Budapest Thermal Baths by the Numbers (2026)
How many baths Budapest has, how many people go, which bath takes the biggest share, when the water is quiet and what a day ticket costs in 2026. Every number comes from the city-owned operator’s audited reports, its bath websites or the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH), with the source and the date we read it.
What these numbers mean for your soak: are Budapest’s baths crowded?
- 52baths in Budapest in 2025, 9 of them classed as medicinal (KSH)
- 7.70 millionvisits to all Budapest baths in 2025 (KSH)
- 3.82 millionvisits to the city operator’s baths in 2025, about a quarter below 2019
- 35%of those visits went to one bath, Széchenyi
- 3,670visits a day at Széchenyi, averaged over 2025
- 186people inside a bath at 9 p.m., on average, on a late-opening night
How many baths Budapest has
KSH counted 52 baths in Budapest in 2025, 46 of them open all year and 9 classed as medicinal baths. They logged 7.70 million visits, against 8.89 million in 2019. Hungary as a whole had 435 baths and 34.0 million visits, so Budapest took 22.7% of the country’s bath visits. These counts cover every operator, from the city’s thermal baths to hotel spas and swimming pools.
KSH counts every entry, so a swimmer going twice a week counts many times. A bath can belong to several types at once (thermal, pleasure, swimming), and the count of baths moves when KSH reclassifies sites, so read the long series as a trend.
Source: KSH STADAT table 27.1.2.6; KSH STADAT table 27.1.1.28, read on October 25, 2026
Visits per bath, 2019 to 2025
The city-owned operator, Budapest Gyógyfürdői és Hévizei Zrt. (BGYH), runs Budapest’s public thermal baths and lidos. Its sites logged 3.82 million visits in 2025, against 5.06 million in 2019, a drop of 24.4%. Széchenyi alone fell 27.8% from 2019 and still took 35% of all visits, about 3,670 a day. Rankings here hold among the baths BGYH runs; KSH publishes no per-bath figures, so private baths and hotel spas are not in this table.
| Bath | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 vs 2019 | Per day, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Széchenyi | 1,854,754 | 496,855 | 1,287,126 | 1,365,913 | 1,374,692 | 1,339,537 | -27.8% | 3,670 |
| Lukács | 426,275 | 214,088 | 307,895 | 371,330 | 381,660 | 388,867 | -8.8% | 1,065 |
| Paskál | 444,926 | 229,036 | 340,708 | 356,127 | 358,931 | 360,510 | -19.0% | 988 |
| Rudas | 365,206 | 141,688 | 293,895 | 292,060 | 311,144 | 335,653 | -8.1% | 920 |
| Csillaghegy | 263,997 | 144,013 | 262,985 | 293,160 | 319,600 | 316,836 | +20.0% | 868 |
| Gellértclosed since Oct 1, 2025 | 658,144 | 161,974 | 341,144 | 393,515 | 420,381 | 315,265 | n/a | 1,155 |
| Palatinus | 346,170 | 209,111 | 315,039 | 297,580 | 336,562 | 297,337 | -14.1% | 815 |
| Pesterzsébet | 128,761 | 131,418 | 239,041 | 264,356 | 284,065 | 282,013 | +119.0% | 773 |
| Dandárpartly closed June 2024 to Aug 2025 | 146,002 | 49,591 | 90,322 | 111,066 | 54,584 | 81,741 | n/a | n/a |
| Rómaisummer only | 70,525 | 48,305 | 61,302 | 51,854 | 67,392 | 49,781 | -29.4% | n/a |
| Pünkösdfürdősummer only | 30,597 | 17,286 | 32,253 | 31,323 | 37,149 | 28,292 | -7.5% | n/a |
| Királyclosed; guided walks only | 100,005 | n/a | n/a | 0 | 580 | 1,445 | n/a | n/a |
| Dagályleft BGYH in 2020 | 220,962 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| All BGYH sites | 5,056,324 | 1,855,607 | 3,600,037 | 3,834,564 | 3,967,310 | 3,820,352 | -24.4% | 10,467 |
Visits are entries, not people: a season pass holder counts every time. 2020 is left out, as the baths were shut for much of it, and 2021 was a partial year (COVID closures). The company total includes sites without a row of their own (such as the Szérűskert pool), so the rows do not add up to it after 2019. The 2019 total includes Dagály and Király. Per day divides 2025 visits by 365, or by Gellért’s 273 open days.
