Budapest, Hungary

Széchenyi and Gellért baths

Budapest is the only capital sitting on over a hundred thermal springs, and it built palaces over them.

Best forCouples · Wellness & slow travel · Culture seekers
In March12°C · 7 rainy days
Ideal stayHalf a day at each, within a 2–3 night city break
Approx. flying time~12h 30m from Los Angeles

Széchenyi and Gellért baths, Budapest, Hungary Open in Google Maps Powered by Geoapify · © OpenStreetMap contributors · © OpenMapTiles

CurrencyHUFHungarian forint
LanguageHungarian
Local time15:091h ahead of the UK
PlugsType C / FBring an adapter
Drive on theRightOpposite to the UK
Dialling code+36

Why go

Budapest sits on a field of over a hundred thermal springs and has spent centuries building palaces on top of them. The Széchenyi, in the City Park on the Pest side, is a great yellow neo-baroque courtyard whose outdoor pools steam through the winter; the Gellért, beneath its hill in Buda, is the art nouveau one, with turquoise tiling, stained glass and a quieter, more inward mood.

Doing one of each is the standard advice, and there is no reason to argue with it. Weekday mornings are calmer than weekends, and winter is the better season, since sitting outdoors at 38°C while snow falls is the entire idea. Bring a costume, flip-flops and a towel, or hire them at the door. Two or three nights in the city allows both baths plus the castle district.

Ideal stay: Half a day at each, within a 2–3 night city break
The vibe: Steamy, ornate, gloriously old-fashioned

From our guides

The Széchenyi's canary-yellow courtyard pools steam gloriously in winter, chess players soaking mid-game; the Gellért is the art nouveau jewel, all turquoise tiles and stained glass. Do one of each, go on a weekday morning to dodge the crowds, and thaw out afterwards with chimney cake and mulled wine.

Featured in Ten spa and hot-spring escapes to switch off together

Things to do

Széchenyi's outdoor pools

Three large pools in a yellow courtyard, one hot enough to sit in through a snowfall. The steam and the architecture together are the reason people photograph it.
Chess on the water

Regulars play on floating boards in the warmest outdoor pool, half-submerged and entirely unhurried. Watching is free; joining requires nerve.
The Gellért's interior

An art nouveau hall of turquoise Zsolnay tiles, marble columns and a glass roof, with a thermal section that feels closer to a cathedral than a pool.
Steam and sauna circuit

Both complexes run a full circuit of saunas, steam rooms and plunge pools alongside the thermal water. Massage treatments are booked separately and fill up early.
City Park and Vajdahunyad

Széchenyi stands in a park containing a fantastical castle assembled from copies of Hungarian buildings, plus a boating lake that freezes into a rink in winter.
Chimney cake afterwards

Kürtőskalács, a spiral of sweet dough baked on a spit and rolled in sugar or walnut, sold from stalls. Ideally eaten hot while walking off the heat.

Getting there

Fly to
Budapest (BUD)

Nearest airport to Budapest, about 18km away as the crow flies.
Then
To Budapest

About 30 to 40 minutes from Budapest (BUD) into the centre by taxi, or on the airport bus connecting to metro line 3.
On the ground
Getting around

Metro line 1 stops at Széchenyi Fürdő in the City Park, while the Gellért sits at a tram and metro interchange on the Buda side of Liberty Bridge. Both are simple by public transport.

Public transport: Excellent and cheap: four metro lines, extensive trams and one ticketing system.

Flights

Los Angeles Budapest, Hungary

Flying from

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Roughly 12h 30m in the air from Los Angeles (LAX), estimated from the distance — check for a direct route. Pick a month to see every available flight with live prices.

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When to go

Daytime highs run from about 5°C in January to 29°C in July. Wettest in May, with rain on about 12 days.

The year at a glance — pick a month for detail

March12° · rain 7 daysCool with the odd shower.

Monthly figures averaged from daily records for 2020–2024 at this location (ERA5 reanalysis).

Where to stay

A very large apartment market, plus design hotels in the old Jewish quarter and grand names on the river. Some hotels have their own thermal water, which saves a journey.

Best base overall
District VI, Terézváros

Along Andrássy Avenue, on the metro line that runs to the Széchenyi in one direction and the centre in the other. Elegant streets, good restaurants and a wide choice of apartments.
Find stays in District VI, Terézváros
Best for nightlife
District VII, the Jewish Quarter

The ruin-bar district, packed with bars, street food and hostels, a short metro ride from both baths. Cheap and central, but weekend nights are genuinely noisy until dawn.
Find stays in District VII, the Jewish Quarter
Closest to the sights
Gellérthegy and District XI

The Buda side around the Gellért itself, below the hill, calmer and greener with trams over the bridge. Fewer restaurants, and a walk or tram to the Pest nightlife.
Find stays in Gellérthegy and District XI
Best with children
District V, Belváros

The riverside centre, walkable to the parliament, the market hall and the trams, with larger apartments and hotels. Flat, safe and the priciest district to sleep in.
Find stays in District V, Belváros

Worth knowing before you book: Buy bath tickets online with a time slot to skip the queue, and note that spa parties at the Széchenyi take over some Saturday nights entirely.

Search everything else in Budapest by budget. These are indicative budget bands in GBP per night for two people, not live quotes or guarantees of hotel type. Check your dates, guests, taxes and final price on Booking.com.

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Good to know

Pack this: Swimming costume, flip-flops and a towel. All can be hired but at a mark-up, and a swimming cap is required in the lap pools.
Timing: Weekday mornings are the calmest. Weekends and late afternoons fill up, and the winter months are when the outdoor pools are most enjoyable.
Lockers: Entry is by wristband, which opens an assigned locker or cabin. Cabins cost a little more and are worth it if you want somewhere to change in private.
Etiquette: Shower before entering the water, keep to the posted time limits in the hottest pools and avoid taking photographs of other bathers.
Book ahead: Massages, private cabins and the evening party nights at Széchenyi are all booked separately and sell out, particularly at weekends.