Budapest has held the title ‘City of Spas’ since 1934, and boasts more thermal and medicinal water springs than any other capital city in the world. The Baths of Budapest were enjoyed by the Romans as early as the 2nd century AD. It was during the Turkish occupation of Hungary in the 16th century that the bath culture really started flourishing, and today there are 118 springs in the city, providing over 70 million liters of thermal water a day. Visitors can take a dip in one of the city’s 11 public baths to enjoy a unique spa experience and bathe your worries away.

Make your choice wisely though as all the baths in Budapest are different, each with a unique flare. Perhaps the most famous, and the one I visited on my last trip in 2016, are the Szechneyi Baths. This is the largest medicinal bath in Budapest, and one of Europe’s largest public baths. Located in City Park, the Széchenyi Baths boasts 18 pools, 15 of which are spring-fed thermal pools. When I first walked into the complex I was flabbergasted. The sheer size of the compound, the number of pools, and the ornate architecture was something I had never before seen in a bathhouse or spa. It was almost like walking into a neoclassical palace in the middle of the city.

In addition to its gigantic size and style was the abundance of amenities, unique areas of water, and the myriad of activities. You have your main pools, the sulfur pools, ice cold plunge pools, steam rooms, showers, more pools, more steam rooms, massage parlors, exercise equipment, and areas for dining and entertainment. It really is a full-on Disney World for the bath crazy Hungarians. You could easily spend all day here, which many do, but if you can’t do that I would at least spend a few hours to fully soak up the experience.

Another feature that struck me as different was the efficiency and technological advancement of the place. Hungary is not the richest country in Europe, not even close, in fact there’s many places of the country that are impoverished, but the technology and workings of the baths are on a whole other level. As soon as you walk in you’re given an arm band that has a built-in chip which gives you access to all the areas of the bath house that you purchased for that day. It also gives you entry into a single locker into the underground locker room. All you do is walk up to the locker and put your armband up and it pops open. You can do everything in the complex with the armband so there’s no need to carry keys or money around with you. This is a huge convenience.

We spent 4-5 hours soaking up the sunny rays, going from pool to pool, chatting with locals, and we even had an authentic Thai massage. Next visit I plan to spend more time checking out the other main baths of the city.

It’s safe to say that if you’re in Budapest visiting you would do well to check out one of the many baths the city has to offer. It’s compulsory if you want a well-rounded experience!