Zalakaros Thermal Gyógyfürdő

Zalakaros Thermal Gyógyfürdő, in the town of Zalakaros in Zala county of southwestern Hungary, draws on bicarbonate and sulfate thermal waters discovered during oil drilling in 1962 — a classic Hungarian thermal story where petroleum prospectors found hot mineral water instead, and a farming village was transformed into one of Hungary's most visited spa resorts. The naturally warm bicarbonate-sulfate waters, emerging from over 2,000 metres depth at 96°C and cooled to comfortable temperatures, are part of a long thermal tradition in the large Gyógyfürdő complex within Hungary's spa-town heritage. Zalakaros's proximity to Lake Balaton — Hungary's 'inland sea' and Central Europe's largest lake — and the rolling wine-producing hills of the Zala region provides a characteristic Hungarian countryside setting for one of the country's most productive thermal resorts.