One of the most well-known bathhouses of Hungary and Budapest located on the Pest side of the city, in the City Park (Városliget in Hungarian), next to the famous Heroes’ square and Vajdahunyad Castle. It is easy to get there; the metro line number 1 (yellow line) has a stop right next to it. The Széchenyi is the largest bathing complex in the country and in Europe as well with its 3 indoor and 15 outdoor pools. It is one of youngest baths in the capital, too, built between 1909 and 1913. A lot of the other bathhouses in the city centre (like the Király or Rudas) date back to Turkish times, the 16th, 17th century, and most of them are protected monuments.

Let’s see a few sentences about the thermal water in Hungary! This small country has the fifth biggest thermal water supply under the surface in the whole world. Before us on the list there is Japan, Iceland, Italy and France. However, we have warmer thermal water than Italy and France, and our water has a higher mineral content than the water in Iceland and Japan. You can find at least 30 degrees Celsius hot water under about 80% of Hungarian land and the hottest water of Europe was also found here at the end of the 1800s: about 1000 meters deep in Budapest, under today’s Heroes‘ square they found 78 degrees Celsius hot water. Our thermal and mineral waters have curative power as well. Choosing an area and bathhouse to go to in Hungary or Budapest depends on what one would like to cure. Some of the water is good for curing rheumatologic, dermatological, gynaecological problems, but others can heal metabolic illnesses, cardiovascular problems and list goes on…

There are 6 smaller wells that give cold mineral water to the Széchenyi baths and there is a well called Szent István kút (Saint Stephen well, named after the first Hungarian king crowned in 1000) inaugurated in 1938 that feeds the warm, thermal pools. The bath’s water is full of calcium-magnesium-hydrogen-carbonate, sulphate, fluoride and metabolic acid. Going to the spa regularly can help healing degenerative diseases of the joints, chronic and semi-acute arthritis and it can contribute to orthopaedic and accidental aftercare. The water of the drinking fountain is also medicinal water containing calcium-magnesium-hydrogen-carbonate, chloride, sulphate, alkalis and significant amounts of fluoride. It’s good for curing for example chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer, intestinal tract, chronic inflammation of the urinary tract and renal pelvis.