Our Guide to the Széchenyi Thermal Bath

Katarina and I are suckers for hot springs, hot baths, and really anything where you can jump in some soothing warm water to relax for a bit. So when I saw my first picture of Széchenyi Thermal Baths, I added it to my travel bucket list.

These baths are one of the largest and most popular in Hungary. Built in 1913, its age shows in both beautiful and sad ways. Its iconic yellow Renaissance design is an unmistakable homage to Greek mythology. You could visit the baths and take a photo from the outside; you could even tour this wonderful tourist destination without getting your feet wet.

But getting your feet wet is the whole point.

We loved our relaxing day at the baths, soaking in the old school atmosphere, where local culture meets with popular tourism. While visitors (like us!) take selfies, local octogenarians play competitive chess and card games both in and out of the hot waters. Imbibe therapeutic baths that supposedly cure all your ailments, or party like you never have on a Saturday night which will assuredly require you to cure certain ailments on Sunday.

However you choose to enjoy the Széchenyi Thermal Baths pools, it’s an iconic and unmissable thing to do when in Budapest.

Check out our guide to learn more.

Outdoor Pools

Of the 18 total pools at Széchenyi Thermal Baths, 3 of them are outside. These are by far the most scenic of the pools. The middle one is reserved for lap swimming. Likely you won’t spend much time there if you’re here to relax, but hey, if you’re like the locals and want to get in some excercise, go for it.

But if you want to chill (or warm? Sorry, not a great pun here), the two semi-circle pools at other end will more than suffice. These are the famous pools you may have seen in pictures of the Széchenyi Thermal Baths before.

In any case, one of the pools is warmer. It has a single big fountain spraying hot jets of water. This is the more therapeutic, relaxed of the two. Though it did have a slightly greener hue… We loved this one.

It was warm (33 C / 91.4 F) when were there, but when the clouds rolled in, we still enjoyed that hot pool.

The final outdoor pool is the cooler pool. Literally. And figuratively depending on your taste.

It’s filled more with children (supposedly kids below 14 aren’t recommended to come, but you can bring kids in). It’s louder and noisier–or at least it was when we were there. But it’s got seats with jets, a small lazy-river like circuit, and high-pressure shower jets. When it’s really hot out, this is the place to be.

A final note about the outdoor pool: chairs and loungers are in high demand. If you want one, best to arrive at the baths early and claim your spot with a towel and/or bag. Otherwise you’ll find plenty of seating on the ground or on the bleacher-like concrete seats on the second floor overlooking the pools.

Indoor Pools, and Saunas

The Széchenyi Thermal Baths indoor pools are nice break from the outdoor ones. If it’s too hot or cold, depending on what time of year you’re visiting, these are a good bet to cool down or warm up.

The pools themselves range from cold, plunge pools to much hotter thermal baths. The temperatures are posted next to each pool. While these pools are much smaller than the outdoor ones, we usually didn’t have any issue finding a spot within most of them. However, some of the smaller ones really got packed between 2pm – 4pm. You could really only find a spot if you were comfortable sitting on someone’s lap..

While a few of the pools are located in beautiful indoor settings complete with Renaissance style architecture, others are situated in spaces that looked more like you’re in a hospital. Like, a hospital that would be at home in a period-piece horror or something. Basically, they look old.

But hey, the water is still warm and welcoming.

There’s also a pool that is used for water aerobics/exercising. So you can join in if you happen to be around then.

Besides the pools at Széchenyi Thermal Baths, there are multiple steam rooms and saunas. The basement level hosts massive saunas. Smaller steamrooms and saunas are scattered throughout the main floor with the indoor pools. These saunas and steam rooms have themes. These include light therapy, aromatherapy, salt therapy, and other interesting options.

We had a lot of fun hopping between these different options along with the baths and showers.

Entrance Tickets and Opening Times

Your basic entrance fee to Széchenyi Thermal Baths will include access to all the baths, saunas, and lockers. They are cheaper on the weekdays than the weekends. If you show up after 6pm (or 7pm on Sundays), you can get even cheaper tickets. All updated ticket prices are available here.

While you can easily show up and buy tickets at the entrances to the Széchenyi Thermal Baths, you can also buy them online to skip any queues. Check out online ticket purchases here.

You can purchase robes, swim suits, flip-flops, towels, and anything else you might need at the shop near the entrance. There are package deals for some of these amenities if you need them.

