Budapest Baths

I went to the Szechenyi last March. It was a blast! This is the main public bath. I was the only tourist there. I went very early in the morning. It was in the upper 30's but the water felt so good. I didn't want to get out.

We were in Budapest in October and also went to the Szechenyi Baths. We enjoyed this--it was a highlight of our visit to Budapest. It was a bit confusing using the lockers to store our clothes. Upon checking in and paying you are given a plastic card which goes into the slot behind the lock. Otherwise the door will not lock nor will the key on a wristband release. Don't forget to take flip flops. Enjoy your Budapest visit!

I was so excited about experiencing the baths when we were in Budapest a couple of years ago that I allowed a 1/2 day for them.

We went to the Gellert and that little voice inside me said ask for a tour 1st...even though I had been talking and planning on doing this for at least 8 months.

I'm so glad I did, the hygiene was disgusting...

A LOT of mold in many of the areas and the smell was putrid..a very strong feces smell

and I decided against it...

so whatever bath you decide on ...ask for a tour 1st...

Another vote for the Szechenyi Baths. It was a nice experience. We stayed for about two hours. We took the metro (subway?). I don't remember the name of the line but we caught it right in front of the opera house. It will take you very close to the baths. I would leave camera/valuables at the hotel. Take just a little money, a swimsuit, and flip flops. Enjoy.

Thanks for the feedback and advice. We're looking forward to trying out a bath house even in chilly December.

That is not the first time I have heard negative comments about the Gellert Baths--very disgusting and it is hard to imagine why because the Gellert Hotel is very upscale and nice. You will find the baths at Szechenyi to be very clean and well kept. There was a chlorine foot wash that you walk through before entering the pool. The big surprise for us was the fact that we found no English spoken on the day we were there and had to figure out the lockers for ourselves. We took towels from our B&B--they suggested that we do so. The flip flops will come in handy because some deck areas are a bit slippery. Also, you may want to bring soap as the showers have none.

Hi Mike,

I just got back from another trip to Budapest. I've been there 5 times now and one of the major reasons I keep going back is the bath houses. They really are the best in Europe.

The Gellert baths are nice, but touristy. The Rudas baths are recently renovated and are a small Turkish bath house at the foot of Gellert Hill. My favorite though is Szechenyi Baths. I agree with RS when he says they are the best in Europe.

Szechenyi Furdo (bath house) has also been recently renovated (some areas are still). These baths offer the most diversity: bubbles and jets, current pool, large open pools to move around, inside and outside pools, relaxation or an intellectual game of chess with the locals.

Szechenyi is located in City Park, slightly northwest of the city center. The easiest way to get there is the M1 (orange) metro line. The baths have their own stop.

Any other questions, just ask.

I been to both and loved them both. The Gellert was beautiul and elegant and I dont remember them being moldy and dirty, but that was couple of years ago. The Szechenyi Bathswere alot of fun and interesting., If you have time do a couple of them. Its a great memory>>

We just got back, barely escaping from the Budapest airport strike. We went to both Gellert and Szechenyi baths and enjoyed both. The exterior of Gellert is under renovation but the inside is fine. Clean and well run. We even had a Tai massage there. We used the outdoor baths at Szechenyi and boy, was it cold going from one to the other but nice once we were in the warm water. We would recommend either bath house as a great place to spend a few hours and relax. Overall, Budapest was a terrific five day visit for us.