A guide to the thermal baths in Budapest

There’s something about public bathing rituals in foreign countries that makes me feel like I have a tonne of eels writhing in my belly.

Will I have to get naked in front of other people?

Are there rules I need to know about before I go?

Will there be a locker?

Are the locker rooms for men and women?

Will I get yelled at if I do something wrong?

Before I can even google these things, I usually talk myself out of going. It’s too hard, too stressful, and as if I’m going to bother getting a bikini wax before a winter weekender.

But the thermal baths in Budapest are always at the top of the ‘things to do’ lists in guidebooks and blogs. Although it made me anxious, I knew I just had to give it a try and so, armed with my swimsuit and a couple of friends who I could share my embarrassment with, I bathed in Budapest.

In the end, it wasn’t as nerve-wracking as I’d imagined, although some bits were way more confusing than they needed to be.

So, to help you navigate the confusing and anxiety-inducing world of thermal baths in Budapest, here’s a little guide to all of the essentials you need to know.

The thermal baths of Budapest

Budapest is home to more thermal and medicinal baths than any other capital city in the world, so there are plenty to choose from. And, with a history dating back to the first century, we can probably assume they’ve kinda nailed this whole bathing thing. You’re in safe hands.

The mineral-rich waters are said to be medicinal, and drinking or bathing in the warm pools is said to help relieve a variety of conditions and diseases.

The most popular, and the biggest of its kind in Europe, is Széchenyi Spa and Swimming Pools. The water here is sourced from over a kilometre under the ground, and by the time it reaches the 18 outdoor baths and pools, the temperature doesn’t drop much below 26 degrees Celsius.

This bath, visited by locals and tourists alike, is a great place to start, if it’s your first Budapest thermal bath experience.

The Art Nouveau and Art Deco Gellért Baths are probably the most visually striking – this was where I went the first time I visited Budapest and I felt like I was bathing inside a cathedral, with intricate tiles and stained-glass windows everywhere you look. It’s smaller than Széchenyi, but no less memorable.

A photo posted by Elle Croft (@elle_croft) on Dec 9, 2013 at 7:19am PST

Other popular baths include: Veli Bej, built during the Turkish occupation of Hungary, which is known for its dome roof, punctuated with small holes that let the sunlight stream through like twinkling stars. Rudas Baths, another Turkish-style bath, looks a little like the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul with its arched stone ceiling. If co-ed swimming fills you with dread, Rudas offers female-only swimming on Tuesdays. There are loads more – I won’t cover them all because I’d just be copying and pasting info from other websites, so head over to this full list of thermal baths in Budapest.

What to bring to the thermal baths

Well, it’s kinda obvious, but you should probably bring your own swimsuit. Surprisingly though, it’s not essential. Not because you can just bathe nude, but because at many of the larger and more popular baths, you can rent (ew) or buy a swimsuit if you’ve forgotten yours. Same goes with towels – best to bring your own, but they can be rented. It’s important to note that the pools aren’t chlorinated, so you don’t have to worry about your favourite swimsuit getting ruined.  Other essentials include:

• Money to pay for your entry
• Flip flops for hygiene and safety
• Swimming cap if you want to go in the serious swimming pools (you don’t need one for many of them)
• Although not technically essential, a robe or coverup is a nice extra, as if you visit the outdoor pools in winter months it’s pretty flipping chilly walking from the lockers to the pools
• As little else as possible, as you’ll have to fit it in a locker.

How much are the thermal baths?

Prices vary from bath to bath, depending on what you want out of your experience.

The price lists you’ll find when you arrive are a little confusing, too. Does it include a locker? Do I want a day pass, or just a morning? AND WILL I HAVE TO BE NAKED?! Argh!

Don’t worry. They’re used to clueless tourists, so the staff will be able to advise the best ticket option for you.

As a rough guide though, when I visited Széchenyi on a weekday I paid HUF 4,700, which included a locker. Gellért is a little more expensive, at HUF 5,100 for the same thing.

The cheapest I could find online was Rudas, where you can get entry and a cabin for HUF 3,200 on a weekday. At the major baths, you can pay this by cash or card.

Massages and other treatments cost more money, and ticket prices for evening pool parties are separate to a regular ticket.

Want to pre-book your ticket? Grab it here.

Will I have to get naked?

Nope.

But if you wanna stay modest, you’ll need to pay extra. For a regular ticket price, you’ll just get a locker in a single-sex changing room. There’s no privacy, but no-one’s looking.

Cabins are around HUF 500 extra. And honestly, I care more about saving money than a few strangers seeing my naked ass, so I happily changed in the public locker room.

Still, it’s good to know the option’s there for those who are a little more self-conscious.

Swimsuits are compulsory in the baths, so you won’t come face-to-face with any old naked dudes, although you will probably encounter a bunch of old dudes in speedos, which isn’t a whole lot better, admittedly.

Anything else I need to know?

I’m not gonna lie; finding your way around the baths is confusing. You will get lost. But when you do, just ask a local and they’ll happily point you in the right direction.

I recommend visiting early in the morning, when it’s a little quieter (you’ll get your pick of the lockers, and there will be a bit more room to relax in the baths), but the night-time parties look like fun, too.

Next time I’m in Budapest, I’ll have to check one out.

Other than that, just go along with it and try not to worry about the etiquette. It’s really not as scary as you might think, and the baths really are divine…

Have you been to any thermal baths in Budapest? What tips would you add?

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