Here’s the news that everyone’s been waiting for! From 1 July, Budapest’s most popular spas, the Széchenyi and the Rudas, are open to bathers. And for July, there will be special discounted admission prices. Another major spa, the Lukács, is due to operate from Monday, 6 July.
Budapest, baths and summer have long been the perfect combination – but, obviously, this is a summer like no other. Slowly, though, the city’s more outdoorsy bathing spots such as the Paskál and the Palatinus, have managed to reopen.
Now comes the news that Budapest’s most popular baths, Széchenyi in the City Park and the Rudas on the Buda side, are welcoming visitors from 1 July. Not only that, but bathers will be paying discount prices of almost 40 per cent off to swim and soak through this month.
Spa staff have increased cleaning and disinfecting in all areas, and the water quality will be checked every two hours. Busier visitor areas, the entrance, showers, toilets, will be disinfected at least every hour, the pool and stair railings every 30 minutes. Visitors will be provided with alcoholic hand sanitiser and information on proper hand washing.
Bathers will not be allowed into the spa area without flip-flops of some kind and it will be obligatory to observe safety distances in queues, indicated by painted dots.
Opening hours have also been affected: the Széchenyi will operate every day 9am-7pm, the Turkish area of the Rudas 6am-6pm, its spa and pool area 8am-8pm. There will be Saturday-night bathing there from 9pm to 2am. Numbers will be constantly monitored in case these opening hours need altering.
Rudas Baths, District I. Döbrentei tér 9
Széchenyi Baths, District XIV. Állatkerti körút 11
