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The accumulation of trace elements (Mg, Mn, Sr, Ba) in Unio pictorum L. mussel shells from Lake Balaton has been assessed using a Laser Ablation (LA) system coupled to either a quadrupole-based or a sector-field inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometer (ICP – MS), as well as by a combination of micro-drill sampling and solution ICP–MS. The LA–ICP–MS measurements were carried out in the holes made by the micro-drilling system. The longitudinal concentration profiles obtained with the different methods show similar patterns. However, the absolute concentrations determined at individual spots (holes) can be quite different. Especially Ba shows erratic peaks at a very small spatial scale. A paired, two-sample t-test between LA–ICP–MS longitudinal profiles and between LA–ICP–MS and micro-drill/solution ICP–MS profiles indicates that, in most cases, there is no significant difference between the concentration profiles of Ba, Mg, Mn and Sr.Average shell concentrations of Mg, Mn, Sr and Ba, as obtained by LA–ICP–MS and micro-drill/solution ICP–MS, compare well with bulk shell concentrations as obtained by acid digestion/ICP–MS of larger shell pieces. Next to the four elements mentioned above, also the concentrations of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn could be determined by bulk shell analysis. The element concentrations in 11 shells, all sampled at the same site, show a relative standard deviation (RSD) between 2% (Ni) and 46% (Zn).LA–ICP–MS and micro-drill solution ICP–MS are not sensitive enough for the determination of ultra-trace elements in Lake Balaton's mussel shells. We estimated the amount of shell material necessary to determine Ni, Pb, Cr and Cu by micro-drilling ICP–MS (for a concentration that equals 3 times their limit of detection) at, respectively, 0.04, 0.82, 2.7 and 0.4 mg, while the amount sampled by micro-drilling is about 0.06 mg.