Balatongyörök took up its place on a promontory that is determined by the Keszthely and Szigliget bays. The territory is inhabited from the prehistory. The stone axe turned up from the Stone Age, and the brass axe from the 3rd century B.C.. Remains of a Roman settlement and bath from the 3rd century were discovered some hundred meters from the Lake at the feet of the Beautiful View Place (Szépkilátó).
The mediavel village was built on a Roman settlement. The name of the village was first mentioned in the foundation documents of the Almádi Abbey (today Monostorapáti) in 1121. Its name probably came from the son (Gyürk) of the Lord of Szigliget (II. Atyusz banus). The village survived the Turkish period relatively well. Limestone Györök (Meszes Györök) was mentioned in 1696 because the inhabitants were employed for lime-burning and fishing.
The beginnig of the 20th century brought radical changes. The first bathing-guests came, the local railway (1902) and the beach (1907) were built. The name Meszes Györök was changed into Balatongyörök. Count Tasilo Festetics II. gave the territory to the village because it was needed for the beach, but the Count held ownership. In the 1910s the beach was planted with trees. The planetrees that were planted in that period are still the ornaments of the beach today. The bathing territory was declared a holiday resort in 1920, and in 1932 the pier was finished next to the beach. Long time ago, there was only a main street in the village leading to the coast, people began to build: the row of villas developed and new streets were born. In 1990 Balatongyörök won the Prix d?Honnour title in recognition as one of the most beautiful villages of Europe.