Budapest: Széchenyi Thermal Bath
Our most memorable experience was definitely our morning at the Széchenyi Thermal Bath. Gellért Bath is closer to the heart of the city, but its mostly tourists. We wanted the local experience, and although there were definitely tourists at Széchenyi, you could tell that most people there were regulars. Most people were just soaking, but our favorite were the old men playing chess! We kept trying to get ourselves in the game, but the chess boards were constantly occupied by the locals.
We keep describing Széchenyi Thermal Bath to people as a huge castle full of different pools. All of the pools, especially the indoor ones, have a varying amount of healthy minerals, although we weren’t very knowledgeable about which ones were the best to go in. We spent most of our time in the large, outdoor pool, where everyone relaxed and soaked. It was so warm and heavy that it was tempting to fall asleep. Luckily, we had scheduled a couple’s massage, so we got to doze off for a few minutes!
If it had been nicer weather, we would have spent the whole day there. The air was chilly so after hopping around to different hot-water pools, as well as the sauna, we weren’t in the mood to lay out. We reluctantly got out of the outdoor pool, which is definitely the favorite one out of them all, and spent the rest of our time there taking pictures!
The whole time we were there, we kept talking about how we wish all of our friends were there with us. It might have been the heat or the minerals or the massage, but it was the most relaxed we’ve ever felt. And to be surrounded by beautiful statues and the huge yellow castle, this was definitely something we wish everyone could experience.
- Nick + Jess
