Researched guide — we have not visited or booked these baths ourselves. Built from the baths’ own websites, run by Budapest Spas cPlc. Part of our rulebooks.
Most “Széchenyi or Gellért?” advice online was written before the autumn of 2025, and it now sends people to a locked door. Gellért Thermal Bath closed on 1 October 2025 for a full renovation, and its own website says reopening is planned for 2028. So the real choice for a Budapest bath day in 2026 is a different one: the big yellow palace of Széchenyi in City Park, or the 16th-century Ottoman dome of Rudas on the Buda riverbank. Both are run by the same company, both now refuse anyone under 14, and they differ on swimwear, single-sex days, price and opening hours. This page puts their published rules side by side.
At a glance · from the baths’ own pages
- Gellért
- ClosedClosed since 1 October 2025; reopening planned for 2028.
- What you wear
- SzéchenyiRudas co-edSwimwear everywhere at Széchenyi; nude bathing is not permitted. Rudas runs single-sex Turkish-bath sessions on weekdays.
- Age
- Both: no one under 14.
Details, prices and sources below. Last verified October 2026.
Is Gellért Bath open in 2026?
No. Gellért’s official opening-hours page reads: “The bath is closed from October 1, 2025. Planned reopening in 2028.” The same page suggests visiting Széchenyi Thermal Bath during the renovation (Gellért Thermal Bath, opening hours). That covers every part of the building, including the outdoor pools. If a tour or ticket site still sells you “Gellért entry” for a 2026 date, check what you are actually buying.
Do you have to be naked at Széchenyi or Rudas?
No. Budapest’s baths are swimsuit baths. Széchenyi’s FAQ allows only swimwear “specially designed for swimming purposes” in the pools (swimsuit, bikini, swim shorts, burkini and similar), bans street and gym clothes and underwear in the water, and states plainly: “Nude bathing is not permitted.” In the saunas, bare skin and swimwear may not touch the bench, so a towel is mandatory (Széchenyi FAQ).
Rudas is where the old habits survive. Its historic Turkish bath runs men-only and women-only sessions on weekdays, and its timetable labels the mixed sessions “co-ed turkish bath, in bathing suit” (Rudas opening hours). The English pages do not spell out what the single-sex sessions require. The Budapest Spas rules quoted on Széchenyi’s FAQ say steam bath pools may be used “only in an apron or bathing suit, depending on the specifics of the bath”. Our advice: bring a swimsuit to every session and follow what the staff hand you or ask for.
Széchenyi vs Rudas side by side
| Széchenyi (Pest, City Park) | Rudas (Buda, by Elisabeth Bridge) | |
|---|---|---|
| Feel | Huge complex; outdoor pools in a neo-baroque courtyard | Ottoman-era domed Turkish bath, modern wellness wing, rooftop panorama pool |
| Minimum age | 14 (since 1 August 2025) | 14 |
| Weekday full day | 13,200 Ft with locker | 12,000 Ft, all zones (Mon–Thu) |
| Weekend full day | 14,800 Ft (Fri–Sun) | 15,000 Ft (Fri–Sun) |
| Single-sex sessions | None; pools and saunas are mixed | Turkish bath: men Mon, Thu, Fri 06:00–10:45 and all day Wed; women all day Tue |
| Hot pools | Outdoor thermal pool 36–38°C; indoor pools up to 40°C | Turkish bath pools 16–42°C; panorama pool 36°C |
| Late bathing | Until 22:00 on Fridays; Sparty on Saturday nights (separate ticket) | Until 22:00 on Mondays; night bathing Fri and Sat 22:00–03:00 (online only) |
Our reading: pick Széchenyi for the classic outdoor soak and the widest choice of pools, and if you want to stay into the evening on a Friday. Pick Rudas for a smaller, older-feeling bath, the Danube view from the roof, or a single-sex session in the Turkish bath. Neither is a family day out any more.
Széchenyi: tickets, hours and rules
A daily ticket with a locker costs 13,200 Ft Monday to Thursday, 14,800 Ft on Fridays and weekends and 15,800 Ft on holidays and in peak season. The Fast Track ticket (online only, separate Spa entrance) costs 2,000 Ft more. A private changing cabin instead of a locker is 1,000 Ft extra (Széchenyi prices 2026).
The cheapest entry is the “Good morning Budapest” ticket: 10,500 Ft Monday to Thursday (11,800 Ft on Fridays), sold only in person between 07:00 and 09:00 on weekdays, and you must be inside by 09:00. It is then valid all day.
- Hours: Monday to Thursday 07:00–20:00, Friday 07:00–22:00, Saturday and Sunday 08:00–20:00. Pools and saunas close 20 minutes earlier; last entry is one hour before closing (opening hours).
- Booking: optional, but online tickets get priority when the bath is full. They cannot be refunded or moved to another date.
- Paying on the spot: the ticket machines at the main entrance take cards only; cash desks are at the Steam entrance. Euro is not accepted.
- Bring: slippers (mandatory), a towel and a swim cap if you want the 50-metre lap pool. Nothing is rented: a towel costs 6,900 Ft and slippers 4,200 Ft in the shop.
