Is your time in the capital limited with a busy schedule, allowing you to enjoy only one or two baths at most? Let me help you make the optimal choice!
To assist you, I’ve organized this guide into 3 categories. In this article, I’ll focus on Budapest’s primarily indoor thermal baths; in another article, I’ll suggest thermal baths that mainly feature outdoor spaces.
I’ll briefly present: “The Must-See Top 3,” followed by “The 2 More Affordable Options,” and finally “My 2 Hidden Alternatives.”
The Must-See Top 3
The Széchenyi
The Széchenyi is undoubtedly the NUMBER ONE, and if you can only visit one, this should be it. It’s the most iconic of all with its famous yellow facades dating from 1913, recognizable across the internet worldwide. Its oversized space allows you to find some relative privacy even during peak times and properly enjoy each of the complex’s pools.
A complete tour of the premises will keep you busy for quite a while before you finally get your bearings in the entire building and try everything the spa has to offer. It’s ideally located in Városliget Park, allowing you to combine several points of interest such as Heroes’ Square, Vajdahunyad Castle, the Ethnographic Museum…
Despite its undeniable advantages, it’s not, in my opinion, the most incredible of the three.
The Rudas
This is my top choice among all the capital’s spas, for many reasons:
Its main Ottoman-era pool will provide you with an unforgettable experience thanks to its intimate, even cozy atmosphere. It’s hard to believe while bathing that this spa has been operating for nearly 5 centuries! This journey through time alone makes it a must-visit. It also has a unique swimming pool over 100 years old, which is the country’s warmest at 29°C.
The Rudas also features Budapest’s 2 hottest pools and hammam. Finally, a pool located on the building’s roof allows you to relax in 38°C water while enjoying a privileged view of the Danube and the Pest riverside facades.
However, it has one major drawback: it’s not very large and quickly reaches capacity, so plan to arrive early in the morning, ideally by 8:30 AM if you want to experience the Rudas under good conditions.
Remember to check weekday openings – women can only visit on Tuesdays, and only weekends are mixed-gender.
The Gellért
Missing the Gellért would also be an immense loss… Its interior design is simply fabulous; you’ll be captivated by the beauty of its main pool with majestic columns that alone embody Budapest’s uniqueness.
The complex is large, maze-like, with numerous amenities, and its hot pool at 40°C is the capital’s largest at this temperature level. The exterior is equally charming, with a wave pool during summer! Although much more extensive than the Rudas, here again, I strongly recommend arriving by 9:00 AM maximum if you want to keep a perfect memory of it.
A very special feature worth mentioning: the spa has a private room available for booking with its own thermal pool and sauna, and you’ll be surprised by the price, which remains very affordable even in 2024, at about €50 for 90 minutes including fruit or chocolates and champagne.
The 2 More Affordable Options
The Lukács
The Szent Lukács, although less spectacular than the other three, definitely deserves to be considered Budapest’s fourth Great historical bath. Its style and atmosphere are unique, with its dimly lit and old-world indoor thermal space, as well as its famous large outdoor pool with yellow facades reminiscent of a typical courtyard in historic downtown buildings. At night, this place offers a magical, friendly, and peaceful atmosphere. Many will be interested to learn that the Lukács has both a non-naturist and a naturist sauna/hammam area!
Given its price and the extent of its offerings, it could even be considered the most interesting of all the capital’s baths.
Stay focused while wandering through the spa! It’s also quite maze-like; it took me at least 30 minutes to locate all the areas again even though I had been there before. Getting lost in these historical monuments can be both frustrating and fascinating!
The Irgalmasok Veli Bej
If you want to see a 450-year-old Ottoman bath but desire more space at a much more reasonable price than the Rudas (or if you’ve already visited the latter), the Veli Bej will satisfy you! It’s also attached to a hospital. Renovated and reopened in 2012, one might regret its smooth pastel style that partially masks the centuries-old rustic aspect, but you’ll gain in comfort and space compared to the Rudas.
Note: The maximum water temperature doesn’t exceed 38°C, compared to Rudas’s 42°C. This is ultimately the only drawback in my view, but it might not be for others. Apart from this detail, you have a large, impressive historical thermal spa to visit for half the price of the Top 3.
Worth noting that the previously described Lukács and the Veli Bej are located next to each other, very convenient as you can count on two options when visiting the same area.
My 2 Hidden Alternatives
The Paskál
With a simple and efficient style, the Paskál spa is a modern building constructed in 2016. It will introduce you to the pleasure of thermal baths at a very competitive rate compared to Budapest’s historical thermal baths, though it’s aesthetically less striking, as one might expect. Located 8 km east of the center, you’ll need to travel by car or public transport. This distance brings the advantage of much lower attendance than the often-crowded historical baths in the center. The circulation areas and various spaces within the complex are spacious and therefore less crowded, and the outdoor park area is also very generous with 5 pools waiting for you.
Don’t miss its sauna that opens to the outside with its two small hot (42°C) and cold (20°C) pools. I don’t recommend the rapid cold-to-hot change… However, the opposite is very good for health! Do not touch the fountain water in the hammam! It’s over 65°C and unprotected.
The Paskál is a very representative “showcase” of the general type of medium and large modern spas found throughout all regions of the country, with very few translated signs to help you navigate, a population almost entirely composed of local Hungarians and very few foreigners, which can be an asset if you’re seeking an immersive, different experience.
The Pesterzsébeti Jódos-Sós
The Pesterzsébeti dates from the same era as the Széchenyi and Gellért, with its Neo-Renaissance style structure of over a century. Long closed and in ruins, the building underwent extensive renovation to reopen only in 2018, combining a smooth, modern grey appearance with an ancient dome. While far from being as beautiful as the five other classics presented above, it is functionally the best of all the capital’s thermal baths in my opinion. It has practically everything: pools of various sizes and temperatures, both indoor and outdoor-facing, with different types of medicinal waters, a sauna-hammam area that opens to both inside and outside… and even a wave pool?!
Its recently revised spaces are better designed than the old downtown thermal baths for easy movement and comfort. Like the Paskál, it has this feature I haven’t seen in the central baths that you’ll love: two outdoor terrace pools, one very hot (>40°C) and another very cold (~17°C) located less than a meter apart.
This spa is also on the outskirts; you’ll need to travel to the southern suburbs, 8 km from the city center to reach it.
To conclude, I hope this general presentation of Budapest’s 7 main thermal baths will help you and inspire you to discover them. Don’t hesitate to consult the complete list of spas in the capital.
Creation of content:
Vincent LAURENT
