13:00; out of season M-F 07:30-16:00, Sa Su closed ) 

• 5 Salföld (NE 11 km from Badacsony, take a bus). Mary Magdalene Pauline monastery, monument house (Roman Catholic Church (St. Matthew). 
• 6 Szentbékkálla (E ten km from Tapolca). Sea of Stones (volcanic rocks), Ruins of Palace Veléte 

• 7 Szigliget (NW of Badacsony, take a bus or a train to Badacsonytördemic-Szigliget station three km away, from May to Sept scheduled boats from Badacsony and Keszthely). Castle ruins, Old village with thatched houses, Avas church ruin, Esterházy Palace and Botanical Garden. The Countrywide Blue Tour passing the village. 

Do

In town

• Walk around the Malom-tó Pond. It is romantic and relaxing to walk around there. In the pond area there are some of the smallest species of Carp, as well as bigger species of the fish. There is a fish-feeding area and a playground too. Malom-tó is also where Tapolca brook begins, a brook which goes all the way to Balaton-coastal town Szigliget. There are several pedestrian bridges crossing Tapolca brook, all of them having romantic locks on them.

• Tapolca Cave Lake. This 3-km-long lake cave system is in the heart of the town. Small boats can be hired to explore the cave system. At 15–20 m below the town, a 5-km-long cave system criss-crosses the Miocene limestone layers. This includes the 3.3-km-long Lake Cave, which is mostly filled with karst water. The cave was discovered in 1903 during well digging. Thanks to these explorations, round boat trips were made possible from 1937. Because of its special origin and unique formations, it was designated a protected area in 1942 and placed under strict protection in 1982. The mixture of the cold karst water flowing there and the thermal water up-surging from the deep dissolves limestone. Initially narrow passages, then smaller and larger niches were formed. Over a very long period, these widened into spacious chambers and passages. Dripstones have not developed in the cave, as several-metre-thick clay deposits prevents infiltration from the surface. Only calcareous formations (cave corals and aragonite crystals) occur at some places, having precipitated from the cave air. Bats cannot enter the closed spaces, so the largest vertebrate is a 10-cm-long fish, the Common minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus L.), which probably swims in through the wet passages from the Malom-tó (Mill Pond). The cave air, with nearly 100% humidity, a high calcium content and a constant temperature of 20 °C, is used to cure respiratory diseases in the branches under the town hospital that are in close proximity with the cave. The radon content of the cave air is too low to have any effect on the visitors. It is an interesting place which is worth a visit. This cave lake is also the biggest attraction of the entire city.

In the district

Buy

You can shop in the main square (Fő tér). If you are looking for groceries, there is a Tesco, a Lidl, an Aldi, an Interspar and a Penny Market along the 77 road. There is a Coop in the main square, and one in Northern Tapolca.

Eat

Drink

Sleep

There are several hotels in Tapolca town. The most notable of these are probably Hotel Gabriella, a pondside hotel. However there are other hotels too, such as Hunguest Hotel Pelion, and Tópart apartman.

In Révfülöp:

• Balatontourist Napfény Camping, (Halász utca 5. Tel:+36-87/563-031, Fax:+36-87/464-309, E-mail: napfeny@balatontourist.hu)
• Emília apartment (for 4+7 persons, air-conditioned apartments, contact: Mr. Balogh György, Csárda út 10. Tel.: +36-87/464-393, Tel.: +36-30/4015-197, E-mail: balaton@emilia-apartman.hu)
• Centrál Tourist (currency exchange, apartment and room reservations, Badacsonyi u. 1., Tel.: +36 87 463-456, Tel.: +36 70-602-2679, Tel.: +36-30 959-1395, Email: centralszallas@gmail.com
• Hullám Hostel Révfülöp ( Füredi út 6., Tel.: +36-87/463-089, Mobile: +36-30/9122-229, E-mail: info@balatonhostel.hu), Iris Guesthouse
• Room to let -(for 10 persons, contact person: Ms. Papp Ibolya, address: Ady E. u. 15., Tel.: +36-30/751-6618, Tel.: +36-70/233-6559, E-mail: irisvendeghaz@gmail.com)
• Vakáció és Sport Üdülők Révfülöp (accommodation for 90 people 2-3-4-5-6 beds, Kossuth út 18., Mobile: +36 30/9975-347, E-mail: info@balatonivakacio.hu)
• Judit Guestrooms (three rooms, wine tasting, Petőfi út 74., Tel: +36 87 464-043 evening, Mobile: +36 20 429-4545, E-mail: gelencserzoltan@freemail.hu)
• Fülöpi Apartmanok, accommodation throughout the year, two apartments for 5 persons with large terrace, enclosed garden, owner: Mr. Molnár Árpád, Füredi út 40. Tel./Fax: +36 87 464-219, Mobile: +36 20 22-12-975, Mobile: +36 20 981-2535, E-mail: racz.magdolna@gmail.com)
• Ezüstfenyő Guesthouse, apartments up. For 2 + 1 and 4 + 1 persons with terrace, large enclosed garden, Mr. Szántó János, Csárda utca 4.,Tel: +36 87 464-212, Mobile: +36 20/969-2602, E-mail: jszanto1@gmail.com),
• Margaréta Guesthouse (for five persons - the house with large terrace, a spacious living room, ask for Mrs. Kadáné Róth Erzsébet, Kacsajtósi út 6., Mobile: +36 30 760-4819, E-mail: roth.erzsebet@gmail.com)
• Mária Guesthouse (for 3 + 1 persons - home garden, terrace, barbecue, Málna utca 24., Tel:+36 87 431-028, Fax: 06-87 431-614, E-mail: miditourist@miditourist.hu).

In Salföld:

• Local Government guest house (Kossuth utca 27., Tel.+36 20 2757511, dbl /tpl/quad Ft 6 000/8 000/10 000 room per night, min. two nights)
• Barn Gallery Restaurant and Bed and Breakfast (Tel.+36 30-584-7522, Max. 6 people. Accommodation with breakfast Ft 4,000 per person, in the winter of Ft 5000 per person.)

Nearby

Diszel is a village along road 77, which belongs to Tapolca. There are many picturesque mountains in the area, which make some people call it one of the most beautiful towns in Hungary. There are eight main attractions in Diszel:

1. Mt. Csobánc. Mt. Csobánc is a 376-m hill/mountain near Diszel. There is a castle on top, as well as the "Bad Church". Hiking here is a must if you plan to visit Tapolca. For more information, check out Csobánc from Wikipedia.
2. Diszel Forest. Diszel Forest is a nice forest to walk in Diszel.
3. First Hungarian visual library. This museum-like spot is a place where there are exhibitions every year about a different topic. In 2021, it's about the colour black.
4. War monument. In the heart of Diszel, there is a war monument over soldiers from Diszel/Tapolca who died in the second world war.
5. Former Mayor's house. This spot in Diszel is a nice spot to sit down and talk, as there are benches there. There is also a playground nearby.
6. Catholic Church. There is a small but interesting Catholic Church in the centre of Diszel.
7. Motorbike festival. Every July there is a festival in Diszel where usually a band sings, and where people drive around the streets with their motorbikes.
8. Graveyard. Last but not least is the graveyard of Diszel, which is pretty.

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