Siófok is a popular summer resort along the southern shore of Lake Balaton and is known often as the "Party Capital of Hungary", which attracts many young party goers in summer due to its numerous large clubs, pubs and bars.

The name of the settlement is first mentioned in the founding charter of the Benedictine Abbey of Tihany in 1055. After the Mohács defeat, the town was taken by the Turkish in around 1543; they built a fortification and a military port here. The region was liberated in 1688. At the time of Rákóczi uprising, the famous Sió line of Bottyán Vak lied in this area, the final point of which was the fortification of Siófok. The fortress was built on the place of the former Turkish fortification in accordance with the plans of the French military engineer, de la Rivière.

The southern railways and a railway station were constructed in Siófok in the late 19th century and in 1863 the Sió lock was inaugurated here. The port was completed in 1864 and this way Siófok became an interchange station for guests heading to the famous Füred. It was at that time that the settlement gradually became a summer resort.

Owners of the first villas were primarily painters and other artists. Siófok Balaton Bathing Co. was funded in 1891 under the management of Henrik Glatz. The right of bathing as well as the territory of 60 hectares required for the construction of parks and buildings had been purchased by the Corporation. Construction of larger hotels commenced, too. The new resort place was opened in 1893, it received the name 'medicinal bath'.

Balaton water traffic is the heaviest in the port of Siófok. Sió lock – intended to regulate the water level of the lake - was built together with the port.  The Meteorological Observatory is built westward to the port, directly on the lake-shore. Remarkble buildings of the resort area were built around the junction of Batthyány and Mártírok street; famous writers e.g. Mór Jókai, Gyula Krúdy and Frigyes Karinthy spent pleasant summer days there.

The 45 m high water tower in the city centre dating from 1912 is the symbol of Siófok. The Cultural Centre of the South-Balaton Region and the Lord Mayor's Office stand in the neighbourhood, on Főtér (Main square). The Roman Catholic church in Fő utca was built in 1903. The Protestant church with wooden structure designed by Imre Makovecz, located in Oulu park, is a special sight of the town.

The composer of the internationally renowned operettas, including Csárdáskirálynő, Imre Kálmán (1882-1953) is son of the city; every summer an operetta festival is organised to his honour. The Music Pavilion of the Millennium Park in front of the railway station is decorated with the statue of Kálmán. The Imre Kálmán Museum was established in the house where the king of operetta was born. On the upper floor of the Museum, a fine arts exhibition can be seen. The Mineral Museum displaying the minerals of the Carpathian Basin is the largest exhibition in this subject in Hungary (a collection of about 3,000 pieces). A true curiosity at Siófok is the country's first Museum of Egg Decoration.

The protected area of Töreki lakes (Töreki tavak), a marshland consisting of eleven tiny lakes, 4 km from the port in the direction of Széplak form a unique natural environment which, with its educational pathway is a perfect place for an excursion.

Each year dozens of programmes await in Siófok among which people of all ages will find the one suitable for them.  Festivals and concerts attract hundreds of thousands of visitors in the name of tradition and fashion, but there are plenty of sports events and other entertainment, too.

For more information on programmes, check with:
www.siofok-city.com/programmes/city-programmes.php