Budapest best known liquid currency is its thermal waters offering plenty of possibilities for relaxation and leisure time. Here are the top 5 thermal baths in details so you can choose what fits you the most.
Budapest best known liquid currency is its thermal waters offering plenty of possibilities for relaxation and leisure time. Here are the top 5 thermal baths in details so you can choose what fits you the most.
Széchenyi is one of the largest spa complexes with its 21 pools in Europe and its medical waters are sourced from the second deepest well in Budapest. Its original temperature is 76 C, but the hottest pool is no more than 38 C. You can also drink its medicinal water, but not directly from the pools. The bath was built in a modern renaissance style with lavishing forms and statues at the beginning of the 20th century and it is the only one in Pest. Around the inside pools there are different kinds of saunas and relaxing areas and water gymnastic is offered hourly for all ages. You can spend a whole day just trying all of them out. Of course you can indulge in all other wellness services for an additional fee. If you like having a kind of busy and a very international vibes then it is your place.
The impressive building of St. Gellért Thermal Bath and its hotel was built in secessionist style at the beginning of the 20th century directly at the bank of the river Danube, in Buda. The interior designs around the pools were made by the famous Zsolnay porcelain factory from special granite to make it luxurious. Until the end of the communist time women and men had separated side, but today you can enjoy the reunion of the bikinis and swimming trunks. Besides the thermal pools the entry ticket includes a Finnish style of sauna, steam chambers, a bubble bath and an outdoor surf-bath making waves hourly which is unique in whole Europe. Of course all other exotic spa services are also available to the visitors. It fits for a younger crowd until up to 60.
This bath has been around a long time since the time of crusades in the dark Middle age. Then during the Turkish occupation it became the favorite bath of a Turkish Pasha and during their occupation they built a lot of baths for themselves which later became known as Turkish baths. It has the typical Turkish columns and archway around the pool. After recapturing Buda from the Turks in 1686 St. Lukács became a popular spot for visitors from all over the world. Many of those who were cured by its precious water placed marble memorial tablets on the walls. By the way this thermal water is considered to be the most medically effective. Other services available without extra charge: Finnish sauna, steam chambers, etc an ice machine, Himalayan salt wall, a giant sunbathing terrace, solarium, aqua fitness. It is a kind of meeting place for local artists, intellectuals and some politicians. So if you enjoy a kind of more contemplating atmosphere and quietness then it is your place.
It’s also a renewed old Turkish bath having the biggest pool of the region in the middle of it with a modern version of the typical Turkish archway above it. Outside you can still see the original central cupola with its four domes surrounded by a modern “shell”. In 1806 the bath got a new owner, the Ordo Hospitalarius which also operates a hospital next to it. Since that time until recently it was called the emperor’s bath. Instead of using chlorine to clean its medicinal water, the pools are totally filled up four times a day through a special filter system. Its holding capacity is 80 people at a time therefore you can stay only for three hours max. Veli Baj has two steam baths, Finnish Sauna, massage showers with ice machine, infra sauna, Kneipp walking way and a swimming pool. It is very beautiful and the coziest of all it is recommended for the older generation, too.
This Turkish bath lies directly at bank of the Danube River next to the Elizabeth Bridge and its central dome is almost 500 years old. In the 20th century the thermal pools were open only for men, but after its reconstruction the ladies also got one day, Tuesday and the weekend became a possibility for both sexes but only in swimming suits. On Friday and Saturday evening from 10 pm to 4 am you can go for night swimming, without the Saunas. Few years ago a wellness section was added including a rooftop pool with a glass dome above it, so you have a beautiful view on Budapest while relaxing in the water. During the week days it is a really classical experience for all ages.
Nearby, just at the foot of Elisabeth Bridge there is a drinking hall offering three kinds of healing water for specific disorders.
