Bucket list experience:
Budapest, Central Hungary, Hungary
Known as the ‘City of Spas’, Budapest has more thermal and medicinal water springs than any other city – 118 in fact, providing over 70 million litres of thermal water a day. Although used by the Romans, spa bathing didn’t become an integral part of Budapest culture until the 16th-century Turkish occupation. Today there are 15 public thermal baths (and many more private ones), notably the Szechenyi, a vast golden palace of steam pools and artesian water baths.
Budapest, Central Hungary, Hungary
Budapest’s bathing culture is a legacy of the 16th-century Turkish occupation, and the wealth of hot springs bubbling up from under the city. This fabulous art nouveau bathhouse is the best, a sprawling spa complex of baths and pools, from steam baths and artesian water baths inside, to steaming thermal pools outside.
Best for ages: 14+ | £14
Round-ups that include this experience
Multiple countries
‘Natural’ spa holidays can be traced back thousands of years – Cleopatra was a regular visitor to the rejuvenating waters of the Dead Sea. Here’s our round-up of some of the best places to find the authentic ‘natural spa’ experience.
