One of the favorite activities I partook on my trip to Budapest was visiting a Thermal Bath. This was the perfect way to unwind after walking miles around the city. Thermal Baths are popular with locals and tourists alike! There are many baths scattered throughout the city, but there are three main ones: Szechenyi, Rudas, and Gellert. Szechenyi is the most popular because it is the largest and the one you might see in pictures of Budapest. We opted to visit the Gellert Thermal Spa because we figured it would be less crowded.
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Gellert Thermal Spa
The Gellert Thermal Spa is located inside the Gellert hotel. In order to access the spa, visitors enter from the side of the hotel directly into the lobby of the spa. The lobby is ornately decorated with marble and statues. At each thermal spa, you have multiple options. The most basic and cheapest option is entrance with a locker. This means you are able to use the various pools and you get a locker to store your items. The next option up from that is entrance with a cabin. This means you are given a small room rather than a locker to put your things. Visitors could also add on a package that included the use of a bathrobe and towel. There was also the option to add various spa services. We opted for the entrance with a locker and brought our own towels. This cost about $20.
Visitors are given a wristband that lets you enter the facility and doubles as the key to your locker. After scanning your wristband to enter, we were directed to the locker room where we could store our things. If you did not come wearing your swimsuit, there were small changing rooms for you to do so. There were also showers to rinse off while wearing your swimsuit.
From the locker room, visitors could choose to head to one of the outdoor pools or to the indoor pools. We opted for the outdoor pools first. There was a huge wave pool that was a cold pool and deeper than the other pools. There was also a thermal pool, a cold dipping pool, and a sauna. Surrounding this area is a ton of lounge chairs. The outdoor area also contained a cafe and bar.
The inside of the thermal baths had much more to offer then the outside. There was also a large cold pool inside for swimming around in. Several times a day a water aerobics class is hosted in the inside pool. On either side and at the head of the inside pool are some thermal pools. It is recommended to start at the two coolest thermal pools. This area is also a quiet area, so please be respectful. The coolest thermal pool starts at 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Spend some time in the pool and when you start to get cold, move to the next warmer pool. By these pools were also some drinking fountains, a sauna, showers to rinse off, and a tiny cold dipping pool. The hottest thermal pool reached a temperature of 104 degrees Fahrenheit! It was difficult to spend too much time in that pool. Visitors can spend several hours rotating between the pools and relaxing.
Szechenyi Thermal Spa
The Szechenyi Thermal Spa is easily the most popular baths in Budapest. Locals and visitors flock to this spa, especially on the weekends. It contains 21 different pools as well as offers an assortment of spa treatments. On Saturday nights, Szechenyi throws a huge Vegas-style pool party, called the Szechenyi Spa Party. On most days, Szechenyi costs about $20 for the cheapest ticket.
Rudas Thermal Spa
Rudas Thermal Spa is popular because its outdoor pools overlook the Danube river and the Budapest skyline. It is also a Turkish style bath versus Gellert and Szechenyi are Roman-style baths. Rudas contains 7 different pools. Another difference with Rudas is that during the week they are single sex only. Tuesdays are female only and the rest are male only days. On these days, swimsuits are options. The weekends are co-ed and swimsuits are mandatory. On Friday and Saturday nights, Rudas is open until 4 am. However, this is a more relaxed atmosphere unlike the Szechenyi Spa Party, so keep that in mind if you choose to go during those hours. A visit to Ruda will cost about $18.
Overall, I feel that visiting a Thermal Bath in Budapest is a must! It is a great way to unwind and relax. Many locals take advantage of them, so it is an authentic experience. I cannot wait to try a different thermal spa next time I am in Budapest.
6 thoughts on “Visiting a Thermal Bath in Budapest”
This is such a great post with beautiful pictures! Makes me remember how nice it was to visit these baths when I was in Budapest! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! I can’t wait to go back again!
We went to the Szechenyi baths and had a really enjoyable time. Thanks to your photos, Gellert might be a good option next time I am in Budapest, it looks lovely!
I want to try Szechenyi next time. It just looked too busy this time.
Thank you SO much for this post explaining what the thermal baths are all about and how they work. When I was petsitting in Eastern Europe, I went to Budapest and even went inside the elaborately ornate lobby of one of the thermal baths. But I didn’t know what they were all about and couldn’t fake the language. Now I am prepared and can’t wait to get back!
Yes! They were SO cool! Def recomend.