Prepare to make a splash! – The Big Budapest Swimming Pool Panorama

3/15

Ludovika Arena and Swimming Pool

The swimming pool of the Ludovika Campus opened to the public in the autumn of 2018. Located in the sports complex on the Diószegi Sámuel Street side of Orczy Park, the swimming pool provides an excellent sports facility for residents of the area but is also easily accessible from further afield due to the proximity of the Nagyvárad tér metro station. The entrance is a little tricky, with the swimming pool's cashier's office opening from a tunnel in the middle of the sports hall. The pool is 25 metres long, with 8 lanes in total, and there is also an eight-lane, 10x15 metre teaching pool with warmer water. During the day, the large windows overlooking the park brighten the hall and when you're tired of the pace, just head to the wellness area, where two Finnish saunas and a steam cabin await you. Please note that opening times may vary depending on educational and training schedules and sporting events, so please check the website or call reception for lane availability. From Monday to Friday, early birds can enjoy swimming from 6 am to 8 am or from 6 pm to 9.30 pm, while at weekends the pool is open all day.

• Website
• Phone: +361 432 9000 (extension no. 20-731)
• Pools: 8-lane, 25-metre swimming pool, training pool
• General opening hours: Monday–Friday: 6:00–8:00 am and 8:00 am–9:30 pm (cash desk closes at 8:45 pm), Saturday: 8:00 am–7:30 pm (cash desk closes at 6:45 pm), Sunday: 8:00 am–6:00 pm (cash desk closes at 4:45 pm)
• 2023 prices: adult ticket HUF 2,000, student and pensioner ticket HUF 1,600

5/15

BVSC Laky Károly Swimming Pool

We recommend the BVSC Laky Károly Swimming Pool to the residents of Zugló who like swimming. The pool is mainly used by athletes and students but is also open to the general public. As with the other pools, it is advisable to check in advance for availability and changing opening times due to competitions, which are regularly updated on the website. The swimming pool features one 50-metre and two 25-metre pools, with one of the 25-metre pools generally open to the public on weekdays and weekends. The sports centre also offers sauna facilities, which is included in the ticket price. Local residents get a discount here by presenting a Zugló Card and an address card, and MÁV employees can also use the pool at a reduced rate.

• Website
• Phone: +36 30 528 0768
• Pools: two 25 m pools and a 50 m pool
• General opening hours: weekdays 6:00 am–9:00 pm, weekends and public holidays 6:00 am–7:30 pm
• 2023 prices: adult HUF 2,600, student and pensioner HUF 2,150

6/15

Tüskecsarnok and Public Swimming Pool

The Tüskecsarnok and Public Swimming Pool opened its doors to non-professional athletes in the autumn of 2017 in the 11th district. The 25-metre pool is open from 6 am to 6 pm, while the 50-metre competition pool is open to amateur swimmers depending on sports events and training. It is also worth checking the availability of the lanes and sporting events online or by phone before setting off so that you don't get a nasty surprise when you arrive at the venue and find the doors closed or you are ushered towards the grandstands. If you can find out when the pools are available and not crowded, it's worth coming here, as you'll get one of the cheapest tickets in the capital.

• Website
• Phone: +361 255 2130
• Pools: a 25 m and a 50 m pool
• General opening hours: weekdays 6:00 am–5:00 pm, weekends 6:00 am–5:30 pm (the opening hours of the swimming pool apply only to the 25 m small pool, the number of open lanes may vary depending on the competition pool schedule)
• 2023 prices: adult HUF 1,400, student and pensioner HUF 1,100

7/15

Duna Arena

The Duna Arena was the main venue of the 2017 FINA World Aquatics Championships. The world-class swimming and aquatics complex awaits you with two Olympic-sized pools and a capacity of over 5,300 spectators. The pool is not only a place for athletes to prepare for competitions, but also for public swimming. However (as with many sports pools) it is worth checking the website for the latest information on available lanes or calling to find out the current opening times, as these can vary greatly depending on the competitions. Even if you're not a regular visitor, it's worth trying swimming in the pool where the most considerable sporting talents take to the water in competitions. The Duna Arena has a 50-metre competition pool with movable walls, a diving pool, a warm-up pool, a training pool, and a jacuzzi for 20 people (currently closed, but the sauna is available for an extra fee).

