Choose Széchenyi for a first visit and its big outdoor pools, at $52 on a weekday ticket. Choose Lukács if you want a smaller, cheaper bath with far fewer visitors, at $37 for a full day on dates we checked in late October 2026. Lukács also stays open to 22:00 on Tuesdays, while Széchenyi’s late night is Friday. Before you pick Lukács, know that its wellness Finnish sauna and private bath service are currently closed for renovation.
Budapest: Lukács Thermal Bath Full-Day Spa Ticket
Széchenyi and Lukács at a glance
| Széchenyi | Lukács | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | City Park, Pest (District XIV) | Frankel Leó út 25-29, Buda (District II) |
| Hours | Mon to Thu 7:00 to 20:00, Fri 7:00 to 22:00, Sat and Sun 8:00 to 20:00 | Mon and Wed to Sun 7:00 to 19:00, Tue 7:00 to 22:00 |
| Late night | Friday to 22:00 | Tuesday to 22:00 |
| Walk-in price (2026) | 13,200 HUF Mon to Thu, 14,800 HUF Fri to Sun, 15,800 HUF peak | 7,000 HUF Mon to Thu, 8,000 HUF Fri to Sun |
| On GetYourGuide | Day ticket, $52 weekday | Full-day ticket, $37 |
| Rating | 4.3 from 28,758 reviews | 4.0 from 351 reviews |
| Beer spa | Yes, from $101 | Yes, from $117 |
| Closed right now | Nothing announced | Wellness Finnish sauna, private bath service, wheelchair lifts |
| Under-14s | Not admitted | Not admitted |
Crowds and atmosphere
The clearest measure of the difference is the review count. The main Széchenyi ticket has 28,758 reviews on GetYourGuide; the Lukács ticket has 351. That is about eighty to one, and a fair sign of where most visitors go. Széchenyi is busy, sociable and spectacular, with three outdoor pools in City Park that most visitors have seen in photographs before they arrive. It suits people who want the famous experience and do not mind sharing it.
Lukács is the bath to choose if the crowd is the part of Széchenyi you would happily skip. It has the same group rules and the same 14-and-over age limit, at a little over half the walk-in price. Its rating is lower, 4.0 against 4.3, so read our Lukács ticket review before booking, especially while parts of the bath are closed.
Prices
At the cash desk Lukács costs 7,000 HUF Monday to Thursday and 8,000 HUF Friday to Sunday, against 13,200 and 14,800 HUF at Széchenyi, which also adds a 15,800 HUF peak price. Lukács has two cheaper ways in as well: 3,500 HUF on weekdays (4,000 HUF at weekends) for the last two hours before closing, and a sauna world supplement of 1,300 HUF if you want the saunas.
Booked ahead on GetYourGuide, Lukács is $37 against $52 for a weekday Széchenyi locker ticket, or $73 for Széchenyi on the holiday Saturday we checked. For two people that is $74 against $104 on a weekday. Our price guide lists every bath and ticket.
If you want Lukács plus some sightseeing, the Super Saver package bundles a Lukács day ticket with a 4 pm guided tour of St. Stephen’s Basilica and a 90-minute Danube night cruise at 7 pm for $71. See our spa and cruise packages page for how the day fits together.
Pools and facilities
Széchenyi’s three outdoor pools are a swimming pool at 26 to 28 °C, a thermal pool at 36 to 38 °C and a leisure pool at 32 to 34 °C, with cold plunges outside and a medical therapy pool and plunge pools indoors. A swim cap is required in the swimming pool.
The Lukács operator does not currently publish its pool list, so we cannot give you temperatures. The GetYourGuide listing describes saunas, steam rooms and heated outdoor pools with jets and waterfalls. The sauna world opens from 14:00 on weekdays and all day at weekends, with sauna programmes on Tuesdays at 18:00, 19:00 and 20:00 and at weekends at 15:00, 16:00 and 17:00.
Hours and the late nights
The two baths take turns. Lukács stays open to 22:00 on Tuesdays and closes at 19:00 every other day. Széchenyi stays open to 22:00 on Fridays and closes at 20:00 on other days. At both, ticket sales end an hour before closing and you must be out of the pools 20 minutes before closing time, so a Tuesday evening at Lukács means arriving by 21:00 at the latest.
On a weekday morning both open at 7:00. Széchenyi opens at 8:00 at weekends.
Current Lukács closures
The Lukács website lists three things out of action: the wellness Finnish sauna and the private bath service, both closed for renovation, and the wheelchair lifts. The bath itself is open. If the private bath for two was your reason to go, it is not available at the moment; check the Lukács website for updates before you book. Széchenyi has no comparable notice, though its own listing warns that individual pools and saunas close for short maintenance periods.
Beer spas at both baths
Both baths have a beer spa run by the same operator, Beer Spa Budapest: a 45-minute soak in a private wooden tub of thermal water infused with hops, malt and beer salts, with unlimited draft beer from your own tap. Both are for adults only.
| Széchenyi beer spa | Lukács beer spa | |
|---|---|---|
| Soak only | $101 | $117 |
| With full-day bath entry | $157 | $151 |
| Also included | Private changing cabin | Changing cabin, hops tea, hot sandwich |
| Extras | Optional 30-minute guided ice bath at 6 °C | |
| Rating | 4.4 (94 reviews) | 4.6 (5 reviews) |
With bath entry, the Lukács beer spa is the cheaper of the two and includes food. The Széchenyi-area beer spa has far more reviews. Our beer spa page compares them in more detail.
Who should pick which
- First visit to Budapest: Széchenyi, for the outdoor pools.
- Lower cost and fewer people: Lukács, $37.
- A late soak on Tuesday: Lukács, to 22:00.
- A late soak on Friday: Széchenyi, to 22:00.
- Bath plus sightseeing in one booking: the Lukács Super Saver, $71.
- Beer spa with bath entry for less: Lukács, $151.
- Wheelchair users: neither is a good fit at present. The Lukács lifts are out of service and the Széchenyi ticket listing is marked not suitable for wheelchair users.
Frequently asked questions
Is Lukács less crowded than Széchenyi?
It sees far fewer visitors by every sign we have: its GetYourGuide ticket has 351 reviews against 28,758 for Széchenyi.
How much cheaper is Lukács?
At the desk, 7,000 HUF on weekdays against 13,200 HUF at Széchenyi. On GetYourGuide, $37 against $52 on dates we checked in late October 2026.
Which bath is open late?
Lukács stays open to 22:00 on Tuesdays, Széchenyi to 22:00 on Fridays. Both close earlier on other days, and ticket sales stop an hour before closing.
Is the Lukács sauna open?
The sauna world is open, from 14:00 on weekdays and all day at weekends. The wellness Finnish sauna is closed for renovation.
Can children go to Lukács or Széchenyi?
No. Both admit only guests aged 14 and over. Palatinus on Margaret Island is the public bath for families.
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