Hidden in the quiet Tálod valley in the Bakony Hills lie the ruins of one of Hungary's oldest Pauline monasteries. This is a place for those who love combining history with peaceful nature - a picturesque stone ruin tucked into the forest right beside the Kinizsi spring.

The area has a calm, contemplative character - dense Bakony forest surrounds the ruins on all sides, and the murmur of the Kinizsi spring accompanies visitors year-round. In spring and summer, sunlight filters green through the canopy; in autumn the valley glows with color; in winter snow highlights the rugged stone walls. It's considered one of the loveliest excursion spots on the Balaton Uplands.

How to get there

• From the road between Nagyvázsony and Pula - the ruins lie south of the road, short walk, easy
• From the Kinizsi spring - a few minutes' walk on flat terrain, easy

Good to know

• The ruins have been protected since 1954 as one of the finest excursion sites on the Balaton Uplands
• The Kinizsi spring beside the ruins still feeds a small stream today

The monastery was founded in the late 13th century, and the Pauline monks left around 1480, making way for Franciscans. The walls were blown up in 1552 to keep them out of Ottoman hands - and the ruins have quietly weathered away ever since, wrapped in forest silence.