Széchenyi Baths Budapest: Prices, Hours, Pools and Tips

This guide is part of our Budapest Travel Guide — start there for the overview, itineraries and costs.

Széchenyi Thermal Bath is a 1913 Neo-Baroque spa in Budapest's City Park with 3 outdoor pools, 13 indoor pools and 10 saunas and steam rooms. A daily ticket costs 13,200 HUF (about €36) Monday to Thursday and 14,800 HUF (about €40) Friday to Sunday; the bath opens daily at 7am (8am at weekends) until 8pm, or 10pm on Fridays, and sits next to Széchenyi fürdő station on the yellow M1 metro line.

Széchenyi at a Glance

Széchenyi Bath Ticket Prices 2026

There is one daily ticket for all ages: no child, senior or family rates, and no half-day tickets. Every ticket lets you stay until closing time. Prices below are from the bath's official 2026 price list; euro amounts are approximate.

Peak season pricing applies on national holidays (including Easter, Pentecost, Christmas and New Year's Eve). For the rest of 2026, the bath lists 18 December 2026 to 6 January 2027 as peak season. Check the official price list before you go.

Which Ticket to Buy

• Daily ticket: enter at any time during opening hours through the main Bath entrance. When the bath is full you may have to queue, and online tickets get priority.
• Fast Track: skips the queue at the separate Spa entrance. It comes as a morning ticket (enter by 11am) or an afternoon ticket (enter after 3pm), and you can't switch between the two.
• Good Morning Budapest: the cheapest entry. You can only buy it in person, Monday to Friday between 7am and 9am, and you must be inside by 9am. It is valid all day.
• Cabin vs locker: the standard locker is about the size of a backpack. A private cabin is lockable, holds suitcases, and one cabin can be shared, so two people can buy one cabin ticket and one locker ticket.

Buying and Using Tickets

Online tickets cost the same as tickets bought at the door and can be booked up to 180 days ahead on the official webshop (tickets.szechenyibath.hu). They can't be refunded or moved to another date. At the bath you swap your QR code for a wristband, which also opens your locker. A booking number on its own isn't enough. The self-service machines at the main entrance (opposite the Circus) take cards only; the ticket offices at the Steam entrance near the metro also take cash in forint.

Budapest Card: holders get 20% off the standard daily ticket with locker, bought on site at the Steam entrance. The discount doesn't apply to Fast Track, Good Morning, Private Spa or Dayspalm tickets.

Opening Hours

The bath is open every day of the year. On holidays and peak-season days it follows weekend hours and opens at 8am, and on 25 December 2026 and 1 January 2027 it closes at 8pm. Cash desks close an hour before the bath does. The official opening hours page lists one-off changes.

What's Inside: Pools, Temperatures and Saunas

Outdoor Pools

The three outdoor pools are in the courtyard and keep the same hours as the rest of the bath.

• Thermal pool (P1): 36–38 °C, 1.4 m deep. This is the warm pool known for the chess players.
• Swimming pool (P2): a 50-metre lap pool at 26–28 °C, 1.4–1.7 m deep. A swim cap is required. It is closed for maintenance from 8 to 23 October 2026.
• Leisure pool (P3): 32–34 °C, 1.2 m deep.

Indoor Pools

Inside there are 13 more pools in two wings, ranging from 18 °C cold plunges to 40 °C hot pools:

• Thermal area (7 pools): an indoor swimming pool at 28 °C, pools at 30, 34, 36 and 38 °C, and a 20 °C cold plunge.
• Steam area (6 pools): pools at 35, 36 and 38 °C, a 40 °C hot plunge, and cold plunges at 18 °C and 20 °C.
• Medical area (3 pools): a 30 °C fitness pool, a 34 °C weight pool and a 32 °C semicircular pool, open only with a medical prescription.

The bath recommends staying about 20 minutes at a time in the indoor medicinal pools.

Saunas and Steam Rooms

There are 10 heat rooms. The saunas are the Volcano (70–80 °C), the Dante and Phoenix (80–90 °C each), two aroma saunas (50–55 °C) and an event sauna. The steam and salt rooms are a salt inhalation steam room (50–55 °C), an aquarium steam cabin and a steam cabin (50–60 °C each), and a salt chamber (35–40 °C). Free sauna rituals run on weekdays; ask at the bath for times. You must sit on a towel in the saunas, and phones and other electronic devices aren't allowed inside.

Extras

Massages start at 11,800 HUF (≈€32) for 20 minutes or 19,000 HUF (≈€52) for 45 minutes. Private Spa rooms for couples start at 30,000 HUF per person on weekdays.

