Besides being a beautiful, budget-friendly city, Budapest is also known for its fantastic spa facilities. Visitors and locals alike are great lovers of these thermal healing spas.
Are you dreaming of feeling the healing effects of thermal springs? Then a trip to Hungary’s capital Budapest is just what you need.
What to expect from the spa facilities in Budapest
Hungary boasts one of the world’s largest thermal water reserves, earning Budapest its well-deserved nickname, the “Spa City.”
Budapest is built on a network of over 100 thermal springs, and 6 of the 11 thermal baths you find in the city are hundreds of years old. These baths preserve old traditions and pass them on to new generations.
Renowned for their relaxing and healing effects, the Budapest baths have always been an important part of local people’s everyday life.
Many meet here to socialize, similar to how we meet at a café or park in the States.
Today, Budapest’s thermal baths go way beyond a dip in the warm springs. Here, you can also enjoy a range health treatments, including massage, saunas, cold dips, swimming in pools, and relaxing at cafés. They even organize “sparties,” or spa parties.
Which is Budapest’s best thermal baths?
How do you choose the right thermal bath in Budapest? Read more below where we recommend 7 of the best baths in Budapest.
Széchenyi Thermal Bath
If you have limited time in Budapest and can only visit one spa, we recommend Széchenyi Thermal Bath.
We suggest you book an entire day there to get the most out of the experience.
These thermal baths are housed in a beautiful Neo-Baroque building and are both the most popular and versatile in the city. It offers nearly 20 different indoor and outdoor pools, as well as a wide range of saunas, steam baths, infrared baths, and aroma baths.
On summer evenings after 10 p.m., one of the city’s most famous sparties is held at the spa. It’s an amazing pool party you’ll never forget.
During the winter months, the steaming thermal baths create a magical vibe. Regardless of the season, Széchenyi Spa is always a great choice.
There can be long queues at the entrance, so it’s smart to buy your ticket online to avoid waiting.
Lukács Thermal Bath
Lukács Thermal Bath has, like many other spas in Budapest, a long history. After a major renovation, it is now a modern spa in the city.
After Gellért, Lukács ranks among the best thermal baths in Budapest. For centuries, it has been known for its health-promoting properties and beautiful architecture.
What makes Lukács unique is the thermal spring’s exceptionally high concentration of different salts and minerals. This unique composition makes the water even more nutrient-rich than at other thermal baths in Budapest.
The spa has two regular pools and several warm pools, plus a wide range of wellness and health treatments like mud baths, salt treatments, and massages.
Gellért Thermal Bath
Gellért Thermal Bath, completed in 1918, it is located at the Danubius Hotel Gellért at the foot of Gellért Hill. It’s one of the most famous spas in Budapest.
The beautiful Art Nouveau building houses several pools: both warm and cold, indoor and outdoor, along with a wide range of spa treatments. Although it’s a bit more modest than Széchenyi Spa, it offers a lovely experience.
The decorative mosaics, marble terraces, and the beautiful light streaming in from the glass roof create a relaxed, romantic atmosphere for a spa weekend.
Gellért Bath also features a wave pool and a hot spa pool that stays at around 40 degrees. It’s also possible to book a private bath for two, including a champagne dinner.
Rudas Thermal Bath
Rudas termiska bad was built in the 1500s and is one of Hungary’s oldest public thermal baths.
It was built during the Turkish occupation, and the original architecture reflects this period. Today, it’s one of Budapest’s most modern and well-known thermal baths.
Besides relaxing in the warm springs, you can enjoy aromatherapy, thermal therapy, relaxing massages, and pedicures.
From the outdoor pool, you have a fantastic view of the Danube River – especially unforgettable in the evenings.
A unique feature of Rudas Spa is that it offers late-night spa sessions on Fridays and Saturdays.
Palatinus Bath
Palatinus was the first spa in Budapest to offer outdoor thermal baths.
With its water slide, wave machine, and fountains, it’s a favorite among children, but adults love it too.
Many baths in Budapest aren’t child-friendly, and thermal baths aren’t always recommended for kids for health reasons. If you’re traveling with your family and want a spa that suits everyone, Palatinus is the best option.
The spa has both cold and hot pools: perfect for cooling down on a hot summer’s day. There’s often plenty of space in both the pools and the surrounding areas.
While you’re there, take a stroll on beautiful, green Margaret Island where the spa is located. Wildflowers, peacocks, hot springs, and waterfalls make the island a wonderful oasis in one of Budapest’s busiest areas.
Veli Bej Spa
Could this be Budapest’s best hidden (spa) secret?
Veli Bej Spa is located in the same building as Hotel Csaszar Budapest and offers a completely different experience compared to the larger spas in the city. It’s beautiful, peaceful, and affordable.
Veli Bej is one of Budapest’s oldest Turkish baths, and you can truly feel the echoes of history inside the atmospheric building.
After a recent renovation, everything is in top condition. Besides the thermal baths, there are therapy pools and an infrared sauna.
Veli Bej is one of the smaller spas in Budapest, but you don’t need to worry about overcrowding as the number of guests is limited to 80 at a time.
Come early in the day to enjoy the spa at its most peaceful.
Royal Spa
Royal Spa, located in the luxurious Corinthia Hotel, is undoubtedly one of Budapest’s most spectacular spa facilities.
The spa opened in the late 1800s and has recently been renovated. Despite the modern updates, you can still feel the old-time glamour.
At Royal Spa, you can swim in the 15-meter-long pool, enjoy the various saunas, and relax in the lounge. You can also try a range of beauty treatments.
This smaller spa represents the modern spa experience in Budapest and is the perfect place for a day of luxury.
The staff also speaks English which is something not always guaranteed at other spas in the city.
Bonus: Thermal Beer Spa
Psst… For couples, we recommend a weekend at the Thermal Beer Spa, where you can literally experience a beer bath.
It’s more romantic than you might think, plus it’s the perfect gift for the man who has everything!
