The grand outdoor pool where old men play chess in 38°C water.
The largest medicinal bath in Europe, built in 1913 in Neo-Baroque splendour over the Széchenyi thermal springs. Eighteen pools — indoor and outdoor — sit inside a palace of yellow stone and gilded ornament in City Park. On cold mornings, steam rises off the outdoor pools while chess players contemplate their next move, immersed to the chest in mineral water.
- $$
- Shows
- Lockers
Pools & saunas
Waters & pools
- Thermal mineral
- 18 pools
- 18–38°C
- Open-air
Saunas & steam
- Steam
Gallery
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Worth knowing
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18 indoor and outdoor pools across three buildings
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Springs discovered 1881 at 74°C, feeding the baths since 1913
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The outdoor chess players are a Budapest institution
An insider's tip
Come on a winter Sunday morning. The outdoor pool steams at full drama, the crowds are thinner, and the chess players are already set up by 9am.
Don't leave without
Float in the outdoor rotunda pool for at least 30 minutes. The view of the Neo-Baroque facade from the water is the defining image of Budapest bathing.
Good to know
- Hours
- Mo-Th 07:00-20:00; Fr 07:00-22:00; Sa,Su 08:00-20:00
- Address
- 9-11 Állatkerti körút, Budapest, 1146
- Phone
- +36 1 363 3210
- Dress code
- Swimsuit required
- Architect
- Győző Czigler
- Style
- baroque revival
- Heritage
- historic monument of Hungary
- Timezone
- Europe/Budapest
Climate — Warmest around Jul (~28.6°C high), coolest around Dec (~5.2°C).
On the map
47.5186°N · 19.0819°E
