Budapest-Balaton kerékpárút: which way and when to ride
The best month for Budapest-Balaton kerékpárút is October: 81% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In October the wind barely favours either direction — on average 0.8 km/h along the route (ERA5 2006–2025, daytime 9:00–18:00).
Weather by month
| Month | Good days | Rain days ≥ 1 mm | Rain, mm | Avg high | Days ≥ 30 °C | Days < 10 °C | Daylight, h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7% | 16% | 40 | 4 °C | 0% | 91% | 8.9 † |
| February | 23% | 18% | 41 | 6 °C | 0% | 75% | 10.2 † |
| March | 55% | 15% | 44 | 12 °C | 0% | 37% | 11.8 |
| April | 77% | 17% | 39 | 17 °C | 0% | 8% | 13.6 |
| May | 73% | 26% | 73 | 21 °C | 1% | 1% | 15.1 |
| June | 63% | 21% | 67 | 26 °C | 17% | 0% | 15.9 |
| July | 50% | 18% | 57 | 28 °C | 35% | 0% | 15.6 |
| August | 52% | 17% | 56 | 28 °C | 32% | 0% | 14.2 |
| September | 79% | 16% | 64 | 22 °C | 4% | 0% | 12.5 |
| October | 81% | 15% | 53 | 16 °C | 0% | 7% | 10.8 † |
| November | 40% | 17% | 51 | 10 °C | 0% | 53% | 9.2 † |
| December | 7% | 14% | 45 | 4 °C | 0% | 92% | 8.5 † |
Best months are all months within 3 percentage points of the best one. † less than 11 hours of daylight — long stages get tight.
Wind by month
| Month | Wind Budapest → near Balatonkenese, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Budapest → near Balatonkenese | Headwind > 15 km/h, near Balatonkenese → Budapest | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −1.4 | 5% | 1% | either |
| February | −0.6 | 5% | 3% | either |
| March | −0.9 | 7% | 3% | either |
| April | −0.6 | 6% | 3% | either |
| May | −0.1 | 4% | 2% | either |
| June | −0.8 | 3% | 1% | either |
| July | −1.2 | 3% | 1% | either |
| August | −0.4 | 1% | 1% | either |
| September | +0.1 | 3% | 2% | either |
| October | −0.8 | 4% | 1% | either |
| November | −0.4 | 3% | 1% | either |
| December | −1.0 | 3% | 2% | either |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in October, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–25 | W | −1.0 |
| 25–50 | S | −0.5 |
| 50–76 | SW | −1.0 |
| 76–102 | SW | −0.6 |
| 102–106 | W | −1.0 |
How to read the numbers
Wind is the 10 m wind of a 25-km grid cell, daytime hours 9:00–18:00 local solar time; at saddle height in a sheltered valley it is weaker, on a coast or ridge stronger. A positive value is a tailwind. ERA5 slightly over-counts days with ≥ 1 mm of rain (by about 5–7 percentage points) and underestimates daily highs by 1–2 °C. Good day = less than 1 mm of rain between 9:00 and 18:00 (riding hours, local solar time) and a high between 10 and 30 °C; rain at night or in the evening does not spoil it.