Source: BGYH audited annual report 2025; BGYH annual report 2024; BGYH annual report 2023; BGYH annual report 2022; BGYH annual report 2020, read on October 25, 2026
Revenue, and revenue per visit
BGYH’s net revenue reached HUF 27.1 billion in 2025, against 18.4 billion in 2019, with fewer visits. Széchenyi brought in 52% of it. Dividing each bath’s revenue by its visits gives about 10,534 Ft per visit at Széchenyi and 3,696 Ft at Pesterzsébet.
| Bath | Net revenue 2025 (million Ft) | Share of revenue | Revenue per visit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Széchenyi | 14,111 | 52.1% | 10,534 Ft |
| Gellért | 3,333 | 12.3% | 10,572 Ft |
| Rudas | 2,712 | 10.0% | 8,079 Ft |
| Lukács | 1,942 | 7.2% | 4,995 Ft |
| Palatinus | 1,264 | 4.7% | 4,251 Ft |
| Pesterzsébet | 1,042 | 3.9% | 3,696 Ft |
| Paskál | 995 | 3.7% | 2,760 Ft |
| Csillaghegy | 799 | 3.0% | 2,521 Ft |
| Dandár | 216 | 0.8% | 2,637 Ft |
| Római | 151 | 0.6% | 3,026 Ft |
| Pünkösdfürdő | 60 | 0.2% | 2,118 Ft |
| All BGYH sites | 27,062 | 100% | 7,084 Ft |
Revenue per visit is net revenue divided by visits, our division. It is not a ticket price: it includes massages, private spa sessions and everything else sold inside the bath.
Source: BGYH audited annual report 2025, read on October 25, 2026
The busiest and quietest months
2022 is the only full year for which the operator published a labeled month-by-month chart (in 2021 the baths were shut until spring). July was the busiest month at 13,812 visits a day across its sites, and January the quietest at 6,318, a ratio of 2.2 to 1. The quarterly figures for 2019 and 2025 show the same summer peak.
Visits by quarter, all BGYH sites
| Quarter | 2019 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| January to March | 980,901 | 858,659 |
| April to June | 1,285,513 | 970,128 |
| July to September | 1,607,045 | 1,119,178 |
| October to December | 1,182,865 | 872,387 |
Wellness visits (not doctor-prescribed medicinal visits) at all BGYH sites, summer-only lidos included, which lifts June to August. 2022 was a recovery year after COVID. The 2025 fourth quarter is already without Gellért.
Source: BGYH annual report 2022; BGYH annual report 2020; BGYH quarterly visits and revenue 2025, read on October 25, 2026
Late evening in the baths
Since July 1, 2025, one bath each day of the week stays open until 10 p.m. At 9 p.m. the average late-opening bath had 186 people inside. Across the company only 319 guests a week came in between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., about 46 a day, and 57% of them used a Budapest resident discount.
Company-wide average per open bath on late-opening evenings, from July 1, 2025. The operator does not break this out by bath.
Source: BGYH audited annual report 2025, read on October 25, 2026
Who shares the water
In summer 2024, the operator put the split between foreign and Hungarian guests in its four historic baths (Széchenyi, Gellért, Lukács and Rudas) at about 80 to 20 on average. The top countries of origin, in order: United Kingdom, United States, Spain, and Italy. Before it closed, Gellért had 1,000 to 1,200 guests a day, about 95% of them from abroad. The four historic baths took 61.5% of all wellness visits in 2025, down from 63.3% in 2024.
