Balatonföldvár is a frequently visited tourist destination among Hungarians and foreign guests (especially Germans and Austrians) because of its natural beauties (like the loess hill and the big flowery parks), historical heritages (such as the Celtic path, the old mansions and villas) or its countless leisure opportunities.

In around the 4th century AD, the area was settled by Celts, who constructed the large Iron Age hill fort that gives Balatonföldvár its name, the remains of which are still visible today.

The region around Lake Balaton was occupied in around 180 AD by the Romans and was situated on a military road from Aquincum (part of present-day Budapest) to the Italian peninsula.

The Széchényi family doctor, Professor Frigyes Korányi, first proposed creating a bathing resort in the area of Földvár.

Over 40 large villas were constructed for the wealthy and influential members of society, including the aristocracy, military officers, and politicians.

Hungary's loss of the Adriatic Shore following the First World War caused a rekindling of interest in the bathing resorts around Lake Balaton such as Balatonföldvár.

The other long side to the fort consists of huge man made mounds and ditches, running for several hundred meters from the National Flag (1936) (corner of Kelta Stny and Kilátó Köz) roughly West to East as far as a point across the other side of the main Budapest road to where the Kínai Üzlet ('Chinese Shop') now stands.

The mounds and ditches are particularly clearly visible at the higher end of Petőfi Sándor Utca next to the chapel (1897) on Kelta Sétány (literally 'Celtic Walk', named after the fort).

The third, shorter, side, runs from the location of the current Kínai Üzlet to the cliff, approximately at the lower end of Petőfi Sándor Utca.

Number 1 Petőfi Sándor Utca was formerly the mansion of Jenő Rákosi, and an established meeting point for poets and writers for many years.

Number 13 Petőfi Sándor Utca (1896) is one of the most notable buildings in town, given that it belonged to Professor Friges Korányi, doctor to the Széchényi family, whose idea it was to develop the area of Balatonföldvár as a bathing resort.

The western pier is accessible via a 102 m long reinforced concrete bridge, Hungary's only footbridge with multiple supports, and a listed industrial monument.

After the Communist takeover of Hungary (1948), the area of the Galamb Sziget, the hotel close by and the eastern pier were made inaccessible to the general public.

Balatonföldvár was beautified with an impressive promenade bordered by a double row of plane trees along the western part of the town.

Standing on the western pier, one can see a number of conical hills on the other side, and the flat, table like mountain of Badacsony, a famous wine-producing area.

The lower slopes of these dark treed hills are covered with the purple haze of flowering lavender fields during the summer season.

Cultural life is prolific, with music recitals being offered in the Roman Catholic Church, open-air theatre and other venues.

The closest city to Balatonföldvár is Siófok which has weather records and averages on [[url=http://www.wheatherbase.com/%7CWeatherbase[permanent dead link‍]]] Hungarian settlements bearing the word földvár in their name (listed below) signed a cultural cooperation agreement in 2000.