What to Bring (and What You Can Buy There)

The bath doesn't rent towels, robes or slippers, and none are included in a daily ticket. Bring your own or buy them at the on-site shop, which doesn't stock every size:

You can bring your own food but not alcohol. Food and drink are only allowed on the terrace and in the on-site restaurant, which serves breakfast from 8am and Hungarian hot dishes at lunchtime. Losing your wristband or key costs 3,000 HUF.

How to Get to Széchenyi Baths

• Metro: take the M1 (yellow) Millennium Underground to Széchenyi fürdő, the stop before the Mexikói út terminus. The line starts at Vörösmarty tér and calls at Deák Ferenc tér, Opera, Oktogon and Hősök tere on the way, and the bath's Steam entrance is near the station.
• Trolleybus: route 72 stops at the bath.
• Fare: a single BKK ticket costs 500 HUF (≈€1.40), and a 24-hour travelcard costs 2,750 HUF. When the M1 is closed for works, replacement buses use the trolleybus 72 stop, so check BKK's service updates first.
• Car: the bath has no car park. Nearby street parking in the Zugló zone costs 450 HUF an hour on workdays from 8:00 to 20:00, with a 3-hour limit.

There are three entrances. The main Bath entrance opposite the Circus is for daily tickets and has card-only machines. The Steam entrance by the metro has ticket offices that take card or cash. Fast Track holders use the Spa entrance.

Best Time to Visit and Tips

• Go early on a weekday. The Good Morning ticket (Mon–Fri, enter by 9am) is the cheapest way in and still lets you stay all day.
• Use Friday evenings. Friday is the only day the pools stay open until 21:40.
• Avoid peak dates if you can. Holidays and the 18 December to 6 January period cost the most, and the bath can fill up. Buying online gets you priority entry when it's busy.
• Check closures before you go. Individual pools close for maintenance from time to time. The available services page lists current closures.
• Children: under-14s can't enter at all, not even the outdoor pools, without a specialist's medical certificate approved in advance. Bring ID for teenagers. Families with younger children are pointed to Paskál Bath, Csillaghegy Bath and Palatinus Strand.
• Accessibility: the building isn't fully step-free. Staff can assign a cabin large enough for a wheelchair.

Sparty: Széchenyi's Saturday Night Bath Party

Sparty is an electronic-music party held at the bath every Saturday night from February to December. It's run by a separate organiser and sold at spartybooking.com. In October 2026, Basic tickets were listed at €59, with higher tiers adding drink coupons, express entry or VIP bar access. Regular bath facilities such as saunas and massages aren't available during the party.

Széchenyi vs Other Budapest Thermal Baths

If you're comparing thermal baths in Budapest, some of the famous names are currently closed:

With Gellért shut, Gellért's own website points visitors to Széchenyi. If you're planning a full day in City Park, see things to do in Budapest and the 3-day Budapest itinerary.

A Short History

Széchenyi was built in 1913 to plans by Győző Czigler. It replaced an "Artesian bath" that had been running in City Park since 1881, and it was the first thermal bath on the Pest side of the city. The outdoor section was added in 1927, and the bath describes itself as one of the largest spa complexes in Europe.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Széchenyi Bath cost?

In 2026 a daily ticket with a locker costs 13,200 HUF (about €36) Monday to Thursday, 14,800 HUF (about €40) Friday to Sunday and 15,800 HUF (about €43) on holidays and in peak season. A private cabin costs 1,000 HUF extra, and the weekday "Good Morning" ticket (enter by 9am) costs from 10,500 HUF.

What are Széchenyi Bath's opening hours?

The bath is open 7am–8pm Monday to Thursday, 7am–10pm on Friday and 8am–8pm at weekends and on holidays. You must leave the pools 20 minutes before closing, and last entry is one hour before closing.

Do I need to book Széchenyi tickets in advance?

It isn't required, but it's recommended. Online tickets cost the same as at the door, get priority when the bath is full and can be booked up to 180 days ahead. They are non-refundable and can't be moved to another date.

Can you rent towels at Széchenyi Baths?

No. Towels, robes and slippers aren't rented or included in the daily ticket. Bring your own or buy them on site; a towel costs 6,900 HUF and slippers 4,200 HUF. Slippers are mandatory and you need a towel for the saunas.

How many pools does Széchenyi have?

There are 3 outdoor pools (a 36–38 °C thermal pool, a 50 m lap pool and a 32–34 °C leisure pool) and 13 indoor pools from 18 °C to 40 °C. There are also 3 medical pools, which need a prescription, and 10 saunas and steam rooms.

Can children go to Széchenyi Bath?

Not under 14. Since 1 August 2025, children under 14 can only enter with a specialist's medical certificate approved 24 hours in advance. The bath suggests Paskál, Csillaghegy or Palatinus for families.

Is Gellért Bath open?

No. Gellért Thermal Bath closed on 1 October 2025 for renovation, with reopening planned for 2028. Széchenyi, Rudas and Lukács are open. Király is closed indefinitely.