Thermal baths · 6 of the best in Budapest
Budapest’s thermal baths: the back story
The back story
About Budapest’s thermal baths: the back story
Budapest sits on a geological fault, and more than a hundred hot springs rise beneath the city. People have bathed in them for nearly two thousand years, and the city’s baths, from Ottoman domes to grand early 20th-century palaces, are among the great experiences of Europe.
A city on hot springs
Budapest sits on a fault line where the Buda Hills meet the Great Hungarian Plain, and warm, mineral-rich water rises from deep underground in more than a hundred springs. The Romans, whose town of Aquincum stood in today’s Óbuda, built baths here, and the name itself is a reminder of the water.
The Ottoman baths
During the century and a half of Ottoman rule in the 16th and 17th centuries, Buda gained its first great bath houses. Rudas and Veli Bej still have their Ottoman domes and octagonal pools, lit by small windows in the roof, and they remain some of the most atmospheric places to bathe anywhere.
People have bathed in Budapest’s hot springs for nearly two thousand years.
The age of the bath palaces
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Budapest called itself a spa city and built bath palaces to match. Széchenyi, opened in 1913 in City Park, is one of the largest bath complexes in Europe, with outdoor pools that steam even in winter. The Art Nouveau Gellért Baths, with their mosaics and columned pool, became one of the most photographed interiors in the city.
Closed for restoration
Some famous baths are currently closed. The Gellért Baths closed on 1 October 2025 for a major renovation, with reopening planned for around 2028. The Ottoman Király Bath has been closed since around 2020, and the historic Rác Bath has been closed for more than twenty years while plans for its restoration continue. Check the official websites for the latest news.
How to visit
Bring a swimsuit, flip-flops and a towel, or rent them on site. Arrive early in the morning or later in the evening to avoid the busiest hours, drink plenty of water, and do not stay too long in the hottest pools. Some sections have different rules on different days, so check each bath’s timetable before you go.
Our advice: start with Széchenyi for the grand experience, then try Rudas or Veli Bej to feel the atmosphere of the Ottoman baths, and Lukács to bathe with the locals.
Why it's on our list
- Hot springs used since Roman times
- The Ottoman baths of the 16th century
- The grand bath palaces of the early 20th century
- Which baths are closed for restoration
- How to visit
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Budapest’s thermal baths: the back story before you go.