Szechenyi Thermal Baths

Budapest sits on hundreds of thermal springs, and the Szechenyi Baths are its grandest expression, a vast neo-baroque palace of yellow in the City Park holding a maze of indoor thermal pools and, outdoors, great steaming basins where locals soak, swim and famously play chess on floating boards, even as snow falls in winter.

History

Between 1865 and 1875 Vilmos Zsigmondi drilled a well 975.36 metres deep under the park, which later became the source of the bath's water. Planned from the 1880s as the "Artesian bath", it was built in Neo-Baroque style to the design of Győző Czigler, begun on 7 May 1909 and opened on 16 June 1913 under the name of István Széchenyi, with more than 200,000 bathers in its first year; a second spring was found in 1938 at a depth of 1,256 metres and 77 °C, and the baths were fully refurbished between 1999 and 2009 (Wikipedia, Széchenyi thermal bath).

What's there

• The grand outdoor pools - the steaming neo-baroque basins, magical in the cold.
• The chess players - the locals playing chess in the warm water.
• The indoor thermal pools - the maze of hot mineral pools inside.
• The saunas and spa - the wider spa facilities.

When to go

Year-round; winter, when steam rises from the warm outdoor pools into the cold air, is the most atmospheric. Weekday mornings are calmer than the busy weekends and party nights.

What to expect

It is a working public bath as well as a sight, so it is busy, especially at weekends and during the night bath parties. Bring or hire a towel and follow the ticket and locker system, which can be confusing. It is a genuine local ritual, not just a tourist spa.

Nearby

The City Park, Heroes' Square and the Vajdahunyad Castle are alongside.