Most bathing takes place from bath house in the centre of the lake, where you get the slightly odd choice to swim indoors or outdoors. The indoor pools are a few degrees warmer, but are actually just covered parts of the lake with some railings for you to hang on to.

If you have visited other thermal baths then you may be surprised that it is not particularly warm, but you must remember that it is a natural lake, which all year round is kept at a temperature comfortable enough to swim in. This obviously means that it’s a lot warmer in peak summer than in winter, but summer also means that the lake can become overgrown with lotus plants, so April or May are good months to visit.

Honestly speaking the indoor pools are quite dingy as they are below the main floor level between the supporting concrete pillars. It feels a bit like swimming in a multi storey car park that has been flooded with warm water. That said, Hévíz is really about the lake outside, which has abundant space to swim or float around, and apart from the lilies and some bits of peat floating about, the water is extremely clean. It is a nice experience to drift around in the open air, with so much space that you don’t feel crowded like in some other thermal baths.

The nature of the lake means that it is deep throughout so there are no shallow areas near the edges if you’re hoping to come along for a paddle. They have installed a few railings and benches in the lake so that you have something to hold on to but there aren’t many and even very tall people are unlikely to be able to touch the bottom, so unless you are very strong swimmer you should bring a float or inflatable ring, otherwise you could end up just clinging to the edge and not really enjoying it. There are plenty of shops in Hévíz town selling various types of floats and you can rent inflatable rings from inside the spa itself. Equipped with one though you can lie back and enjoy, with the lake surrounded by lush trees and the newly renovated wooden buildings sitting beautifully in and around the lake.

A few things to note when planning your trip are that children under 12 are not allowed for safety reasons, and similarly the lake closes at 6pm, so make sure you get there in time. A standard 3hour ticket costs around 2000ft. If you have children then you should check out the nearby Kehida Termal.

Other Facilities

The Hévíz lake has a cafe in the central bath house with a range of cooked meals and some rather tempting cakes. There is also a decent cafe on land by the side of the lake next to an attractive lawn for sunbathing.

Best Thing

The experience of swimming outdoors in a natural lake without feeling cold.

Worst Thing

The indoor pools aren’t well contained, and you can easily end up swimming through concrete columns and scaffolding under the building which seems both unpleasant and somewhat dangerous.

Top Tip

Take a float with you or hire one there because it is very deep and there isn’t much to hold on to.

Summary

Beautiful warm natural lake with plenty of space to swim around and nicely renovated historic buildings. Just remember that it is a lake, and you will need to be open to everything that goes with that.

Rating

Where to Stay

Luxury – Rogner Hotel & Spa Lotus Therme *****

Midrange - Hotel Napsugar ***

Budget - More accomodation in Heviz

The entry process is somewhat confusing if you don’t speak Hungarian but you’ll surely not be alone with plenty of other bamboozled tourists always comparing notes in the ticket halls. If you enter from the main entrance on the side of the Metro station then you’ll see the inside of the main ticket hall to have been beautifully renovated with spectacular mosaics lining the main dome above. It would be easy to miss if you didn’t know that they were there.

The ticket options are really the biggest hurdle for most visitors, and depending on which entrance you are at the options are different. In the main entrance, they offer tickets to the steam baths, and in the rear entrance they offer tickets to the swimming baths. The prices are actually the same (2800 forints), and you’ll end up in the same place, but we would recommend entry to the less spectacular rear entrance (opposite the circus), because they give you an option of a private changing cabin for 400 forints, which you can share if you’re a couple. If you do enter this way, then once inside you’ll need to wait for a lady dressed in white to come and allocate you your cabin. You don’t get a key, but a tag with a number on which you must show her each time you want to lock or unlock your cabin. It’s therefore a good idea to save time and confusion by thinking carefully about what you leave in the cabin. It’s quite normal for people to carry bags into the bath areas with them, so you may want to carry in items like suncream, shampoo, drinks and towels so that you don’t have to keep popping back to the changing rooms. Remember you are in a city though, so don’t leave any valuables lying around.

The Széchenyi Baths claim to be one of the largest medicinal baths in Europe, and it is very easy to believe with more thermal pools than you can count on your fingers and numerous steam rooms and saunas. The highlight for many are the two thermal outdoor pools, enclosed in a courtyard by the 18th century Turkish bathhouse, which shuts out the bustling city creating an oasis of calm. There is a warm pool at 30° C (34° C in winter), with a Jacuzzi and lazy river in the centre, and a steaming 38° C pool, where you’ll always find local men playing chess on the edges, clearly not bothered by the advised 20 minute maximum duration advised in this pool, with their backs burning red in the sun. This bath as well as some of the other very hot baths have a green tinge to them, and there is a certain amount of pond life floating around in places, which can be disconcerting but is nothing to worry about.

If you did enter through the swimming baths entrance, you could be forgiven for thinking that the three outdoor pools are all there is, but go up one of the two staircases into the Turkish bathhouse, and you’ll find a labyrinth of indoor pools and saunas. The pools vary in size and range in temperature from a scorching 40° C down to what feels like an icy 20° C.
Other Facilities

There are numerous steam rooms and saunas, with temperatures in some going as high as 70° C. There is a canteen selling drinks and some typically Hungarian fried buffet foods, as well as a pleasant raised gallery for relaxing outdoors looking over the pools. A range of small private baths and treatments are also available for additional fees.

Best Thing

The sheer number of different pools is unrivalled and will keep you busy for hours.

Worst Thing

The level of cleanliness is a bit mixed. Most of it is pretty clean, but there are some parts that feel a little manky.

Top Tip

No matter how much you love the warmth of the thermal pools, it’s worth plucking up the courage to try dipping in one of the cold pools after you have soaked up enough heat. Do it once, just for the experience.

Summary

The Széchenyi Baths in Budapest are grand in both scale and aesthetics, but not at all ostentatious, with a very laid-back, jovial atmosphere making it the perfect place to come and relax away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Rating:

Where to Stay

Luxury – Corinthia Grand Hotel Royal *****

Midrange - Town Hall Apartments ****

Budget - Grand Hostel

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