The town is situated 12km from Lake Balaton, in the basin named after it. The name refers to the thermal springs around the town, as the Slavic word 'Topulcha' means thermal water.
The dynamically developing small town of 20,000 inhabitants has been the regional centre since the 13th century. The inhabitants have been earning their living by growing wine with traditional methods. The wines of the region are popular all over Europe.
The busy commercial life of the 19th century is reflected in the townscape. As a result of the important development at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries it has become an important transport junction in the region. Since then the places of interest in the town and in the neighbourhood have made it popular with tourists. Apart from the sights it attracts visitors with a wide variety of programmes from spring to autumn.
The Cave, which is unique in Central-Europe, is right in the heart of the town. It was discovered in 1902 in the course of well-boring and ten years later it was opened to the public. The halls and corridors of the three level cave were formed by karst water. Water of a constant 19 °C is still flowing in the lower chambers of the cave and some parts of the upper corridors are also partly flooded. This 300m long section of the cave can be cruised by boat (guided tour) and is illuminated with underwater lights. Watchful visitors may spot the sole fish species living in the water: the minnow. In the clear water the paths leading to the lower chambers can also be clearly seen. The healing effects of the cave's special climate have been known for a long time. The extremely clean air, the relatively constant temperature (14-16 °C) and the 100 % relative air humidity help to cure patients suffering from allergy, asthma or other respiratory disease; a separate section of the cave is used for this purpose (hospital wing).
The neighbourhood of Lake Malom is a romantic part of the town with a Mediterranean atmosphere. From the main square you can get to the lake going through a friendly inner courtyard. At the lake you can see the statue of poet János Batsányi, son of Tapolca. The water of the thermal springs, which Tapolca was named after, was impounded to a lake probably by the Romans, who also built a water-mill here. The former mill serves as a hotel today and it was named after János Batsányi's wife, Gabriella Baumberg. On the shore of the Small lake you can see a bust of Gabriella Baumberg and a nice baroque building, the Holy well with a Madonna by Erzsébet Udvardy. The neighbouring Church hill is the historical centre of the town, which was inhabited as early as the neolithic age.
The former centre of the town is atop Church hill. The Roman Catholic church, which was built in the place of a former chapel during the 13th century in neo-Romanesque style, was surrounded by the castle bastion. After the Turkish invasion it was rebuilt in 1756 in the baroque style. In front of the church you can see the slightly elevated wall of the mediaeval castle. The gate of the extended castle was found at the end of the 17th century, at the northern edge of the school building. In front of the gate there was a pitfall with a lift-bridge over it.
The main square used to be the place for markets and fairs and served as a commercial centre. In the square you can find the building of the former Pannónia Hotel, where big wine businesses were done, balls and exhibitions were organized. In the middle of the square the statue of the Holy Trinity was erected in 1757.
The Protestant church was built in 1935-36. It was designed by Bálint Szeghalmy, its style resembles the churches of Kalotaszeg with wooden towers. It was built by local craftsmen. The altarpiece 'Good Shepherd' was painted by Gyula Frimmel, a drawing teacher from Tapolca. The church is used by both the Evangelical and the Lutheran congregation.
In the former market place a monument was erected by the town to commemorate Great-Hungary, which ceased to exist due to the Treaty of Trianon at the end of World War II. You can get to the monument through a Székely gate, which was offered to Tapolca by its Transylvanian sister town, Zabola.
The road at Heroes' square forked to Sümeg and Keszthely in old times and this was the place where the bishop built an inn. The old building was converted into the Dienes Hotel in 1909, which is the Town Hall today. In front of the building the monument of the heroes of World War I was erected in 1930.
