Gellért Thermal Bath — Attraction in Budapest

Full disclosure, I love saunas/hamams/banyans/hot springs and have visited them on three continents so this may be more detail than the average visitor needs. I was there in early December so the outside pools were closed.

Gellert is the most classically beautiful spa I have ever seen. The stained glass, tile and wood work is spectacular and harkens back to a bygone era. There are not a ton of saunas (5), one steam room and several pools ranging from cold plunge (16°C) to very warm (40°C). There was one room with a handful of (6?) mesh lounge chairs to lay down and relax but they had a slight mildewy odor and the room was open to a shower area so it wasn't quiet enough to doze off. I stayed long enough to cool down after a round in the sauna then proceeded to take another dip in the warm (36°C) pool before doing another sauna cycle. There is no foot bath but you can easily just stand on the steps of one of the warm pools to warm up your feet before hitting your first sauna. This place is clean even though some folks do not sit on towels. The locker room area can get busy and you may have to wait for a changing room. I sensed that changing outside of the changing rooms was frowned upon. The area is coed and everyone was utilizing the charging rooms. There were doors for the showers, the showers all had shower heads and there were plenty of hooks to hang your robe/towel/bag. They provide a couple swimsuit spinning machines but do not provide plastic bags so bring your own. I had to skip blow drying my hair bc there were only two near my locker and both were in use. I did not go into the largest pool in the middle because you need to wear a swim cap and that rule is strictly enforced by the lifeguard however I did not miss it because that pool is on the cooler side and I was there to warm up. On the upper level you could get food and drink at a restaurant and there was comfortable plastic furniture where one could eat and relax while overlooking the large indoor pool. While there were folks on their phones taking photos everywhere, it wasn't as intrusive as at the other famous spa in Budapest. I'm not used to being allowed use of my phone at a sauna but it was nice to be able to take a few photos and to read my book on my phone. Because it is smaller, it was also less crowded than the other place and it had a decidedly more chill vibe. I visited this spa in 2006 and it felt almost exactly the same, maybe a little more touristy because of folks capturing images/video for social media. Only ding would be the odd signage that could be improved. I had trouble finding the second set of saunas because they weren't clearly marked. I did have a "Luxury Refreshing massage 60'" while there and it was good. I had a female therapist and would rate the massage an 8/10....

It was my birthday and we wanted to spend a luxurious day at the baths. We went for a couples massage, then booked a day pass to use the baths. There were two choices, Aroma or Refreshing. Refreshing was supposed to be the stronger one which is what we chose. They are not named traditional massage names like swedish or deep tissue etc. Anyway the massages we got were ok. They were not strong at all even as I asked to increase the pressure. Towards the end he did work out all the knots in my back but a full 45 minutes before it was more like a very light Swedish. My husband's massage was even more light handed. She didn't even attempt to work out the kinks in his back and neck. More like a smooth petting. The room it self was really cool with the old windows and tall ceilings, just wish the massages were therapeutic especially for the price. Also because we purchased massage services and the baths access, we received to different color plastic wrist bands that we had to use to gain access. I thought that was kind of annoying for the massages as it was supposed to be "VIP". All they did was scan the wrist band. Then had us sit and wait on the balcony for about 10 minutes, then scanned the bracelets again before leading us to our room. Quite pricey for such basic services.

The baths themselves are quite magnificent architecturally speaking, a series of indoor and outdoor pools linked by a maze of stairs and hallways going through locker rooms. They were very crowded and the indoor ones because of the crowd had a very loud buzz echoing everyone's voices on the tile walls. It definitely made it feel less luxories and more purely functional as everyone clamors for the few spots to set your towel and flip flops. By the way don't forget to bring your own. Otherwise they make you buy them there. The lockers were so crowded where people were cranked everywhere trying to find a spot to get dressed/undressed. We brought our own towel and flip flops but couldn't use the main indoor pool as we didn't have bathing caps and didn't feel like purchasing one. So we stuck to the smaller thermal baths. After a while we thought we would get a beverage and maybe a snack from the "restaurant" which is more like a convenience store counter serving alcoholic drinks in plastic cups and some snack food.

Lastly the best thing appears to be the outdoor pool as the gardens are expansive. I could see on a warm sunny day this would be terrific As it was, we were chilly so promptly went back inside. All in all it's a great historical building with ample pools inside am outside but don't expect a posh upscale experience and try to bring...

Gellért Baths — stunning building, underwhelming experience

I left Gellért Baths with mixed feelings. The architecture is truly breathtaking—arched ceilings, mosaics, that grand old-world elegance. As a piece of living history, it’s spectacular. But the actual bathing experience didn’t live up to the setting.

First, accessibility felt like an afterthought. Even just getting to the lockers made it clear the place isn’t set up for people with disabilities. I’m fortunate to be able-bodied, but I noticed right away how challenging it would be for others.

Practical tip: bring your own essentials—towel, flip-flops, and a swim cap if you plan to use the swimming pool. Renting at the counter adds unnecessary costs, and the enforcement of rules felt inconsistent anyway. It’s odd that caps are required for the main pool but not for the thermal baths.

Hygiene and upkeep were my biggest disappointments. The complex looks dated, and the water didn’t seem especially clean. Along the edges of some pools there was a brownish buildup that made me wonder when they last did a full empty-and-scrub—especially frustrating at roughly €30 for entry. There are only four thermal pools and they were all quite busy.

You can pay extra for a small private changing room with a bed, but I found it pointless: most people are in the water, and that space could be used better. Despite having visited many baths and water parks, this one—besides the architecture—didn’t feel worth the price. We stayed about two hours and were already bored.

Saunas were underwhelming: three connected rooms (warm, warmer, hottest) with barely any seating. The steam sauna had little to no steam and a bad smell. The separate steam room was certainly intense, but the fishy odor drove us out in two minutes.

Bottom line: as a building, Gellért is a “must-see.” As a bathing experience, look closer and the flaws stack up—accessibility gaps, cleanliness concerns, crowds, and questionable value. I’m glad I saw the architecture, but next time I’d look elsewhere to...