Every Thermal Bath in Budapest, Compared
Updated September 2026 · Verified against official and operator sources
Budapest sits on more than a hundred thermal springs, and the eleven public baths built on top of them are not interchangeable. Szechenyi is not Rudas. Gellert, the one most guides still recommend first, is currently closed. Most articles on this pick four or five favourites and describe them in prose; none of the guides that currently rank for this topic put all eleven side by side with comparable data, and none of them break down more than two or three baths individually the way this guide does below.
The table below covers all eleven, verified against budapest.org, each bath's official site where one exists, and Viator or GetYourGuide's live listings for the ones sold online. The sections after it go deeper on the five baths worth planning around, plus a grouped rundown of the six smaller, more local ones.
All 11 baths, side by side
| Bath | Where | What it is | Entry from | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Szechenyi | City Park, Pest | Neo-Baroque, 15 indoor + 3 outdoor pools | from $65.06 (Viator) | Open |
| Gellert | Kelenhegyi u., Buda | Art Nouveau, indoor + outdoor | - | Closed until 2028 |
| Rudas | Danube riverside, Buda | Ottoman, rooftop pool with river view | 12,000 HUF (weekday) | Open |
| Lukacs | Near Margaret Island, Buda | Historic, multiple pools at different temperatures | from $39.03 (Viator) | Open |
| Palatinus | Margaret Island | Family water park, 15 pools incl. 1937 wave pool | from $31.94 (Viator) | Open, seasonal outdoor |
| Kiraly | Fő u., Buda | Ottoman, built 1565, 5 pools + outdoor wooden tub | - | Open |
| Veli Bej | Buda | Ottoman hamam, one octagonal pool, no advance tickets | - | Open |
| Dandar | Pest, south | Small, local, budget option | - | Open |
| Paskal | Pest, outer | Built 1989, refurbished 2016, most modern of the older baths | from $29.57 (Viator) | Open |
| Csillaghegyi Arpad | Csillaghegy, Buda | Opened 2018, 14 pools (4 indoor + 10 seasonal), sauna world | from €22.50 (GetYourGuide) | Open |
| Mandala Day Spa | Ipoly u., Pest | Modern day spa, massage-focused | - | Open |
Entry prices change with season and day of the week at almost every bath on this list, and the affiliate prices above are for the ticket products sold through Viator and GetYourGuide, not always the same as walking up and buying an official on-site ticket. Confirmed as of September 2026.
How to choose between them
Four questions do most of the work:
- First time in Budapest, want the photo? Szechenyi. It is the one every guidebook cover uses, and the range of pools makes it forgiving for a first visit.
- Want the view more than the people-watching? Rudas, for the rooftop pool on the Danube.
- Want fewer tourists and more locals? Lukacs or Kiraly, both used daily by Budapest residents rather than tour groups.
- Travelling with kids? Palatinus, the only one of the eleven built around family use.
The six smaller baths further down the table are worth knowing about mainly if you already have a reason to be in that part of the city, not as a special trip on their own; more on each of them below.
Why Gellert is not on this list as an option
Gellert Baths closed for a full renovation on 1 October 2025, and the operator's own timeline puts reopening in 2028: a 51 million euro project covering the Art Nouveau interior, the outdoor wave pool and a new wellness area. It is still one of the most searched thermal baths in Budapest, which means a real share of the people looking for it right now do not know it is shut. If you already had a Gellert visit planned, Szechenyi, Lukacs and Rudas are the three baths closest to it in character.
Szechenyi, in more detail
Szechenyi is the largest medicinal bath in Europe and the one every Instagram photo of Budapest baths is taken at: a mustard-yellow Neo-Baroque complex in City Park with three large outdoor pools and fifteen indoor ones. It is also the busiest, and the entry price and current opening hours change often enough that it gets its own page.
Private Entrance to Szechenyi Spa, with Optional Massage
An entry ticket to Szechenyi with a private entrance, bought ahead so you skip the ticket counter. The most-reviewed Szechenyi product on Viator by a wide margin, with an optional massage add-on.
Full guide, current hours and everything that catches first-time visitors out: Szechenyi Thermal Bath.
Rudas, for the view
Rudas sits on the Danube riverside on the Buda side, an Ottoman-era bath whose rooftop pool looks straight across the river to the Pest skyline. It is the one bath on this list built specifically around that outlook rather than added to it.