• Website
• Phone: +36 1 255 2890
• Pools: a 50-metre competition pool, a warm-up pool, a training pool
• General opening hours: you can check the opening hours on the website, it varies depending on the use of the pools
• 2023 prices: adult HUF 1,000, student and pensioner HUF 650, sauna HUF 1,300 3 swimming ticket

8/15

Olivér Halassy Municipal Swimming Pool

The Olivér Halassy Municipal Swimming Pool is located in Tóth Aladár Street in the 4th district, a sports facility of more than 2,000 square meters on 3 levels, waiting for the city residents looking for swimming and relaxation. The swimming pool offers a 25-metre pool, a training pool, and a wellness block with a jacuzzi, a sauna, and two massage rooms. The location, next to the Farkaserdő forest, offers a peaceful and quiet environment for relaxation, and in the summer you can also make use of the sunbathing and sports area adjacent to the swimming pool area. There are two football tennis courts and a beach volleyball court, which are free of charge. It is important to note that the building is accessible via a ramp, and that there are separate changing rooms for disabled people, a lift, a wheelchair, and a poolside lift for the use of the indoor pool. For the visually impaired, there are also Braille signs at several points to facilitate use of the pool.

• Website
• Phone: +36 1 696 1641
• Pools: 25 m pool, training pool, jacuzzi
• General opening hours: weekdays 6:00 am–8:00 pm, Saturdays 8:00 am–8:00 pm, Sundays 8:00 am–5:00 pm
• 2023 prices: adult ticket HUF 2,500, adult ticket with sauna and wellness use HUF 3,400, student and pensioner ticket HUF 1,700, student and pensioner ticket with sauna and wellness use HUF 2,600, child ticket HUF 1,200, child ticket with sauna and wellness use HUF 2,500 (discounted tickets can be purchased with Újpest Card)

9/15

Gyarmati Dezső Swimming Pool

In 2019, the Gyarmati Dezső Swimming Pool opened in Pesthidegkút, fulfilling an old dream of the people living in the area. In addition to professional athletes and water polo players, the sports facility also welcomes the general public on Máriaremetei Road. The 50x25 metre large indoor pool, which can be divided and separated transversely to create two 25x25 metre water areas, can simultaneously serve the public swimming needs and water polo training. The entire pool area has 10 lanes and is suitable for international swimming competitions. There is of course a cafeteria inside the facility, and swimming can be combined with other training activities in the fitness room. The outdoor pool is 33 x 20 metres and, as well as being a beach in summer, it can also be used for official water polo matches. The outdoor pool is closed during the winter but will be open again from spring. You can also check the availability here via the website or call for more information.

• Website
• Phone: +36 1 607 8645
• Pools: 50-metre shared competition pool, 33-metre outdoor pool (closed in winter, opens in spring)
• General opening hours: weekdays 6:00 am–9:00 pm, weekends 8:00 am–8:00 pm
• 2023 prices: adult ticket HUF 2,700, student and pensioner ticket HUF 1,900(by buying a 2-hour ticket you can use the swimming pool with a single entry, but without a time limit), with a District 2 card you can buy tickets at a significant discount
  

10/15

Nyéki Imre Swimming Pool

Built in 1988, the Nyéki Imre Swimming Pool is located on Kondorosi Road, a name that may sound more familiar to many. The sports facility was completely renovated in 2018, so after almost 30 years, one of the most popular sports in Hungary, water polo has found a home in the 11th district. The swimming pool, with a 25-metre pool during the week and a 33-metre pool at weekends, has a total of 8 lanes, but half of these are almost always reserved for training during the day and evening hours on weekdays. It's worth coming on Saturdays and Sundays when almost all the lanes are free. The facility also features a gym, so you can combine swimming with spinal training, yoga, or some cardio workouts.
 

• Website
• Phone: +36 70 903 7714
• Pools: 33 m indoor pool + separate pool
• General opening hours: Monday–Wednesday 6:00 am–8:00 pm, Thursday–Friday 6:00 am–7:00 pm, Saturday–Sunday 6:00 am–8:00 pm
• 2023 prices: adult day ticket HUF 2,880, student and pensioner day ticket HUF 1,800

11/15

Other sports and training pools in the outskirts

In Budapest, there are many more swimming pools on the outskirts, where you can not only swim in the pools, but also relax in the saunas, jacuzzis, and leisure pools. Most places offer swimming lessons for children, so while your little one is learning the basics, you can get our daily dose of exercise in the remaining lanes. 

In Pest, in the 14th district, the Rátonyi Gábor Swimming Pool in Erzsébetliget offers a 25-metre pool, a training pool, a jacuzzi, two saunas, and an infrared sauna, and in summer, a beach spa next to the pool. The Újlak Swimming Pool in the 17th district is open to the public. In the 18th district there are three swimming pools. The Park Swimming Pool and Beach is located in the natural park of the Bókay Garden, with a 25-metre, four-lane indoor swimming pool and an adventure pool in summer. The other swimming pool in the 18th district is located in the Vilmos Endre Sports Centre, where you will find a 25x16 metre pool with sauna included in the entrance fee, massage, and solarium as additional services. The third swimming pool is the Kastélydombi Swimming Pool, which has been in operation since 1982 and was renovated in 2006. In the 19th district, the Kispest Swimming Pool is also temporarily closed and is due to open on 27 March 2023, while in the 10th district, the Újhegyi Swimming Pool and Beach Spa will reopen on 16 March 2023.

