The best spas and baths in Budapest

What is it? Think of Budapest spas and you think of the Széchenyi in City Park, an ornate complex of 13 indoor and three outdoor pools. The classic image of old Hungarians playing chess in the water here is one that’s fading fast – tourists and expats comprise most of the clientele these days.

Why we love it The Széchenyi is a memorable experience, and a must-do for your first time in the city, not least when snowflakes fall from starlit skies over bathers in winter. Year-round pool parties, Sparties, are a regular fixture on Saturday nights.

🤫 Time Out tip: if you're short on time, the evening ticket (Ft6,250-7,000/€15.60-17.50) allows you to experience the Széchenyi for two hours before it closes.

What is it? The adjoining hotel may be closed for long-term renovation but the illustrious Gellért Baths are very much open for business. Done out in the same Art Nouveau style as the landmark lodging overlooking the Danube by Liberty Bridge, the Gellért captures the Silver Age of Budapest between the wars.

Why we love it Marine-tiled interiors and intricately carved columns surround the indoor pool, while in summer, one of the world’s first wave machines has been entertaining bathers for nearly a century. Note the plaque by the embankment opposite the Gellért, marking the spot where seaplanes would whisk visitors to Lake Balaton as part of the Grand Tour.

🤫 Time Out tip: Couples can book their own private bathing space at the Gellért for 90 minutes at a time.

Address: Kelenhegyi út 4, 1118 Budapest

Opening hours: Mon-Fri, Sun 9am-7pm, Sat 9am-10pm

Expect to pay: Mon-Thur Ft 11,000 (€27.50), Fri-Sun Ft 12,500 (€31)

What is it? This charming complex by Elizabeth Bridge is split into three parts: an Ottoman-era steam bath, a swimming pool and a contemporary spa centre. The cupola-covered Turkish bath with its octagonal main pool dates back to the 16th century, a recent makeover doing justice to its heritage status.

Why we love it Bathing is single-sex during the week but mixed at weekends, when the Rudas stays open for special sessions until 3am on Friday and Saturday nights. The rooftop jacuzzi provides front-row seats over the Danube, space at a premium once the stars come out.

Time Out tip: Tickets for the night-time sessions at weekends can only be bought online through the spa website. 

Address: Döbrentei tér 9, 1013 Budapest

Opening hours: Daily 6am-8pm, Fri-Sat also 10pm-3am

Expect to pay: Mon-Thur Ft 9,800 (€24.50), Fri-Sun 12,800 (€32)

What is it? Though nowhere near as grand as the Gellért or Széchenyi, the Lukács appeals to its many regulars thanks to the significantly lower cost of admission and more easily accessible bathing areas. The popular outdoor pool features a communal whirlpool and water chutes for shoulder and back massages.

Why we love it Plaques lining the walls of the luxuriant gardens attest in various languages to the healing power of the thermal waters here, which once soothed weary soldiers on their way back from the Crusades.

🤫 Time Out tip: In summer, the roof is given over to sunbathing, backdropped by the green slopes of Buda.

Address: Frankel Leó út 25-29, 1023 Budapest

Opening hours: Mon, Wed-Sun 7am-7pm, Tue 7am-10pm

Expect to pay: Mon-Thur Ft 6,000 (€15), Fri-Sun Ft 7,000 (€17.50)

What is it? On the western side of Margaret Island, the Palatinus has been entertaining Hungarians young and old for just over a century. Opened just after World War I as Budapest’s first open-air thermal bath and pool complex, revamped in impressive Bauhaus style just before World War II, the Palatinus is full of water features for kids, who flock here in droves all summer.

Why we love it It’s only after a modern-day makeover that the baths opened year-round, allowing adults to take advantage of the 15 pools and various spa treatments, and making it completely family-friendly.

Time Out tip: In summer, the popular wave pool at the Palatinus operates every hour, starting from 10.40am.

Address: Soó Rezső sétány 1, Margaret Island, 1007 Budapest

Opening hours: Daily 9am-7pm

Expect to pay: Ft 5,300-5,800 (€13.25-€14.50). 3-14s Ft 4,100-4,500 (€10.25-€11.25)

What is it? This five-star landmark on Budapest's main boulevard, the Nagykörút, opens its stylish basement baths and wellness area to the public. Named after the original hotel unveiled here in 1896, the Royal Spa features a 15-metre pool, hot tub, steam bath and, above all, fin-de-siècle elegance.

