Thermal Destination
Budapest
Budapest · Hungary
Hungary’s capital is the great thermal city of Europe — built above more than a hundred natural hot springs that have drawn bathers since the Roman legions founded Aquincum on the banks of the Danube.
A bathing city since Roman times
When Rome reached the Danube it built Aquincum, the capital of the province of Pannonia, complete with bath houses fed by the abundant hot springs. Two thousand years later that tradition has never stopped — Budapest remains one of the few capitals in the world where you can soak in mineral-rich thermal water in the middle of the city.
The grand thermal palaces
From the neo-baroque splendour of the Széchenyi Baths to the Ottoman domes of the Rudas and Király, and the Art Nouveau elegance of the Gellért, Budapest’s bath houses span eras and styles — yet all draw on the same geothermal source.
Locals come year-round to take the waters, play a floating game of chess and ease tired muscles in the steaming open-air pools.
Roman Aquincum
Where soldiers and citizens once took the waters
The ruins and museum of Aquincum still preserve mosaics, a hydraulic organ and the outlines of the very baths that began Budapest’s two-thousand-year love affair with thermal water.
Plan your visit
Good to Know
How to get there, the best time to visit and what to see around the city.
Travel information →Where to Stay
Hand-picked hotels and spa resorts close to the great baths.
Hotels in Budapest →Booking
Browse bookable Roman thermal spa travel packages for Budapest.
View packages →Local Tourism Information
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