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Thermal Baths
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If you spend time in Budapest, at least a part
of it should be at the soothing thermal spring baths. The Romans reaped the health
benefits of hot springs here, but it was during the 16th- and 17th- century Turkish
occupation that the bath culture was developed. Some of these spas are still in operation
today. The Király (as seen to
the left), the Rudas and the Rácz are the finest examples.
But there is an array of baths from more recent Hungarian
times, such as the wonderful Art Nouveau Gellért Baths at the luxurious Gellért Hotel.
And the Lavish Széchenyi Baths in the City Park. You will also find plenty of thermal hot
springs and wells throughout Hungary. There are nearly 1,000 of them in the
country,
spewing in towns such as Bük, Balf, Gyula and Hajdúszoboszló.
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The Romans first developed the baths of
Budapest, and the Turks and Habsburgs followed suit. The thermal lake at Heviz is probably
Hungary’s most impressive spa , though public thermal pools at Budapest, Eger, Gyor,
Harkany and Szeged.
Budapest is a major spa centre with
numerous thermal baths that are open to the public. Here the Danube follows
the geological fault separating the Buda Hills from the Great Plain and over 40 million
litres of warm mineral water gush forth daily from more than 100 thermal springs.
Begin your bathhouse tour with the Gellért Baths
(enter
through the side entrance of this Eclectic-style hotel on XI Kelenhegyi út). Built in
1918, the thermal pools here maintain a constant temperature of 44° C and a large outdoor
pool is open in summer. A price list two metres long is posted in English and German
beside the ticket booth. You must wear a bathing cap (supplied) in the swimming
pool. Men
and women are separated in the communal baths and if you’re a couple paying extra for a
two-person tub bath make sure you’ll be allowed in together!
Therapeutical services such as traction
cure, ultrasonic, inhalation and short-wave treatments are available. Everything but the
swimming pool is closed after 2 p.m. on weekends.
There are two famous bathing
establishments near the Buda end of Erzsébet Bridge. The Rudas Baths beside
the river at I Döbrentei tér 9 were built by the Turks in 1566 and retain a strong
Turkish atmosphere. The Rudas Baths are open daily for men only (closed on Saturday
afternoon and Sunday). Women should make for the Rác Baths at the foot of the
hill, on
the opposite side of the bridge, at I. Hadnagy utca 8-I0. The Rác Baths ace reserved for
women on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and for men on Tuesday, Thursday and
Saturday.
Unlike at the Gellért Baths, which are accustomed to receiving tourists, all the posted
information at the Rudas and Rác baths is in Hungarian only. The resulting
confusion is partly compensated for by their lower prices, so be persistent. |
Everyone passing this way should seek out
the ivócsarnok, or well room (closed weekends), which is below the bridge and within
sight of the Rudas Baths. Here you can indulge in the drinking cure for a few
coins. Pay
the cashier who will give you a ticket entitling you to a big mug of hot, slightly
radioactive water.
| The Király Baths,
II Fő utca 84 (metro: Batthyány tér), are genuine Turkish baths erected in 1570. Like
the Rác Baths there are ultimate days for males (Monday, Wednesday and
Friday) and
females (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday). |
If you’d rather bathe in ultramodern
surroundings, try the Hotel Thermál on
Margaret Island. The baths here ace open to the public daily from 7 a.m. to 8
p.m. This
includes the use of the three hot thermal pools and the sauna. If you didn’t bring your
own bathing suit, you’ll have to buy one for about 2500 Ft from the hotel
boutique. This
is Budapest’s cleanest and most modern bathing establishment by far.
The Széchenyi Baths, XIV
Állatkerti út 11, just outside the Széchenyi Fürdő metro station in City Park. A
bathing cap must be worn in the swimming pool. These baths are less tourists than some of
the others, yet large enough so that you won’t stand out. Men and women have separate
sections as at the Gellért.
The easiest way to get to the baths is to
take the metro to Batthyány tér, then tram No 19 south to the Rác, Rudas or Gellért,
or walk north to the Király. To go to Hotel Thermál, take bus No 26 from Nyugati train
station. There are lockers where you can leave your valuables. Some bathhouses require you
to wear a bathing suit while others do not. Have one with you and go with the
flow. Most
of the public baths hire out bathing suits and towels if you don’t have your
own.
Budapest’s ornate public bathhouses are
highly recommended. Be advised, however, that some of the baths become gay venues on
male-only days - especially the Király and Rác. Not much actually goes on except for
some intensive cruising, but those not into it may feel uncomfortable.
CITY OF THERAPEUTIC WATERS
The abundance of medicinal waters in
Budapest is unparalleled even by international standards. The hot springs on the Buda side
were used by the Celts and the Romans, and the name of Aquincum may also refer to the
springs. (The name may be a derivation from the Celtic word for ‘water’, or come from
the Latin aqua quinque, ‘five waters’.) The springs of various temperatures and
therapeutic effects supply a daily volume of 70 million litres. 123 thermal and 400
mineral springs come from 14 sources. Sulphurous water comes from the bore
well on the Margaret Island, most are calcareous therapeutic waters
(Dagály, Gellért, Lukács, Rác, Rudas, Széchenyi and Császár Baths), salty
is the spring of the Pesterzsébeti Bath, while that of the Csillaghegyi Bath is a simple
hot water spring. The water of the swimming pools is mainly supplied by these
springs, therefore medicinal baths and swimming pools are listed together below. Those who
like water, swimming and sunbathing can choose from among twenty places. Hotels which
offer luxury accommodation and medical treatment are: Hotel Aquincum*****,
Thermal Hotel Margitsziget****, Gellért Hotel****.