Why we love it Treatments here, facilitated by leading Hungarian skin-care brand Omorovicza and global one ESPA, are a notch above, even for Budapest. You won't get a better swim, sauna and massage in town.

Time Out tip: Of the five treatments currently available, the pre- and post-natal massages are the most specialised, and consist of a series of six sessions.

Address: Erzsébet körút 43-49, 1073 Budapest 

Opening hours: Daily 7am-9pm

Expect to pay: Ft 12,000 (€30) – Sat-Sun call ahead (+36 1 479 4650) for availability.

What is it? Part of a hospital complex near the Lukács Baths, the Veli Bej shares the same 16th-century Ottoman heritage as the Rudas and the long-closed Király here on the Buda side. Only converted for contemporary public use in recent years, this smaller complex operates for specific blocks of time, and your ticket is valid for three hours.

Why we love it Original features like the stone arches and cupola remain from the Turkish era, while the sauna area feels neat and modern, equipped with an ice machine and showers. 

Time Out tip: Expert massages are given on a 30-, 60- and 75-minute basis.

Address: Árpád fejedelem útja 7, 1023 Budapest

Opening hours: Mon-Tue 3pm-9pm, Wed-Sun 6am-noon, 3pm-9pm

Expect to pay: Ft 4,500-6,000 (€11.25-€15)

What is it? The Dagály (‘High Tide’) is of its time, both 1948 when the incoming Communists constructed it in Socialist-Realist style, and 2017 when it was rebuilt to accommodate the adjoining Duna Aréna in order to host the World Aquatics Championships the following year. 

Why we love it On Népfürdő utca (‘People’s Baths Street’) in north Pest, this sprawling complex spans the best of both eras: still appealingly retro-tinged and affordable, it comprises several pools, each given a contemporary makeover. Extensive greenery, backdropped by the Danube and Buda slopes, allows you to plot up here for the day, doing as locals do by spreading out your towel and breaking out the sandwiches. 

Time Out tip: If there's a group of you going, you'll find courts for beach football, beach volleyball and streetball, as well as Teqball tables, all in the same complex.

Address: Népfürdő utca 28-30, 1138 Budapest

Opening hours: Daily 6am-7.30pm

Expect to pay: Ft 4,350-4,700 (€11-11.75)

What is it? Named after the nearby stretch of the Danube where the Romans set up camp 2,000 years ago, the Római is a strand, a summer-only lido full of flumes, slides, splashing and shrieking.

Why we love it It’s great for kids, perhaps not so ideal if you just want a calm soak with a good book – although the grounds are spacious (and shaded) enough for you to find a quieter spot. There’s a large lane pool, too, and kiosks serving the classic Hungarian beach snack, lángos, a mess of fried dough and sour cream.

Time Out tip: Nearby is Római part, an embankment lined with bars and fast-food outlets, where a temporary lido is also set up in summer, this limited stretch of the Danube now clean enough to swim in.

Address: Rozgonyi Piroska utca 2, 1031 Budapest

Opening hours: Daily 9am-7pm

Expect to pay: Mon-Fri Ft 3,700 (€9.25), Sat-Sun Ft 4,200 (€10.50)

What is it? If you’re just after a quality swim for the price of a beer, this historic pool complex on Margaret Island fits the bill perfectly. Designed by Hungary’s first Olympic champion, who won a swimming gold in 1896 then another medal for stadium architecture in 1924, the Alfréd Hajós is where generations of Hungarian athletes have trained for major races. 

Why we love it Redolent of Hungarian Olympic tradition, the Alfréd Hajós allows you to quietly knock out a few lengths with a modest breaststroke in a beautiful setting.

🤫 Time Out tip: In summer, like the Palatinus nearby, the Hajós, as it is known, transforms into a family-friendly lido.

Address: Margitsziget, 1007 Budapest

Opening hours: Mon-Fri 6am-3.55pm, Sat-Sun 6am-6pm

Expect to pay: Ft 2,500 (€6.25)