With the temperature climbing, what better place to take the kids than one of Budapest's many baths and spas? Some are more child-friendly than others, so we've picked out our five favourites. Each offers significant discounts for younger ones and special family tickets for four.
Book online!
While the prices listed here are accurate at the time of publication, always check online as there are almost always discounts.
1/5
Aquaworld Resort Budapest
This enormous water complex evoking
the tropics and the temple ruins of Angkor Wat is a children’s wonderland, with all kinds of pools and slides of varying depths and degrees of difficulty. There are also indoor and outdoor
paddling pools open in summer, one for the smallest ones with fun
water features including a mini slide, and one for those who can play and splash around freely. A water playground, the Aqua Spray Park, can also be found, but what you're after is the slide-filled waterpark, where the Mountain Creek, the Onion Slide, the UFO, the Kamikaze and the Whirlwind can be used according to strict height restrictions, some by those over 130cm or 140cm. On the weekends and during school breaks, animators await the little ones with exciting activities such as family quizzes, craft challenges, or water gym.
- Tickets (all-day/3hrs)
- Adults: 9,700/6,700 forints
- Children (3-10 years old): 4,900/3,400 forints
- Families (2 adults, 2 children): 25,700 forints
2/5
ÁRPÁD
As well as being a lido, the Árpád Thermal Baths at Csillaghegy in Óbuda encompasses a coevered water playhouse for kids, the Gyermekvilág, Children’s World. A whole floor is dedicated to the little ones, colourfully designed and equipped with a nappy change. The pool selection here is quite varied, including an extra shallow baby paddling pool, as well as a larger one for school kids, with two slides and a slow-moving whirlpool. Everyone heads for the enormous slides, open for those over the age of eight. Taking off from the top of the building, the longest one is the Red UFO (open for those over the age of twelve), but there are plenty of other colourful lower slides twisting around for the less intrepid.
- Tickets (weekdays/weekends)
- Adults: 4,900/5,300 forints (all areas including sauna) or 3,600/3,900 forints (no sauna)
- Children (3-14 years old): 2,600/3,000 forints
- Families (2 adults, 2 children): 9,800/10,800 forints
3/5
Dagály
The Dagály was remodelled and expanded in 2018, with a playground added for the little ones, as well as sports facilities like basketball and beach volleyball, football pitches and an outdoor fitness park. Among the pools are shallow training pools for children, overseen by mosaic-covered sea serpents shooting water onto those playing below.
- Tickets (weekdays/weekends)
- Adults: 3,400/3,700 forints
- Children (3-14 years old): 2,300/2,900 forints
- Families (2 adults, 2 children): 8,000/9,200 forints
4/5
palatinus
The Palatinus is the oldest open-air beach/baths in Budapest, located on popular Margaret Island. Opened in 1921, it quickly gained popularity and in recent years underwent renovation and expansion. Children will delight in its huge water slide park, with slides called the Magic Tunnel, Anaconda, Kamikaze and Turbo. Even the very young can play, with a great pirate-themed outdoor pool and paddling pad which is safe from an early age. There is a kid's pool indoors with toys and mini slides, too, and out of the water, they can enjoy a classic playground with climbing walls, a play castle, slides and games testing skill and patience.
- Tickets (weekdays/weekends)
- Adults: 4,400/4,900 forints
- Children (3-14 years old): 3,500/3,900 forints
- Families (2 adults, 2 children): 12,300/13,700 forints
5/5
Paskál
The youngest spa in the city, the Paskál has an exciting children’s section with huge, colourful flowers spraying water, and water toys and mini slides placed around the pool. Sun shades provide relief from the heat for the little ones. Once they’ve worn themselves out splashing in the water, playgrounds can keep them occupied for a while longer.
- Tickets (weekdays/weekends)
- Adults: 3,700/4,300 forints
- Children (3-14 years old): 3,300/3,700 forints
- Families (2 adults, 2 children): 10,700/12,300 forints
