Gellért Baths

The Gellért Thermal Baths, in Budapest

The Gellért Thermal Baths are one of the jewels of Budapest, a magnificent Art Nouveau thermal complex fed by the hot springs of the Gellért hill. The Budapest audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this double building of 1918, a prestige hotel and baths, with Viennese Secession architecture, whose therapeutic waters, known to the Romans and the Ottomans, make the thermal reputation of the capital.

The Art Nouveau baths of the Gellért hill

Look at this monumental façade that reveals itself on your left, with its sculpted entrance, its verdigris domes and its fine balconies: you are in front of one of the jewels of Budapest, the Gellért Thermal Baths. Difficult to be more emblematic. Behind this impressive architecture hides a double building, a prestige hotel and a thermal complex, both inaugurated in 1918 in the style of the Viennese Secession, the Hungarian version of Art Nouveau, recognisable by its stylised floral motifs, its ironwork and its colourful mosaics. But what attracts visitors for centuries is above all the natural hot springs that gush here, directly from the Gellért hill, just behind you. Already known to the Romans, then used by the Ottomans during their occupation, these mineral waters are renowned for their therapeutic virtues, in particular against joint pains and circulatory disorders. In 1927, the Baths innovated again by inaugurating the very first wave pool in the world, still in operation. Inside, to be discovered along the galleries, marble pools, thermal basins, saunas and steam baths follow one another under glass ceilings and adorned columns. A place of relaxation and well-being, the Gellért Thermal Baths embody the Hungarian thermal art of living. A thermal complex and an Art Nouveau jewel, the Gellért Thermal Baths are a fine stop of the discovery of Budapest.

What to see

Here you admire one of the jewels of Budapest, a magnificent thermal complex and hotel of 1918, of Viennese Secession style with verdigris domes, mosaics and floral motifs; fed by the hot springs of the Gellért hill, known to the Romans and the Ottomans for their therapeutic virtues, it shelters marble pools and inaugurated in 1927 the first wave pool in the world. The Gellért Thermal Baths are an Art Nouveau jewel of Budapest. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Gellért Thermal Baths lie at the foot of the Gellért hill, on the Buda bank, near the Liberty bridge, in Budapest, reachable on foot or by transport. Access to the baths is paying and follows the hours in force, which vary; provide a swimsuit and a towel. It is best to enquire before coming.

Why are the Gellért Thermal Baths of Budapest famous?

For their magnificent Viennese Secession architecture, the Hungarian version of Art Nouveau, and for their natural hot springs gushing from the Gellért hill, known to the Romans and the Ottomans for their therapeutic virtues; inaugurated in 1918, they shelter marble pools, saunas and thermal baths, and inaugurated in 1927 the very first wave pool in the world.

Where are the Gellért Thermal Baths in Budapest?

At the foot of the Gellért hill, on the Buda bank, near the Liberty bridge, in Budapest, in Hungary.