These shares are the operator’s own estimates as published; they are not counted per ticket.
Source: BGYH news, summer 2024 guest figures; BGYH audited annual report 2025, read on October 25, 2026
Doctor-prescribed medicinal visits
BGYH logged 182,941 medicinal visits in 2025, treatments prescribed by a doctor and supported by Hungarian social insurance. That is 4.8% of all its visits, and Lukács handled 44% of them, more than any other BGYH bath.
| Bath | 2025 | Share | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lukács | 80,680 | 44.1% | 83,173 |
| Széchenyi | 48,113 | 26.3% | 51,563 |
| Paskál | 15,325 | 8.4% | 17,388 |
| Pesterzsébet | 13,456 | 7.4% | 13,609 |
| Gellért | 9,907 | 5.4% | 13,743 |
| Palatinus | 8,693 | 4.8% | 9,490 |
| Rudas | 3,434 | 1.9% | 2,602 |
| Dandár | 3,333 | 1.8% | 4,925 |
| All BGYH sites | 182,941 | 100% | 196,493 |
Source: BGYH audited annual report 2025; BGYH annual report 2024, read on October 25, 2026
Day ticket prices in 2026
An adult day ticket at Széchenyi costs 13,200 Ft (about $40) from Monday to Thursday, and at Dandár 3,500 Ft (about $11). Széchenyi’s weekday ticket costs 3.8 times Dandár’s.
| Bath | Weekday | Weekend | Peak periods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Széchenyiwith lockerweekend from Friday | 13,200 Ft | 14,800 Ft | 15,800 Ft |
| Rudasall zonesweekend from Friday | 12,000 Ft | 15,000 Ft | 16,000 Ft |
| Lukácsweekend from Friday | 7,000 Ft | 8,000 Ft | n/a |
| Paskál | 4,700 Ft | 5,700 Ft | n/a |
| Pesterzsébet | 4,700 Ft | 5,700 Ft | n/a |
| Csillaghegy | 4,500 Ft | 5,000 Ft | n/a |
| Palatinusprice listed on the read date; summer prices may differ | 3,800 Ft | 4,200 Ft | n/a |
| Dandár | 3,500 Ft | 4,000 Ft | n/a |
Adult day tickets as listed on each bath’s 2026 price page. At Széchenyi, Lukács and Rudas the weekday price applies Monday to Thursday and the weekend price Friday to Sunday; the other baths simply list a weekday and a weekend price. Peak periods are dates the operator sets itself. Rudas and Lukács have priced Fridays as weekend days since October 2025.
Converted at 1 USD = 328 HUF, the ECB reference rate on October 23, 2026. Rates move, so treat the dollar figures as indicative.
Source: Széchenyi website; Rudas website; Lukács website; Paskál website; Pesterzsébet website; Csillaghegy website; Palatinus website; Dandár website, read on October 25, 2026
Water temperatures
Each bath lists its own pool temperatures. The Turkish bath at Rudas has six pools set from 16 to 42 °C, and Széchenyi’s outdoor thermal pools sit at 36 to 38 °C.
| Bath | Pool | Water |
|---|---|---|
| Széchenyi | Outdoor thermal pools | 36 to 38 °C |
| Activity pool | 32 to 34 °C | |
| Swimming pool | 26 to 28 °C | |
| Indoor medicinal pools | 28 to 40 °C | |
| Plunge pools | 18, 40 °C | |
| Rudas | Turkish bath pools | 16, 28, 30, 33, 36, 42 °C |
| Wellness pools | 11, 32, 36, 42 °C | |
| Rooftop panorama pool | 36 °C | |
| Swimming pool | 29 °C | |
| Lukács | Thermal pools | 32, 36, 40 °C |
| Outdoor activity pool | 33 to 35 °C | |
| Plunge pools | 20 °C | |
| Swimming pool | 22, 26 °C | |
| Paskál | Medicinal pools | 38 °C |
| Plunge pools | 42, 20 °C | |
| Activity pool | 36 °C | |
| Outdoor pools | 26 to 36 °C | |
| Dandár | Medicinal pools | 35, 38 °C |
| Activity pool | 36, 38 °C |
Source: Széchenyi website; Rudas website; Lukács website; Paskál website; Dandár website, read on October 25, 2026
Closed baths and changes
Three of the city’s historic baths are shut, and one more reopened only in 2025.
