Siófok Lake Balaton

Siófok (formerly Fok) is a port and resort town in Somogy County. It is the seat of the Siófok District, the largest city on the shores of Lake Balaton, and one of the most popular holiday destinations in Hungary.

The town includes Balatonkiliti and Balatonújhely, which were annexed in the 20th century. Siófok received the prefix “Sió” from the Sió Canal, inaugurated in 1901.
Siófok lies on the southern shore of the eastern basin of Lake Balaton, where the Sió River originates from the lake. It is bordered by Lake Balaton to the north, the undulating plateaus of Mezőföld to the east, and the gently sloping hills of Outer Somogy, characteristic of the southern side of Balaton, to the south and west.

Until the county reorganization of 1950, the Sió River marked the border between Veszprém and Somogy counties; currently, Siófok belongs to Somogy County and is its second-largest city, as well as the largest settlement along Lake Balaton. Over the 20th century, its borders were extended several times, so today it includes a 17 km stretch of the 70 km southern shoreline.

It is accessible from Budapest and Nagykanizsa via the M7 motorway or Route 7, and from Szekszárd (Tamási) via Route 65. However, it does not have a direct primary or secondary road connection with its county seat, Kaposvár. As a railway junction, it receives passenger and freight traffic from three directions (via the Székesfehérvár–Gyékényes and the Kaposvár–Siófok railway lines). It is connected by water to the northern shore of Lake Balaton (Balatonfüred), the Tihany Peninsula, and the ports of the western basin. There is also an airport within the city area (near the Balatonkiliti district).