Csepeli Swimming Pool XXI., Hollandi
út 14. 4 pools, thermal pool, park, sports facilities.
Open: 15 May-31 August Bus 71
Csillaghegyi Bath III., Pusztakúti út 3.
One of the oldest swimming pools, the country’s first pool with artificial waves (1927),
situated on almost 10 hectares on a hillside. Swimming pool, thermal bath. Tepid thermal
water is 24-25 degrees. Sports facilities, hotel.
Open: all year round HÉV Csillaghegy Bus 42.
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Dagály Bath (as seen on
the left) at the 13th district Népfürdő u. 34-36. Medicinal bath, swimming pool with 9
pools, supplied by a
41.5 degree hot spring. Picturesque landscape of 78,000 sq. m. Water-chute, sports
facilities, sauna, massage.
Open: medicinal bath: daily 06.00-19.00 May-August, 06.00-19.00 Mon-Sat, 06.00-16.00 Sun
Sept-April; swimming pool: daily 07.00-19.00 May-August M3 Árpád híd Tram 1
Hajós Alfréd Sports Swimming Pool
XIII.,
Margaret Island. Budapest’s first sports pool. Visited mostly by young people. 2 outdoor
and 1 indoor pools and 1 children’s pool each.
Open: 06.00-18.00 Mon-Fri, 06.00-17.00 Sat-Sun Bus 26
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| Swimming
pools: |
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Kondorosi Swimming Pool XI., Kondorosi út
14. 2 pools in a 1.5 hectare park, tennis courts, fitness club.
Open: 06.00-20.00 Mon-Fri, 06.00-19.00 Sat-Sun June-August; 06.00-20.00 Mon-Fri,
06.00-17.00 Sat-Sun Sept-May Bus 7/A Tram 18, 47
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Lukács Medicinal Bath and Swimming Pool
II., Frankel Leo út 25. Thermal bath with 6 pools, swimming pool with 2
pools, full-range
therapeutic service, solarium. Favourite place for Budapest citizens and artists.
Open: bath: 06.30-19.00 Mon-Fri, 06.30-14.00 Sat, 06.30-13.00 Sun; swimming
pool:
06.00-20.00 Mon-Sat, 06.00-17.00 Sun May-August; 06.00-20.00 Mon-Sat, 06.00-13.00 Sun
Sept-April. Bus 6, 60,86 Tram 1
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Palatinus Swimming Pool
XIII., Margaret Island. 7 pools with different water temperatures in a park of 70,000
sq. m, quality services, artificial waves enjoyed by children particularly.
Water-chute, video arcade, massage.
Open: May-August Bus 26
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Paskál Swimming Pool, XIV., Egressy út
178. 2 pools in a park of 30,000 sq. m, sports facilities.
Open: May-August Bus 77, 82
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Pesterzsébeti Medicinal Bath and Swimming
Pool XX., Vízi Sport út 2.5 pools in a 25,000 sq. m park, video arcade, beach
volleyball, open-air billiards, massage. Excellent therapeutic waters, thermal steam baths
with 4 pools.
Open: medicinal bath: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays for women; Tuesdays,
Thursdays,
Saturdays for men; swimming pool: 15 May-20 August Bus 23, 48
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Pünkösdfürdői Swimming Pool
III.,
Királyok útja 272. Wonderfully landscaped area, 3 pools, ideal for every
generation.
Open: in summer Bus 34 Pleasure boat from Boráros tér
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Rác Medicinal Bath I., Hadnagy u. 8-10.
Turkish-style bath with 4 pools. Massage, solarium, therapeutic exercises.
Open: Mondays, Wednesdays, Friday for women; Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays for men Bus 5,
78, 86, 115 Tram 18
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Riviéra Swimming Pool Cinkota
XVI.,
Állomás tér 1. Lake pool, beach volleyball, open-air billiards, camp site.
Open: May-August Bus 75, 92 HÉV from Örs vezér tere
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Riviéra Swimming Pool Kispest
XIX., Ady
Endre út 99. 2 pools in a 5,000 sq. m park, video arcade, open-air billiards.
Open: May-August Bus 51 Tram 42
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Riviéra Swimming Pool Lőrinc
XVIII.,
Üllői út 454. 2 pools in a 23,000 sq. m park. Fitness salon, solarium, sauna, billiards
room, beach volleyball.
Open: May-August Tram 50
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Római Swimming Pool III., Rozgonyi Piroska
u. 2. The Romans transported the water to the towns through the pipes still seen in
Szentendrei út. 3 pools, water-chute, mini golf, fenced ball game fields, camp
site.
Open: May-August HÉV Rómaifürdő Bus 34, 42 Pleasure boat from Boráros tér
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Rudas Medicinal Bath and Swimming Pool I.,
Döbrentei tér 9. The dome dates back to Turkish times. Pools in the medicinal bath are
of different temperatures (between 28 and 40 degrees). Sauna, massage, therapeutic
massage, drinking cure.
Open: medicinal bath: for men only; swimming pool: 06.00-18.00 Mon-Sat, 06.00-13.00 Sun
Bus 7, 7/A, 86 Tram 18, 19
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Újpesti Medicinal Bath and Swimming Pool
IV., Árpád út 114-120. 5 pools, thermal bath, massage, therapeutic massage.
Open: medicinal bath: 06.30-19.00 Mon-Fri, 06.30-13.00 Sat-Sun; swimming pool: 06.00-17.00
Mon-Sat, 06.00-14.00 Sun M3 Újpest Bus 96
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