If you travel along city-center bus line 7 this summer, you might just catch the “beach buggy” decorated to celebrate Budapest’s thermal baths and water parks. Step aboard to discover a pool party on wheels adorned with miniature life belts hanging from the handrails, the floor transformed into a grassy lawn strewn with towels and flip-flops, and a hot tub in the middle of it all – well, a photorealistic version of one, at least.
Traveling around Budapest by public transportation is not our favorite summertime activity; instead of crowding onto a hot bus, we’d much rather be cooling off at one of the city’s public pool complexes... but now if we are lucky enough to catch this special coach running on line 7 through July 8th, we’ll suddenly feel like we’re being transported into a sun-splashed dream of carefree soaking and open-air lounging.
The bus is decorated to raise awareness of Budapest’s historic bathing culture, and the wide variety of pools to enjoy here during summertime. Along with famous thermal baths like Gellért and Rudas (both of which can be easily reached by bus 7), Budapest has a few huge open-air water parks that are open only during the summer, like Palatinus on Margaret Island and Paskál in the Zugló district. Entry fees for these fun facilities are often quite reasonable – tickets to spend an entire day at Csillaghegyi Bath cost only 900 forints during summer, less then the price of going to a cinema (1,200 HUF).
Later on this summer, real pool parties will be happening citywide during the “Night of Hungarian Baths” on July 31, an event of various programs at all of Budapest’s pools. In the meantime, we’ll hope to catch the beach-buggy bus as often as possible!
