Széchenyi Thermal Bath in Budapest
The Széchenyi Thermal Bath in Budapest, Hungary
Day Trip to Széchenyi Thermal Bath in Budapest
Metro to City Park
After the free walking tour the day before, we had a slower morning than anticipated with coffee and breakfast in our studio apartment in central Budapest.
We packed our swim bags and took the yellow M1 metro line. Finding the Deák Ferenc underground station around the corner from our accommodation was easy.
Di thought it was five stops. We were on the historic old line, which we had heard about the day before on our Budapest walking tour.
It has terrific historic platforms and wall tiles and feels very authentic. We got off after five stops at the Bajza utca station. We realized this was not our stop once we were out of the station.
The main adventure pool at Széchenyi Thermal Bath
Back at the platform, we checked the map and found out it was actually seven stops to the City Park. Trains come every 2-5 minutes, so it was not a problem. Shortly after, we arrived at City Park and the Baths.
At 9:20 a.m., there were not many people around. The baths are easy to see when you come up from the underground. Follow the path around to the front of the building.
Online Tickets
We had bought tickets online to avoid lineups, but on this early December day, there were no lineups. The tickets were HUF 12,536, €38.00, €19.00 each, or about $26.00. We had directions to the help desk but found customer service to be somewhat lacking.
The steam is rising - Széchenyi Thermal Bath
We went downstairs to separate change rooms and ventured outside to the large pool. Ahhhh, this is what we are talking about.
The signs said 28 degrees in the water and 4 degrees outside. It was 9:34 am when we entered and 12:28 pm when I finally got Di out of the pool :)
An there’s Di in the mist :)
As the day went on, more guests arrived. We moved to the pool at the other end, but it was not quite as warm. The adventure pool had a current ring, fountains, and sprays you could stand beneath to self-massage your neck and shoulders. It was lovely to float and enjoy.
There are stairs along the edges where you can lie and massage your neck. The distance between steps is perfect to support your body.
Fres style swimming at Széchenyi Thermal Bath - Budapest
Inside are a series of pools with different temperatures and mineral content. We made our way through them. We used our Teva shoes and Birks rather than flip-flops. It would have been easier with flip-flops.
The smell of minerals was strong inside, and we agreed that the outside pools were our preference. We did not try the sauna or steam rooms. After trying all the indoor pools, we made our way back outside to the adventure pool and ended up in the same pool where we started.
A great place to relax on a December morning, Széchenyi Thermal Bath
Morten showered and got the phone to take some photos (all photos in this post were taken with an iPhone. I showered, and we met for some snacks we had brought.
City Park
We wandered briefly through the City Park to the skating rink and saw a few Christmas stalls. Vajdahunyad Castle is located in the park. The whole area looked very cozy, and I am sure it would have been magical all lit up at night.
Széchenyi Thermal Bath, Budapest
Metro Back to The City
We took the metro back to the city center. For the rest of the day, we relaxed, Morten did some editing and blog work, and Di binge-watched Virgin River on Netflix. We were both achy after the time at the pools.
We did laundry, hung out, and went to bed early. It was raining for the rest of the day.
To read our other entries from Budapest:
One of the outdoor pools is dedicated to swimming laps at Széchenyi Thermal Bath
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