Unlike Szechenyi, Lukacs and Palatinus, Rudas is not sold as an online ticket through Viator or GetYourGuide: entry is bought directly, at around 12,000 HUF on a weekday, so plan to pay in person rather than assuming you can prepay online the way you can at the bigger baths.
Lukacs, for fewer tourists
Lukacs, near Margaret Island on the Buda side, is one of Budapest's older working baths, built around multiple pools at different temperatures rather than one large complex. It draws a noticeably more local crowd than Szechenyi, day-pass regulars rather than tour groups.
Full-Day Admission to Budapest Lukacs Thermal Bath
A full-day entry ticket to Lukacs, bought ahead rather than relying on the ticket counter. Far fewer reviews than Szechenyi's product, in keeping with how much less touristy the bath itself is.
Palatinus, for families
Palatinus, on Margaret Island, is the only one of the eleven baths built specifically around family use: fifteen pools in total, including a wave pool dating to 1937, plus dedicated play pools for younger children alongside the thermal pools for adults. It runs as a seasonal outdoor complex rather than a year-round indoor one.
Budapest Palatinus Bath Full-Day Admission
Full-day entry to Palatinus with skip-the-line access, useful in summer when the outdoor pools and slides draw the biggest crowds on Margaret Island.
Kiraly, Veli Bej, Dandar, Paskal, Csillaghegyi Arpad and Mandala Day Spa
The remaining six baths are worth knowing about, not necessarily worth planning a trip around on their own.
Kiraly, on Fő utca in Buda, is another Ottoman-era bath, built in 1565, with five pools plus an outdoor wooden tub, one of the oldest continuously operating baths in the city. Veli Bej, also in Buda, is a smaller Ottoman hamam built around a single octagonal pool; it does not sell advance tickets online at all, so it is walk-up only.
Dandar, in southern Pest, is a small, local, budget-priced bath without the architecture of the bigger names. Paskal, in outer Pest, was built in 1989 and refurbished in 2016, making it the most modern of the older baths; it sells an entry ticket through Viator, from $29.57.
Csillaghegyi Arpad, opened in 2018 in the Csillaghegy district of Buda, is the newest of the eleven, with fourteen pools, four indoor and ten seasonal outdoor ones, plus a dedicated sauna area, priced from around €22.50 through GetYourGuide. Mandala Day Spa, in Pest, is a modern, massage-focused day spa rather than a historic public bathhouse.
Frequently asked questions
Is Gellert Baths open?
No. Gellert closed for a major renovation on 1 October 2025 and is not expected to reopen before 2028. The closure covers the entire complex: indoor pools, the outdoor wave pool, saunas and the treatment areas. Szechenyi, Rudas and Lukacs are the usual substitutes, and several older guides online still list Gellert as open, so double-check before you build a day around it.
Which thermal bath is best for a first visit to Budapest?
Szechenyi, for two reasons: the Neo-Baroque building is the one everyone pictures when they think of Budapest, and it has the widest range of pools and temperatures for a first-timer. It's also the most crowded, so go early on a weekday if you can.
How many thermal baths are there in Budapest?
Eleven that are commonly listed as the city’s real public thermal baths: Szechenyi, Rudas, Gellert, Lukacs, Palatinus, Kiraly, Veli Bej, Dandar, Paskal, Csillaghegyi Arpad and Mandala Day Spa. Budapest sits on more than a hundred thermal springs in total, but most of those never became public bathhouses.
Which Budapest thermal bath has the best view?
Rudas, by a clear margin. Its rooftop pool sits right on the Danube with a panoramic view across to the Buda side, and it is the one bath on this list built specifically around that outlook rather than added to it.
Which thermal baths in Budapest are good for families with kids?
Palatinus, on Margaret Island. It is the only one of the eleven built around family use: water slides, a wave pool dating to 1937 and dedicated play pools for younger children, alongside the thermal pools for adults.
Do you need to book thermal bath tickets in advance in Budapest?
For Szechenyi, Lukacs and Palatinus, only if you want a guaranteed time and to skip the ticket counter: all three sell advance tickets online, and Szechenyi in particular gets busy enough in summer that walking up without one can mean a real wait. Veli Bej is the opposite case: it does not sell advance tickets at all, so it is walk-up only.
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