Coordinates:             46°50′N 17°44′E / 46.833°N 17.733°E / 46.833; 17.
Lake type:                 Rift lake
Primary inflows:        Zala River
Primary outflows:      Sió
Catchment area:       5,480 km²
Average precipitation
in catchment area:     3,176 million m³/year, of which 950 million m³ end up in the lake
Average precipitation
in water area:            370 million m³/year
Max. length:               77 km
Max. width:                14 km
Surface area:             592 km²
Average depth:          3.2 m
Max. depth:                12.2 m
Water volume:           1.9 km³
Residence time           2 years
Shore length:             236 km
Surface elevation:      104.8 m

The water surface receives 2,000 hours of sunshine and the shallower waters quickly follow the air temperatures. Each summer the water temperatures of the lake reach as high as between 25-27 °C which is one of the reasons that it has become one of the favourite bathing lakes in Central Europe. On summer days this huge expanse of water evaporates vigorously and the fall in the water level caused by evaporation can be in the order of several centimeters.

The southern shores of the lake are shallow, while the northern shores deepen quickly. The 'Balaton Riviera' stretches from Ábrahámhegy to Balatonfűzfő.

As a result of surface drift and water oscillation, currents of various magnitudes and directions occur in the body of the water of the lake. On the surface the water flows in the direction of the wind, close to the bottom against the wind because of the Earth's gravity as the surface strives to attain equilibrium. Significant currents determined by the various oscillations arise between the two basins and within the basins themselves. The strongest current may be observed in the area between the Tihany Peninsula and the Szantód shore where water is exchanged through the confined passage between the north-east and south-west basins. In general the stream toward Keszthely runs less strongly than that toward Balatonkenese but persists for longer.

The entire shore of Balaton is suitable for vineyards and thus it has developed into one of Hungary's significant wine-producing areas. On the north shore there are the Csopak-Füred and Tihany areas where the most famous wines of Badacsony, the grey monk (szürkebarát) are grown. The centre of the southern shore wine region is Balatonboglár and Kőröshegy, where white and burgundy type grapes grow equally well, producing the basis of both white and red wines.

The Balaton Uplands Nature Reserve (Balaton-felvidéki Nemzeti Park) is a guardian of environmental protection on the northern shore from Balatonszőlős to Kis-Balaton, managing a strip of land between 1 and 15 kilometers wide.