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Budapest’s Top 10
16
Gellért Hotel and Baths
The Gellért Hotel is the finest of all the great bath houses
in Budapest. Its main swimming pool is perhaps the best
example of Neo-Classical architecture in Hungary, and is
certainly the ideal place to enjoy Budapest’s warm ther-
apeutic waters. The hotel itself is a fine Secessionist piece, designed by Ármin
Heged√s, Artúr Sebestyén and Izidor Sterk, and built between 1912 and 1918.
It was damaged by heavy bombing in World War II and rebuilt in the late 1940s.
Outdoor wave pool
Swimming costumes
and towels can be
hired at the baths, but
are expensive and not
very good, so it’s best
to bring your own.
The pricing structure
at the Gellért, and all
baths for that matter,
is Byzantine to say
the least. Standard
entry includes access
to the baths and
swimming pool, but
nothing else. You
will, however, receive
a refund if you stay
less than two hours.
Children of all ages
pay almost full price.
• Map L6
• Gellért Hotel: XI, Szent
Gellért tér 1; 889 55 00;
www.danubiushotels.
com/gellert
• Gellért Baths: XI, Kelenhegyi
út 4; 466 61 66;
open Summer: 6am–
7pm daily; Winter: 6am–
7pm Mon–Fri, 6am–
5pm Sat & Sun; adm
Ft2,500 (baths & pool);
www.budapestspas.hu
• Terrace Restaurant &
Café Eszpresszó: a threecourse
meal for one
costs Ft7,500–10,000
Top 10 Features
1 Façade
2 Main Entrance Hall
3 Main Staircase
4 Terrace
5 Café Eszpresszó
6 Bath Foyers
7 Main Swimming Pool
8 Outdoor Pools
9 Thermal Baths
0 Eastern-Style Towers
Façade
The Gellért’s Secessionera
façade (below) reflects
the self-confidence that
befits a building constructed
during the final phase of
the Habsburg Empire,
when Hungary was on the
verge of independence.
Main Entrance Hall
With its elaborate
mosaics, plush carpets and
over-the-top statues, the
hotel’s entrance hall is a
leap into the past. The
staff are patient and helpful
with visitors who just want
to admire the scene.
Stained-glass window
by Bózó Stanisits
Main Staircase
The stained-glass
windows (below) on the
staircase landings were
designed by Bózó Stanisits.
They illustrate a legend
about a magic stag, recorded
in János Arany’s poetry.
Mid-week at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center can be crowded
with school groups; Mondays are more peaceful.