In the 1930s Budapest was awarded as the City of Spas. Budapest is the ideal spa & thermal bath destination to visit with its broad selection of thermal & bath hotels, health resorts and wellness centers.

Popular Budapest Baths

Budapest baths are legio. Here we list the most popular baths of Budapest both in and outdoor baths with thermal water. These are not only the most popular but also the most famous and beautiful of the Budapest bath:

Budapest “classic” thermal baths

• Gellert baths
• Széchenyi baths
• Lukács baths

Budapest Open-Air Baths & Pools

• Dagaly bath
• Romai bath
• Palatinusz

Turkish Baths of Budapest

• Rudas baths
• Rác bath (active gay scene)
• Kiraly baths (active gay scene)
• Csásár bath

Gellert baths

The Gellért baths & spa are located within Danubius hotel Gellert. Gellert hotel was built in 1918 in a beautiful Art Nouveau style. Gellert bath Budapest is worldfamous and together with Széchenyi the most popular of the Hungarian spa & thermal baths. Gellert spa bath has 12 pool with thermal water from the Gellert hill spring. Gellert bath have both in and out door pools, a wave pool, children’s pools, steam baths, saunas and many spa services like massages. Gellert baths also have medicinal treatments within rheumatology & physiotherapy (day hospital).

H-1118 Budapest, Kelenhegyi út 4.
Telephone: (36-1) 466-6166 | Fax: (36-1) 466-5747

Open: 6.00 a.m. – 7.00 p.m. weekdays & Saturday. Sunday to 5.00 p.m only, and reduced treatments.
Access: tram 18, 19, 47, 49, | Bus 7, 7A and 86
Price: 2 hours ticket, locker 2400 (10 Euro)

Széchenyi Bath & Spa

Szechenyi bath was the first spa of Pest (the bath building built in 1913) and today it is one of the largest and most beautiful medicinal spa & bath complexes in Europe.

Szechenyi baths have 15 thermal pools, dipping pools, heat chambers, saunas and a broad selection of spa treatments. Budapest Széchényi bath is also a day hospital giving advanced physiotherapy and many other health treatments.

H-1146 Budapest, Állatkerti krt. 11.
Telephone: (36-1) 363-3210 | Fax: (36-1) 363-3210/123
Open: 6.00 a.m.- 10.00 p.m. Weekdays & weekends (no treatments)
Access: trolleybus 72 and the millennium underground (metro)
Price: Adult, 2 hour ticket 2000 Ft (8 Euro)

Lukács Baths & Spa

Lukacs medicinal thermal bath is perhaps the most genuine of the Budapest thermal baths with a strong focus on the curative and medicinal aspects. Lucács baths have many medicinal spa treatments like mud baths, jet stream massage, weight baths. The ordinary thermal baths are god for treating degenerative joint diseases and spinal problems. Lukacs thermal baths have also a drinking cure hall built in 1937 where you can dring curative thermal water rich in healthy minerals and salts.

Lukács have 8 thermal pools.
H-1023 Budapest, Frankel Leó u. 25-29.
Telephone: (36-1) 326-1695 | Fax: (36-1) 326-1696

Open: Every day 6.00 a.m.- 7.00 p.m.
Access: bus 6, 60 and 86, tram 4, 6 and 17,
Price: 2-3 hours, locker ticket 1500 Ft (6 Euro)

Palatinusz open air baths & pools

Palatinusz open air baths is a very popular open-air bath with both locals and tourists. Palatinusz baths takes the thermal water from the St. Margit thermal spring. The bath is in a beautiful nature reserve area on Margaret Island. Palatinusz beach baths have eleven pools (one wave pool, three thermal pools, childrens pools, fancy pool, ) sport areas and water playground.

H-1138 Budapest, Margitsziget
Telephone: (36-1) 340-4505
Open: Every day: 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Open: 1st of May until 31 st of August.
Access: Bus 26
Price: Adul, allday ticket 1800-2200 FT (locker or cabin). 7 Euros

Dagaly open air baths

One of the most popular outdoor baths just outside the center of Budapest. Dagaly bath is situated in a big picturesque green park with 10 pools, two thermal pools, adventure pool, wave pool, and childrens pool. Dagaly baths was was established in 1949. The bath has its thermal water piped from the Széchenyi baths. Not as many tourists as the other baths.

36. Népfürd? u. Budapest H-1138
Telephone: (36-1) 452-4556
Open: Every day 6.00 a.m. – 7.00 p.m
Access: Subway 3 | Tram 1 | Bus 133
Price: 2-3 hours, locker 1500 Ft (6 Euros)

The Roman Baths (Romai furdö)

The Roman Baths in Budapest are situated in a nice green park about 30 minutes from central Budapest. The area has been known as a source of thermal water supply since the Roman ages. Aperantly it was a holy site with many interesting archaeological findings keeping the archaeologists busy. The Roman bath has three thermal pools.

H-1031 Budapest, Rozgonyi Piroska u. 2.
Telephone: (36-1) 388-9740
Access: Bus 34 and 106 | HÉV (train) Békásmegyer-Szentendre line
Open: Every day 9.00 a.m. until 8.00 p.m. 31^st of May until 31^st of August.
Price: All day ticket with locker for an adult 1500 Ft (6 Euro)

The Turkish baths: Rudas, Rác, Kiraly & Csásár

For most bath lovers and tourists it is probably the Turkish thermal baths of Budapest together with the Gellert baths and Széchenyi baths that are the most interesting thermal baths of Budapest. The Turkish baths are all situated on the Buda side along the Danube relatively easily accessible with public transportation. It might be god to know that Rác and Kiraly are both popular in the gay community.

Source: termalinform.hu | Budapest spas & hot springs | Budapestinfo.hu

The easy answer is that Szechenyi is the best Thermal bath and spa! But best is a relative word. It is however the most popular according to the official site of Budapest thermal baths spasbudapest.com According to spasbudapest.com the four most popular thermal baths are:

• Szechenyi thermal bath
• Gellert thermal bath
• Rudas & Dagaly (outdoor bath)
• Palatinusz (outdoor bath)

Széchenyi is one of Europe’s largest spa complexes and in our opinion the best of Budapest spas and baths with its 12 thermal pools, the many spa treatments and the beautiful architecture and surroundings. Together with the Gellert thermal baths the two thermal baths probably two of the most beautiful spas in Europe.

So if you only have time to visit one of Budapest spas the choice should stand between the Szécsenyi thermal bath and Gellért thermal bath. Either way chances are you wont be disapointed!