Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TOP SIGHT
GELLÉRT BATHS
Soaking in the thermal waters of the Art Nouveau Gellért Baths, open to both
men and women in mixed areas (thus a bathing suit is required at all times),
has been compared to bathing in a cathedral. The eight thermal pools range
in temperature from 26°C to 38°C, and the water - high in calcium, magnesi-
um and hydrogen carbonate - is said to be good for joint pains, arthritis and
blood circulation.
The springs here were favoured by the Turks as they were hotter than the others in Buda.
In the 17th century the site was named Sárosfürdő (Mud Bath) after the fine silt that was
pushed up with the spring water and settled at the bottom of the pools. The Gellért Baths as
we know them today opened in 1918; they were expanded in 1927 with an outdoor wave
bath and in 1934 with an indoor effervescent whirlpool.
In most other baths nowadays you are given an electronic bracelet that directs you to and
then opens your locker or cabin. The Gellért is still doing it the old way: you find a free
locker or cabin yourself and - after you get changed in (or beside) it - you call the attendant,
who will lock it for you and hand you a numbered tag. Make sure you remember your lock-
er number; in a bid to prevent thefts the number on the tag is not the same as the one on the
locker.
The swimming pools at the Gellért are also mixed. The indoor ones, open year-round, are
the most beautiful in Budapest; the outdoor wave pool (open May to September) has lovely
landscaped gardens.