In Buda, residents of the 3rd district can swim in the TVE Sports Pool, a 21x28.5 metre, 2 metre deep pool covered with a tarpaulin, which allows swimming in winter and summer. In the 11th district, the Gazdagréti Tanuszoda swimming training centre is open not only for children but also for adults, and it is worth checking in advance for information on the time slots and courses. In the 22nd district, the Alfréd Hajós Tanuszoda is the place to go, but you should also check in advance for lane availability.

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Beach spas

If you fancy a swim, there are not only sports pools in the capital, but also many beach spas with swimming pools. Many of the outdoor pools are covered and can be used in colder weather, and many pools are uncovered but can be used in winter and summer, but it's worth checking before you go. 

One of our favourites is the Csillaghegy Árpád Bath in the 3rd district, where there is a 25x33-metre swimming pool, as well as leisure, relax, acoustic, children's and baby pools, and several outdoor pools. One of our most popular downtown beaches, Dagály Bath in the 13th district, has eight pools of different shapes and temperatures, including a swimming pool, in a pleasant green setting with a panoramic view of the Danube. The Palatinus Bath in Margaret Island has a 40-metre outdoor pool, while the Paskál Thermal and Open-air Bath in Zugló has an indoor pool in winter and an open outdoor pool in summer, and the Pesterzsébet Iodine-Salt Thermal and Open-air Bath, which also has an outdoor pool with no cover, is also worth a visit. 

The Pünkösdfürdő Bath will only open towards the end of June, but there is an outdoor pool there too, the Római Bath has an outdoor pool but it will only open in the summer, and the Csepel Bath will be closed indefinitely.

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Thermal baths

In addition to sports pools and beach spas, swimming enthusiasts should also visit the thermal baths, where you can relax, exercise and recover in Budapest's unique thermal pools. The Széchenyi Thermal Bath and Swimming Pool has a 50-metre outdoor pool, while the Gellért Thermal Bath has a swimming pool in a beautiful indoor setting that has been the setting for several film shoots. Rudas has a 20.5 metre swimming pool, also in a beautiful indoor atrium, and Lukács has two outdoor pools where you can swim in the water even in the cold winter months. Our secret favourite is the Veli bej Spa of the Saint John of God Brothers near Lukács, where there is only a small swimming pool, but it is crossed by a special Kneipp treading pool. When visiting the spas, keep in mind that most of them are not open to children under 14.

14/15

Wellness and fitness centres

If you don't feel like browsing the crowded sports pools, beaches, and thermal baths, there is another alternative to swimming pools in Budapest, and that is wellness and fitness centres. You can usually swim in smaller pools with fewer lanes in these places, but you don't have to share pools with professional athletes, beach-goers, and bathers. If you're an adult who wants to learn to swim, many fitness centres offer this, but you can also join aqua fitness and other water sports classes. You can also use well-equipped machine parks, gyms, or other sports facilities. Of course, in addition to the fitness facilities and pools, there are jacuzzi, saunas, steam cabins, and massage rooms in many places for total relaxation. 

The Sun Palace Fitness & Spa has a 25-metre, four-lane pool, the Bliss & Body Fitness and Wellness has a 9x17-metre pool, the Helia Fitness Center also has a 17-metre pool and the Flamenco Fitness Center has a smaller pool.

It is also worth visiting the Aquincum Hotel, where you will find a swimming pool in the Spa & Wellness centre. If you want to swim in a really special place, you can also head to the Anantara Hotel's spa at the New York Palace, where you'll find a spa paradise and a small swimming pool under the Grand Boulevard, or you can swim a few lengths in the pool at the InterContinental Budapest's spa, which is also open to visitors. 

The V. 30 Downtown Sports Center in the heart of the city centre is also worth a visit, created by the Belváros–Lipótváros Municipality, with a 4 lane, 25 metre swimming pool, a training pool, a thermal water wellness area, saunas (Finnish, infrared, bio), steam cabin, and jacuzzi, as well as sports fields and a climbing wall.

15/15

Temporarily closed facilities (2023)

In 2023 these swimming pools will be temporarily closed:

• 21st district: Csepel Bath (closed indefinitely)
• 16th district: Szentmihályi Konrád Ferenc Swimming Pool (the sports facility has been destroyed by fire, date of reopening uncertain)
• 11th district: Sport11 (the outdoor pool and the training pool are temporarily closed, reopening in spring)
• 12th district: Hegyvidéki Sports Centre and Training Pool (swimming lessons are uninterrupted but temporarily closed to the public)
• 15th district training pool (temporarily closed to the public)

This compilation was made in early March 2023, and more swimming pools are expected to open in the spring, so keep checking the swimming pools' websites for updates.