We would like to inform Szechenyi Bath Guests that tickets and treatments will not be pre-bookable, that is online reservation will be suspended during the extremely popular Budapest Sziget Festival. This festival attracts almost half a million visitors every year. We apologise for any inconvenience caused in advance.
Dates of Temporary Stop on Online Bookings
Online sales stop means that tickets are only available at the cashiers between Aug 8 – 17, 2023, there is no advance booking for these couple of days.
Tickets and massage treatments (or any other treatments) can only be bought on the spot of Szechenyi Baths during the Sziget Festival days, which are the following:
August, 7, 2023 – online pre-booking available, internet bookings accepted
August, 8, 2023– tickets & massages available on the spot (no pre-booking)
August, 9, 2023 – tickets & massages available on the spot (no pre-booking)
August, 10, 2023 – tickets & massages available on the spot (no pre-booking)
August, 11, 2023 – tickets & massages available on the spot (no pre-booking)
August, 12, 2023 – tickets & massages available on the spot (no pre-booking)
August, 13, 2023 – tickets & massages available on the spot (no pre-booking)
August, 14, 2023 – tickets & massages available on the spot (no pre-booking)
August, 15, 2023– tickets & massages available on the spot (no pre-booking)
August, 16, 2023– tickets & massages available on the spot (no pre-booking)
August, 17, 2023– tickets & massages available on the spot (no pre-booking)
August, 18, 2023 – online pre-booking available, internet bookings accepted
Before August 8th and after Aug 17th fast track spa entries can be pre-purchased, as usual. During the period of Aug 8-17 you can only buy tickets on the spot of the bath, there is no online purchase option or booking in advance.
Szechenyi Baths Party on Aug 12 can still be booked online:
Booking Aug 10 Bath PartyIf you have pre-purchased bookings, reservations made before Apr 1, 2023, please be assured that your tickets and massages remain valid, but please note that Szechenyi Baths will be very busy during the festival days, with queues likely to be extremely long.
We would suggest to call the Help Desk once you arrive at Szechenyi Baths (the phone number of the Help Desk is on your e-ticket/confirmation email), so that the colleagues can try to find you, and guide you in through the crowds.
Why the Temporary Break?
Sziget Festival is held in August every year, resulting in thousands of visitors wishing to soak in the lovely out-and indoor pools of Szechenyi Baths, queues tend to build up. The queues of visitors unfortunately often block the way to Guests with fast track spa entries who have pre-purchased a skip the line entry (or sometimes they do not realise how they could skip the line).
The lack of easy access through the crowds to the baths has caused quite a few complaints in the past years, meaning the fast track entries ended up being ‘slow-track entries’, as simply there was not any space left in the baths to enter quickly and visitors often needed to wait for more than 60 minutes to simply get into the bath, even with a fast track spa entry ticket.
This temporary suspension of online bookings for between Aug 8- 17 will hopefully help to minimise expectations of ‘fast track entries’, and will help the procedure of getting into the bath as quickly and smooth as possible.
Please, do not worry, there will be standard entry tickets available at Szechenyi Baths, which can be purchased in person at the cashiers. The temporary closure for between Aug 8 and 17th, 2023 is only for online, in advance bookings, you can still buy your spa ticket on the spot of Szechenyi Baths. This applies to massage treatments too, as they can only be bought on the spot, on a first come first served basis, at the cashiers.
Please note that we do not recommend joining the long queues for families with younger children or for the elderly as the waiting times are expected to be minimum 1 hour, and most probably the weather will be hot and sunny too (over 30 degrees Celsius).
When to Visit the Thermal Bath
If you really want to go to Szechenyi Baths, we recommend visiting early morning, from 7 am, 8 am, or 9 am as Szechenyi Baths opens various times during the week.
The early morning hours are always less busy than the rest of the day.
Szechenyi Baths Party on Aug 12 can still be booked online:
Booking Aug 10 Bath PartyWaiting in the Sun at the Bath
Please be aware that as there are no shades outside the buildings of Szechenyi Baths, temperature might rise, and you do decide to queue for entrance and wait for about 60 minutes to get in the spa, please bring a sunhat, water, and strong sunscreen protection. Anyone with a more fragile health condition, such as children, senior citizens, people
recuperating from an illness, are kindly asked to make a very informed decision before joining the queues at Szechenyi Baths between Aug 8– 17.
