Rudas Bath is probably the most popular medieval Turkish bath in Budapest, the City of Baths, famous for its bathing palaces like the Neo-Baroque Szechenyi Bath or the Art Nouveau Gellert Bath.
What makes Rudas Bath stand out is the modern rooftop panorama pool overlooking the river Danube and its many Budapest river cruise boats, the Parliament, the historical bridges and more. Also, Rudas Bath boasts a 16th-century thermal bath in its core, called the Turkish Bath.
In addition, Rudas Spa offers a special late night bathing opportunity, with its special overnight opening hours every Friday and Saturday (the baths reopen from 10 pm to 3 am, both nights: Rudas Night Bathing is only available with tickets booked online). Finally, Rudas is the only thermal bath in Budapest, which has – at least in a smaller part of the thermal complex – men only and women only weekdays in certain hours, when aprons are worn by many guests instead of traditional swimwear. You can book your Rudas Bath entries with a nice dinner right in the Thermal Baths for a special extra.
Rudas Bath & Dinner Booking
Opening hours – Rudas Bath Coed
Mon-Sun: 6 am to 8 pm (pools must be left by approx. 7.30 pm)
The bath is open on holidays, including national and any other holidays, e.g. Christmas, New Year, etc with a mixed set up (open to all genders). That means that the bath is open 365 days. Due to its popularity among locals, expats and tourists alike places are subject to availability at all times. Rudas Bath is a large bath complex, mostly co educated, but one of its several pools, the Turkish Bath has gender specific days, as seen below.
Turkish Baths Gender Days
Monday: Men only
Tuesday: Women only
Wednesday: Men only
Thursday mornings: Men only
Thursday afternoons: Coed
Friday mornings: Men only
Friday 11:00-20:00: Coed
Friday 10 pm – Sat 3 am: Coed Night Bathing with online tickets
Saturday: Coed
Sat 10 pm – Sun 3 am: Coed Night Bathing with online tickets
Sunday: Coed
National Holidays & Peak season periods: Coed
(hours and settings are subject to change, including the gender specific days in the Turkish Bath inside Rudas Bath. Kindly note that the majority of the bath complex, the saunas, plunge pool, large indoor thermal swimming pool etc. are coed, mixed seven days a week)
Rudas Bath is located at the foot of the scenic Gellert Hill on the Buda side.
Turkish Bath inside the Rudas Bath Complex
Turkish baths in Budapest are amazing oriental monuments with modern-day facilities. Many tourists who visited Turkey will expect to see the dry Turkish sauna as a Turkish bath, but the medieval Turkish baths of Budapest are not steam baths as in modern-day Turkey, but historical Turkish baths with a central octagonal-shaped pool extended with other baths.
That said, you can take a Turkish bath as a steam bath too, as Rudas Bath offers a complex bath and wellness experience, including a hammam (Turkish sauna) as well as an ilidza (Turkish “Ilica” for warm thermal spring). There are 6 thermal baths in Rudas Bath as well as a larger swimming pool.
The knights of St John in the 13th century built their healing center here, then after the Buda Castle siege, when the Ottoman Turkish armies successfully captured the Royal Palace of Hungarians, the Turks started to build a series of Turkish baths along the river Danube, using the deep underground hot spring waters for relaxing, bathing and healing. Sokollu Mehmed Pasha (Sokoli Mustafa), the Turkish pasha, who excelled in the siege of Vienna, and governed the town of Buda for 12 years during the Turkish occupation in Hungary, made sure that the baths are well built (with hard ceramic pipes, and tiles brought from Turkey).
Last updated on Oct 11, 2024
Hi,
I wanted to know what the hours are for 24th, 25th and 26th December 2019? Also, are there are restricted areas for men/women?
Thank you,
Varsha
Hello Varsha,
There are shortened opening hours for Christmas Days in many of the thermal baths in Budapest, including Rudas Baths.
