Even in ancient times there were people who had to swim in the lake as a matter of necessity, fleeing from danger, or in the course of their work. But bathing for fun, and the modern bathing culture started only at the end of the 19th century, when citizens taking refuge from city life appeared en masse by the lake. Plans and photographs of beautiful
bathing houses fashioned from wood testify to this period. Bathing was at this time no longer a luxury for the noble and the rich. There are records showing that, in the sweltering heat of summer, when the peasants of Mezőföld finished their hard work (harvesting, tying sheaves, threshing) hundreds of them bathed in the lake around Balatonaliga (I 2) and Balatonvilágos (H 3).

The water of Lake Balaton is most suitable for bathing in the three summer months. In this period its temperature is rarely less than 22 °C, and in high summer it is not unusual for it to reach 27–28 °C. Being a freshwater lake, it is ideal for bathing for those whose skin is sensitive to salt. The only serious danger faces those who swim in the deeper water. When there is a sudden storm, even physically strong, skilled swimmers have difficulty in battling with the lake’s short, steep, crested waves. The problem is easily averted: all over Lake Balaton a storm warning system of rotating lights warns bathers and yachtsmen of approaching high winds and storms.

With respect to sunbathing, the northern and southern shores of Lake Balaton are strikingly different from one another. On the northern shore the water deepens sooner: 30–50 metres from shore it is deep enough to cover a person. The beaches here are recommended for good swimmers or those with older children. The Szigetfürdő (“Island bath”), a successor of a former bathing house, in Keszthely (B 4) is very pleasant, and fine beaches can also be found in Zánka (E 3), Tihany (G 3), and Balatonfüred (G 2-3).
On the southern shore the water deepens very gradually, and in most places we can walk in up to five hundred metres without having to swim. The strip right next to the shore is especially shallow, where even the smallest children can frolic about in water hardly half a metre deep. That is why families with small children regularly choose the southern shore. Those who have larger children, or who are feeling more energetic, can have fun in the new Balatonlelle (E 4) bathing complex.

The eastern end of Lake Balaton is the empire of sun worshippers. The beaches of Balatonkenese (H 2), Balatonakarattya (HI 2) and Balatonaliga (I 2) face southwards onto the lake and bask in sunlight from early morning to late afternoon.