- Food: your own food and non-alcoholic drinks are allowed in the terrace and restaurant areas; bringing in alcohol is not.
Rudas: tickets, hours and single-sex days
A daily ticket to all zones (Turkish bath, wellness area with the panorama pool, sauna world and swimming pool) costs 12,000 Ft Monday to Thursday, 15,000 Ft Friday to Sunday and 16,000 Ft on holidays. Fast Track is 15,000 / 18,000 / 19,000 Ft. A cheaper weekday ticket for the Turkish bath only, or the wellness area only, costs 8,000 Ft. Night bathing on Fridays and Saturdays from 22:00 to 03:00 costs 15,000 Ft and is sold online only (Rudas prices 2026).
The Turkish bath timetable is the thing to plan around:
- Men only: Monday, Thursday and Friday 06:00–10:45; Wednesday 06:00–20:00.
- Women only: Tuesday 06:00–20:00.
- Co-ed, in bathing suit: Monday 11:00–22:00, Thursday and Friday 11:00–20:00, Saturday and Sunday 06:00–20:00.
- Wellness area and sauna world: open to everyone every day (wellness from 06:00, saunas from 08:00; until 22:00 on Mondays, 20:00 otherwise).
So a couple who want to see the domed Turkish bath together should go on a weekday afternoon (not Tuesday or Wednesday) or at the weekend. The bath also says it is currently not accessible to people with disabilities. On 23 October 2026, a national holiday, Rudas runs Sunday hours (Rudas opening hours).
The six Turkish-bath pools range from 16°C to 42°C, with a recommended bathing time of 20 minutes posted by the venue. The rooftop panorama pool is 36°C and holds 16 people at a time, and the 20.5-metre swimming pool requires a swim cap (Rudas pools and saunas).
Booking through a tour site or directly
Buying directly from the bath is cheapest, but official online tickets cannot be refunded or rebooked. The resale tickets on tour sites cost more and mostly buy you flexibility. One example: the Széchenyi Thermal Spa Ticket on Viator (affiliate link) includes entry and a locker or cabin, not towels or swimwear, was listed from US$62.63 when we checked, and can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours ahead. Its listing repeats the 14+ rule and says you must scan the QR code from your booking at the entrance. We have not used it. If your dates are fixed, the bath’s own webshop is the better deal. For a weekend of both baths, stay on the Pest side between the centre and City Park: Széchenyi is in the park, and Rudas is a tram ride or a walk across Elisabeth Bridge. Compare options for your dates: places to stay in Budapest on Booking.com (affiliate link).
What to bring to either bath
- Swimsuit designed for swimming (no gym shorts, leggings or underwear).
- Slippers or flip-flops. Budapest Spas’ hygiene rules make them obligatory, and you shower with soap before and after the pools (Budapest Spas hygiene rules).
- A towel for the sauna benches; neither bath rents them.
- A swim cap, only for the lap pools.
- An ID for anyone who might look under 14; Széchenyi says it may ask for proof of age.
- Forint or a card. Széchenyi does not take euro, and Rudas accepts only forint for cash.
Comparing etiquette with other countries? Our Istanbul Turkish bath etiquette guide covers the hammams that inspired Rudas, traditional vs spa hammam in Marrakech shows how a single-sex bath works elsewhere, and Blue Lagoon vs Sky Lagoon does the same side-by-side job for Iceland.
FAQ
Is Gellért Bath closed?
Yes. It has been closed since 1 October 2025 for renovation, and its official website gives 2028 as the planned reopening. The bath itself suggests Széchenyi in the meantime.
Can children go to Széchenyi or Rudas?
Not under 14. Széchenyi has applied the rule to the whole bath, outdoor pools included, since 1 August 2025, and Rudas also cannot be visited under 14. Budapest Spas points families to other baths, such as Csillaghegy or Paskál.
Is Rudas Bath nude?
Mixed sessions are in bathing suits. The Turkish bath has men-only and women-only sessions on weekdays; the English site does not say what those require, and Budapest Spas rules mention an apron or bathing suit depending on the bath. Bring a swimsuit.
Which is cheaper, Széchenyi or Rudas?
On weekdays Rudas: 12,000 Ft for all zones against 13,200 Ft at Széchenyi. On Fridays and weekends Széchenyi is slightly cheaper: 14,800 Ft against 15,000 Ft. Széchenyi’s early “Good morning Budapest” ticket (10,500 Ft) is the lowest price at either bath. Prices as published in October 2026.
Sources and verification
- Gellért Thermal Bath: Opening hours (closure notice)
- Széchenyi Thermal Bath: FAQ (age, swimwear, tickets, food), Prices 2026, Opening hours, Pools
- Rudas Thermal Bath: Opening hours, Prices 2026, Pools and saunas
- Budapest Spas: Basic hygiene rules, FAQ
Last verified: October 2026. Prices, hours and maintenance closures change; the baths’ own pages and staff on the day take precedence over this page. We have not visited or booked these baths. This page contains affiliate links (Viator, and Booking.com via CJ): if you book through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It is not sponsored. It is not medical advice. Our disclosure policy.