| Bath | Status |
|---|---|
| Gellért | Closed since October 1, 2025 for a full renovation; the operator expects it to reopen in 2028. The planned investment is HUF 20 billion. The bath opened in 1918, and its last full renovation ran from 1972 to 1983. |
| Király | Closed indefinitely. It has had no public-health license since January 2018. The operator runs guided walks there, 1,445 visits in 2025. Building began in 1565. |
| Rác | Closed since 2002. BGYH bought the bath and its hotel on August 4, 2021 for HUF 5,088,240,000, and has been selecting a renovation contractor since November 2025. |
| Dandár | Closed on June 15, 2024, partly reopened on December 13, 2024 and fully open again since August 1, 2025. |
Source: Gellért Bath opening hours page; BGYH press release, September 25, 2025; Király Bath website; Király Bath history page; BGYH annual report 2020; BGYH audited annual report 2025; BGYH page on the Rác Bath, read on October 25, 2026
Using these figures
Journalists, students and bloggers are welcome to use the numbers on this page. Please credit the original source named under each table (BGYH, KSH or the bath’s own website) and link to this page so readers can see where each figure comes from.
Hungary Unlocked, Budapest Thermal Baths by the Numbers (2026), based on BGYH and KSH data, https://hungaryunlocked.com/budapest-thermal-baths-statistics/
How the numbers work
- Per-bath visits come from BGYH’s audited annual reports (financial statements plus business report), each table checked against the operator’s own totals. Visits are entries: wellness plus doctor-prescribed medicinal visits.
- The tables copy each figure without rounding; the cards and the text round them. Shares, per-day figures, changes against 2019 and revenue per visit are our own divisions of the published figures.
- KSH figures cover every bath in Budapest, whoever runs it. BGYH figures cover only the operator’s own baths and lidos, which is why the two totals differ.
- Prices and water temperatures are copied from each bath’s own website on the date shown. When a new annual report, a new KSH year or a new price list appears, the table changes and the date at the top moves with it.
- Spotted a number that no longer matches its source? Write to hello@hungaryunlocked.com and we will check it.
Questions
How many thermal baths are there in Budapest?
KSH counted 52 baths in Budapest in 2025, 9 of them classed as medicinal baths. The count covers every operator and every type, from thermal baths to swimming pools. The city-owned operator BGYH runs the public thermal baths, including Széchenyi, Lukács and Rudas.
How many people visit Budapest’s baths each year?
All baths in Budapest logged 7.70 million visits in 2025 (KSH). The city operator’s own sites logged 3,820,352 visits, 24.4% fewer than the 5,056,324 of 2019.
Which is the most visited bath in Budapest?
Among the baths the city operator runs, Széchenyi, with 1,339,537 visits in 2025, about 35% of the operator’s total and about 3,670 a day. KSH does not publish per-bath figures, so private baths and hotel spas cannot be ranked.
When are Budapest’s baths least busy?
In the operator’s 2022 monthly figures, January was the quietest month at about 6,300 visits a day across its sites, against about 13,800 in July. Late evening is quiet too: on late-opening nights the average bath had 186 people inside at 9 p.m.
How much is a ticket to Széchenyi in 2026?
An adult day ticket with a locker costs 13,200 Ft from Monday to Thursday, 14,800 Ft from Friday to Sunday and 15,800 Ft in peak periods, per the bath’s 2026 price page.
Can I use these statistics in my article?
Yes. Credit the original source named under each table and link to this page so your readers can check the figure and the date behind it.