The spas are open Monday through Saturday from 7 am to 8 pm and Sundays from 9 am to 9 pm. Check out updated hours and modified schedules here.

Lockers, Cabins, and Safe Boxes

We opted only to use the lockers included with our basic Széchenyi Thermal Baths entrance fee. The lockers are pretty standard size. More than big enough to store a backpack and your valuables. You can use your choice of locker within the locker rooms by using a wristband they give you at the entrance. Your wristband is the key to opening and unlocking your locker. Of course, it’s also waterproof, so you can comfortably wear it like a watch around the pools and saunas.

If you have valuables you really don’t trust to leave in the lockers, you can rent safe boxes too for 1000 Ft. These are more secured and actually insured against theft or loss, so if for some reason your bring some valuable jewelry or electronics, you can rent one of these boxes.

Finally, if you aren’t into big locker rooms and would prefer more privacy, you can rent a cabin. Basically it’s your own private dressing room, which you and your partner/family can use. Again, it’s 1000 Ft for this service.

We opted just to use the lockers. They were more than sufficient for our day bags.

Food and Other Services

There are small snack and beverage stands throughout the Széchenyi Thermal Baths outdoor pool area. There are plenty of soft drink choices, as well as homemade lemonades and alcoholic beverages. The restaurant was insanely busy when we went. It’s a buffet-style, order-at-the-counter thing, so you have to wait in one huge line to pick out some not-so-appetizing-looking food that someone ladles up for you. Maybe there are better options, but we passed on the food there.

The smaller snack bars do offer some concessions if you need something to munch on. Ice cream, potato chips, and even fruits are available.

But if you’re smart and want to minimize time waiting in lines, you can bring your own food and beverages.

There are also a litany of massage offerings for that extra touch of relaxation. We didn’t get massages since we opted to maximize our pool time instead, but you can see their current offerings here.

A Beer Spa is also on offer, which does cost extra. Bath in hot waters filled with ingredients used to brew beer and sip as much beer as you like. This is another thing we didn’t try, but I can’t say I wasn’t intrigued…

Finally, if you want to get extra fancy, consider one of the Széchenyi Thermal Baths Private Spa packages for something really fancy.

Saturday Night Spa Parties

If you want to hit the baths and get a taste of Budapest’s infamous party scene, check out one of the Sparties. Yep, party music, flashing lights, booze, and lots and lots of people. If this sounds great to you, you can book a ticket to the party at Széchenyi Thermal Baths here. I didn’t partake in one of these, but I think it’s certainly one of those once-in-a-lifetime things you do just to say you’ve done it.

Best Time to Visit

The Széchenyi Thermal Baths spas are open all year, so time-of-the-year is less important. Just make sure you bring (or rent/buy) a bathrobe in the cooler months when you’re running from pool to pool.

Other than that, I highly, highly recommend showing up as early as you humanly, comfortably can on a weekday. Weekends are super busy, so avoid them if possible. The pools are so much calmer and more relaxing early in the morning. We were lazy and showed up at 10 am, which gave us a couple hours of relative peace as the crowds slowly moved in. By the time we left late in the afternoon, it was too crowded to comfortably enjoy most of the indoor pools and saunas. Even the big pools were gettin ga little bit full for our tastes.

That being said, if you only have time to visit on the weekend in the middle of the day and don’t mind a lot of people, do visit! It’s wonderful as long as you arrive with the right expectations.

What to Bring

At a bare minimum, bring your swimsuit, flip-flops, and a towel to the Széchenyi Thermal Baths. You can always buy these things when you’re there if absolutely necessary, but you do need flip-flops to walk between pools and around the facilities. If you’re going to swim laps, a swimming cap is necessary (from what I understand). You might also want to bring a bag to keep your things in when you go out to the pools. I do recommend keeping phones and valuables in your locker instead of leaving them outside or in your bag somewhere. But we did bring our phones in the pools to snag a couple photos using our waterproof phone pouches. Finally, if you’re going to use the showers, you do need to bring your own shampoo/shower gel.

How to Get There

The Széchenyi Thermal Baths are located at the beautiful Budapest City Park. It’s of course easy enough to access if you take a taxi or us Bolt. Coming by metro, you can take the M1 to Széchenyi fürdő. Otherwise, a variety of buses stop around the entrance of the park where you can easily walk to the Széchenyi Thermal Baths. I recommend using the Budapest Go app to map your route if you would like use public transit.