Thermal baths in Budapest
Budapest straddles the Danube, with the hills of Buda on the west bank and flat Pest on the east, and its thermal baths are on both sides. They range from Ottoman domes in Buda, such as Rudas and Veli Bej, to Széchenyi in City Park and open-air baths with pools that stay open in winter, Palatinus on Margaret Island among them.
- Baths11
- Water34 to 42°
- Hot rooms90 to 100°
Baths in Budapest compared
Entry, swimwear rules, age limits and ticket type, side by side.
| Bath | Entry | Swimwear and rules | Age | Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Dagály Thermal Bath, Open-air Bath and Swimming PoolBudapest |
| Swim cap required in the swimming pools. | none stated | Day ticket |
| 2Dandár Thermal BathBudapest |
| Swim cap required in the swimming pools. | 14+ | Day ticket |
| 3Gellért Thermal BathBudapest | Closed for renovation until 2028 | Not known yet. Official site · Know it? Tell us | none stated | Day ticket |
| 4Király Thermal BathBudapest | Closed, no reopening date announced | Not known yet. Official site · Know it? Tell us | none stated | Day ticket |
| 5Lukács BathBudapest |
| Swimwear made for swimming only in the pools; swim cap required in the swimming pools. The sauna world is swimsuit-free. | 14+ | Day ticket |
| 6Palatinus Thermal and Open-air BathBudapest |
| Swim cap required in the outdoor swimming pool. | none stated | Day ticket |
| 7Paskál Thermal and Open-air BathBudapest |
| Swim cap required in the swimming pools. | none stated | Day ticket |
| 8Pesterzsébet Iodine-Salt Thermal and Open-air BathBudapest |
| Swim cap required in the swimming pools. | none stated | Day ticket |
| 9Rudas Thermal BathBudapest |
| Co-ed Turkish bath sessions are in swimwear: Monday, Thursday and Friday from 11:00, and all weekend. | 14+ | Day ticket |
| 10Széchenyi Thermal BathBudapest |
| Swimwear made for swimming only: no street clothes, leggings or underwear in the pools. Swim cap required in the lap pool. | 14+ | Day ticket |
| 11Veli Bej BathBudapest |
| Mixed at all times; swimwear required. | 14+ | Day ticket |
Every bath in Budapest
Open all year unless the hours say otherwise.
1Dagály Thermal Bath, Open-air Bath and Swimming Pool
Thermal bath, Budapest
Dagály opened in 1948 on water from the Béke thermal well, drilled in 1944 to 125.9 m, and was rebuilt for the 2017 FINA World Championships.
2Dandár Thermal Bath
Thermal bath, Budapest
Dandár opened in 1930 as a sanitary bath in Dandár Street and was later rebuilt as a medicinal thermal bath.
3Gellért Thermal Bath
Thermal bath, Budapest
Gellért opened in 1918 at the foot of Gellért Hill, a Secession building under a baroque dome.
35 to 40°Closeduntil 20284Király Thermal Bath
Thermal bath, Budapest
Budapest Spas lists the Király Thermal Bath at Fő utca 84 in Buda's Víziváros among its baths.
Closed5Lukács Bath
Thermal bath, Budapest
Healing baths have stood on this Buda site since the Knights of Saint John settled here in the 12th century, and grateful guests left marble tablets of thanks on the courtyard wall.
6Palatinus Thermal and Open-air Bath
Thermal bath, Budapest
The Palatinus has run on Margaret Island since 1919, and its Bauhaus building by István Janáky and György Masirevich went up in 1937.
7Paskál Thermal and Open-air Bath
Thermal bath, Budapest
Paskál opened in 1989 as a summer-only open-air bath with two pools, fed by a 1,735 m well that brings up water at 70 °C.
8Pesterzsébet Iodine-Salt Thermal and Open-air Bath
Thermal bath, Budapest · The iodine-salt well is out of order; the therapeutic pool runs on Szent Erzsébet medicinal water
Iodine-salt medicinal water was found here by the Danube in the 1930s, and a domed stone bath with an octagonal pool was built around it.
9Rudas Thermal Bath
Thermal bath, Budapest · Turkish bath is men only on Monday, Thursday and Friday mornings and all day Wednesday, women only on Tuesday
A 16th-century Ottoman bath at the Buda end of Elisabeth Bridge, with an octagonal pool under a 10 m dome on eight pillars and a rooftop pool over the Danube added in 2014.
10Széchenyi Thermal Bath
Thermal bath, Budapest
Széchenyi opened in City Park in 1913 to plans by Győző Czigler, and its water comes from the Saint Stephen Well, drilled in 1938.
11Veli Bej Bath
Thermal bath, Budapest · Closed daily from 12:00 to 15:00 for the water change; tickets are for 3 hours and sold at the desk only
An Ottoman bath built in 1574 under the pasha Sokollu Mustafa and run again by the Brothers Hospitallers since 2000.
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Questions about Budapest
Is Gellért Bath in Budapest open?
No, Gellért is closed for renovation, and Király has been closed since March 2020 with no reopening date. Rudas, Széchenyi, Lukács, Veli Bej, Dandár, Palatinus, Paskál, Pesterzsébet and Dagály are open, and Veli Bej sells 3-hour tickets at the desk only.
Which Budapest baths have single-sex days?
Rudas, in its Turkish bath: men only on Monday, Thursday and Friday mornings and all day Wednesday, women only on Tuesday. The co-ed sessions there are in swimwear. Veli Bej is mixed at all times, with swimwear required.
Can you go to a Budapest bath at night?
Yes, at Rudas, which reopens for night bathing on Friday and Saturday nights with its own ticket. At Széchenyi, bathing runs late on Friday evenings.
Do you need a swim cap in Budapest's baths?
Only in the swimming pools. Széchenyi requires one in the lap pool, Palatinus in its outdoor swimming pool, and Lukács, Dandár, Paskál, Pesterzsébet and Dagály in their swimming pools. Széchenyi and Lukács want swimwear made for swimming, and Lukács's sauna world is swimsuit-free.
Can you swim outdoors in Budapest in winter?
Yes, at several baths. Palatinus on Margaret Island keeps a 40 m outdoor pool, reached through a heated corridor, and an outdoor thermal sitting pool open in winter, and Dagály's two outdoor thermal pools run all year. Pesterzsébet's outdoor swimming pool stays open in winter, and at Paskál the outdoor pool is covered by a tent.