Please also remember that the hot pools of Szechenyi Baths are medically not recommended for younger children under the age of 14, whose cardiovascular system might get under stress during a longer stay in 30+ degree pools (there are also no children tickets, or children pools, kids under 14 are only allowed to soak for a limited few minutes in the outdoor pools, and definitely not in the 15 indoor pools).
For this reason, we highly suggest choosing a different spa or lido with your children, where the natural spring waters are a bit cooled down and poured into shallow child pools, such as Palatinus, Csillaghegy, Paskal etc. There are other very popular and pleasant family friendly lidos (often with cooled down thermal waters) to visit in Budapest where children can enjoy pools filled with colder spring waters, while parents / grandparents can soak in warmer or hot spring water pools.
Alternative Thermal Baths in Budapest
To avoid disappointment or long queues, we would encourage visitors and guests to find and try other very nice lidos & thermal baths in Budapest where high quality natural but cooled down spring waters filled the out-and indoor pools and these lidos are in the grassier parts of Budapest too. Here are some of our most recommended choices: the closest of them to the city centre are Rudas Bath, Lukacs Bath and Kiraly Bath.
Lukacs Bath is one of the most sought after thermal baths in Budapest with a long history behind. You can even enter this spa for free when you have valid Budapest Cards. If you already have a Bdapest Card, try one of the most beloved baths by local people where you can see dozens of ‘Thank you, Lukacs’ plaques written on the wall as a commemoration of the healing properties of Lukacs Baths, near Margaret Bridge and Margaret Island by the Danube. Lukacs Thermal Bath is only a 30 minute ride on public transport from Szechenyi Baths. See the route here.
The most popular medieval Turkish bath of all in Budapest in most definitely Rudas Bath. It also offers a wellness experience and a complex bath, including a hamam. There are 6 other thermal pools in Rudas Bath, and a larger swimming pool with colder water. If you do not wish to queue in Szechenyi Bath, Rudas Bath is a short ride (about 30 minutes) from Szechenyi Baths by public transport. See the route here.
Kiraly Bath is the oldest historical thermal spa in Budapest. Kiraly Bath has a historical and big octagonal pool, and also 3 smaller pools (plus a modern jacuzzi for about 5 people). If you do not want to wait in Szechenyi Baths, Kiraly Bath is just a short ride from Szechenyi Baths by public transport, of approx. 20 minutes. See the route here.
Our number 1 recommendation as a family friendly lido is most definitely Palatinus Lido & Thermal Baths on Margaret Island with large outdoor pools, slides, grassy areas, playground, not to mention the island in the heart of the city of Budapest called Margaret Island (Margitsziget). Palatinus is about 40 min ride from Szechenyi Baths by public transport. See the route here.
Dagaly Lido & Thermal Baths is close to the northern end of Margaret Island, just over Arpad Bridge and has 10 pools with loads of green grassy areas. Dagaly is about 25 min ride from Szechenyi Baths by public transport. See the route here.
Paskal Lido & Thermal Baths is in Zuglo (District XIV) in Budapest. A bit further from the town centre but you will not be disappointed. Should your accommodation is close to the City Park, or you have had enough of waiting in Szechenyi Baths, Paskal Lido is well within 30 minute reach by public transport, see the route here.
Csillaghegyi Lido, located on the Buda side of Budapest, is very close to Sziget Festival.
This lido is a smaller one and loved by the locals.
Thank you for your understanding and have a great time in Budapest during the Sziget Festival. We hope you will try new thermal baths and lidos of the City of Spas, as Budapest is often referred to.
Szechenyi Baths Party on Aug 12 can still be booked online:
Booking Aug 10 Bath PartyIf you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at info [at] bathsbudapest dot com. We are happy to give you guidance during the somewhat hectic days of the Sziget Festival.
Last updated April, 2023
For the dentist/annual exam thing, tell yourself that you can always change or cancel the appointments later and just get them on your calendar. If you really have to make a change, you can do it up to a few days beforehand, but once you’ve made the appointments, you’ll most likely go through with them. You want the inertia thing to work in favor of you continuing with the planned visits rather than with procrastinating on making appointments. (This has worked for me in the past, but I can’t claim to be perfect at keeping on top of it all.)
Thank you for your understanding and have a great time in Budapest during the Sziget Festival. We hope you will try new thermal baths and lidos of the City of Spas, as Budapest is often referred to.