Rudas Baths Opening Hours during the Christmas holidays
(Based on the last few years’ practice, not confirmed yet):
Dec 24: 6-14 (closing early at 2pm)
Dec 25: 10-18 (Swimming Pool section)
Dec 26: as any Sunday, that is:
Swimming pool: 6-22 Wellness – sauna world: 8-22
Thermal bath 6-22
Dec 31 6-18 (closing earlier on New Year’s Eve)
Jan 1
Swimming pool: 10 – 22 Wellness – sauna world: 10-22
Thermal bath 10-22
For the major thermal baths in Budapest, please find more details, advice and other thermal bath alternatives on the following link: BathsBudapest.com/Dec
As for gender separated areas during Dec 24-26: all baths are operating on a coed basis, mixing women and men in the pools, saunas, etc. (what is restricted though is toilets, shower rooms)
Thank you for your kind cooperation. We wish you a wonderful bath experience in Budapest!
More about December things to do in Budapest during the Christmas holiday: http://budapestchristmas.com/
Hi
I went into the portal for buying tickets for Rudas Spa for 26Dec 2019 and it’s allowed me to go through to the payment point. But I’ve just seen the above note. Can you please advise before I put my card details in.
Thanks
Nisha
Hello Nisha, standard online tickets can be indeed purchased, it is the fast track tickets that are only offered after the festive period as there will be no system yet managing the fast track entries when hundreds of guests arrive at the baths, and fast track holders are not allowed to get through. Your booking is fine and enjoy your thermal relaxation in Budapest in Dec!
More about the Christmas things to do in Hungary’s capital http://budapestchristmas.com/
How much is towel hire (and the deposit) at Rudas?
Hello Rachel, towels can be rented for HUF 2000 and a security deposit of HUF 3000 (cash only in HUF).
Have a relaxing holiday in Budapest!
Dear Ruda Baths,
I would love to go on Tuesday, women’s day. Is there a way to book a cabin in advance? Or do I just show up and it is first come, first serve.
Sincerely,
Sion
Hello Sian,
thank you for your inquiry.
Yes, it’s enough to buy your ticket with cabin in the bath.
Enjoy your time in Budapest!
Hello, I’m looking to book 6 people to visit the baths on August 9th, but cannot choose this date on the calendar as there is a red dot in place of the date. Is this because there are no more tickets available? Is it possible to go to the baths the day of and see if there is availability?
Hi Sarah, sorry about that. We have received the managerial decision today that online sales will be put on hold during the Sziget Festival in Budapest, only local / on the spot sales will be available for tickets and massages between August 7 and 13, which is the week of the world famous festival adding another half a million to the population of Budapest (many of them visiting the baths this time of the year).
Please see more info, advice, alternative options etc. here BathsBudapest.com/Aug
Hi, My friend and I are thinking of coming to Rudas – Just to check, how deep are the baths? Also, do you have any treatment options available? And finally, what are the prices for any of these experiences and entry too.
Thanks in advance,
Hello Kay, Rudas Thermal Bath in Budapest has six steam pools and a swimming pool. The swimming pool is 10x 21,5 m and it gets progressively deeper from 105 to 180 cm. It is the deepest pool at Rudas Baths where the water temperature is 29°C.
In the steam pool section, the largest pool offers 96.5 square meters of water surface and 36 °C water temperature, there are four 9 square meter large pools with 28-30-33 and 42 °C water temperatures, and the smallest pool is 4.5 square meters, with 16 °C water temperature.
The wellness department provides a Juventus pool, a plunge pool, a rooftop pool and two hot water pools.
Please note, that there can be queues at the rooftop pool on busy days.
Prices and booking – prices depend on various options: weekend / weekday, locker/cabin and access to the pools with hot or cold water.
Visiting a weekday is cheaper than a weekend and lockers are cheaper than cabins.
Hope this helps in the ‘decision tree’.
Enjoy your time, the spas and baths in Budapest.