Water tourism
The areas which are suitable for pursuing water sports, Hungary’s rivers and lakes are the most unique factors in the country’s tourism offer. The Danube is Europe’s waterway and the Tisza is Hungary’s second important river. These rivers, together with their tributaries offer very favourable conditions for water sports. Those sections of the rivers are suitable for water sports, where the the current is not too strong, and where there are shallow waters and sandy beaches available, too. In addition, the temperature of the water is high enough to offer a relatively long season for bathers. (Kollarik A. 1991). From this point of view it is primarily the rivers Danube, Rába and the Mosoni-Danube, the Tisza (together with the Szamos), the Dráva, the Rába and Répce, the Kőrös rivers, the Maros, the Sió-canal and the Bodrog which are the best for water tours. (For further details see: Bánhidi M. 2013). The difficulty of the tours is dependent on the hydrological characteristics of the river, as well as the length of the chosen section of the river. (Győri F. 2014). For further details see:
The water of our lakes, since they warm up easily (e.g. Balaton, Velencei-Lake), our backwaters (e.g. Szelidi-Lake, Mártély) attract a lot of tourists because they offer an aesthetically beautiful and healthy environment. Lake Balaton is popular with sailers, but its coastal areas are also frequented by kayakers and canoers. The Tisza-Lake is awaiting the lovers of extreme sports including jet-skiers, water skiers and wakeboarders. There are 15 settlements in Hungary with cable water ski and wakeboard pathways (e.g. Budakalász, Dunaharaszti, Gyékényes, Szeged, Kecskemét, Győr.), which are increasingly popular.
Many tourists are interested in diving, too. The most popular target areas for divers are Hungary’s clear-water mine lakes, for example in Gyékényes, Hegyeshalom, Szalkszentmárton, and Ecsédi-Lake, the thermal water lakes (e.g. Hévíz, Tata (Fényes-forrás), or, as a unique place, artificially flooded places, for example the cellar system of the brewery in Kőbánya.