It’s Bath time!

If there is one problem facing the tourist during a weekend break in Budapest, it is choosing from the bewildering array of things to see and do.

The city is blessed with countless attractions: the sweeping panorama of the Danube river, the fading grandeur of the Austro-Hungarian architecture, a plethora of fabulous museums and more restaurants, bars and clubs than you can shake a stick at.
However, the one thing that tourists and locals agree is a must-do is taking a dip in the thermal waters that bubble up from under the city.
For centuries, bathing in the city’s medicinal waters has been a favourite pastime of young and old alike, and many baths have sprung up to meet the demand.
Three baths, however, rule the roost in the city, and each offers a very different experience.
Szechenyi baths, based in the city park, is the largest and most popular.
Anyone who has ever owned an Eastern Europe guide book would be familiar with the image of old men hovering round a chess board in steaming water, and Szechenyi is the source of these pictures.
The men spend long hours sitting in the heated, outdoor pool pitting their wits against each other, but this is only one small part of Szechenyi’s charm.
The outdoor section sports three pools: one for relaxing, one for swimming, and one to splash around in the whirlpool, Jacuzzi and bubbling water jets.
Winter is the best time to visit Szechenyi. The baths stay open come rain or snow, and there is nothing quite like lying back in the water watching steam rise into the cold night sky, sometimes obscuring the intricate fountains that spray water into the pool.
The indoor section is also a treat, with minty thermal waters heated to different temperatures, steam rooms and saunas all at hand to ease aching joints and muscles.
However, there are hazards to be negotiated.
The ticketing system is ridiculously complicated — involving several tickets and turnstiles, refunds and a locker system that is hard to fathom — and many a confused visitor can be seen wandering around sporting a bemused expression.
Most disturbing, however, is the amount of flesh on display. Szechenyi operates a mixed bathing policy, but that doesn’t seem to matter to many bathers.
Thongs are worn not only by young women, but also by many 70-year-old men, and it is all too easy to turn around at an inopportune moment and get a close-up of view of a flabby posterior.
Next best is the Rudas baths, now reopened with a new enlightened policy of allowing women in.
The Rudas is an authentic Turkish bath, built in the 16th century when the Ottoman Empire occupied much of the region.
Almost unchanged since that time, the central thermal bath is dominated by an octagonal pool under a 10 metre-span dome, which is supported by eight columns and surrounded by a barrel-vaulted corridor.
The central pool, which is thankfully dimly lit, thus making it harder to see the thongs that are also present here, is surrounded by corner pools with varying temperatures.
Inexperienced bathers will find it difficult to follow the expected route from hot to cold pools, followed by a steam bath or sauna and a dip into the plunge pool.
Fortunately, however, this alternately scalding and freezing experience is not mandatory and you can choose to lie back and stare up at the little piece of history that is the dome. This bath was a favourite of Budapest bathers before it closed for renovation, and is now slowly building up the numbers again.
Many people go on a Friday night, when it is open from 10pm to 4am, and it is the perfect way to unwind and ease into the weekend.
During the renovation, many hidden treasures were unearthed, and some of these finds, such as the water pipes from the Ottoman period, are exhibited behind glass walls.
The other well-known bath is the Gellert. Although the Gellert does not offer quite a pleasant a bathing experience as Szechenyi and Rudas, it makes up for it with a wonderfully grand interior.
The bath is attached to the Gellert hotel in an Art Nouveau building, and boasts Roman statues and stained glass windows.
Once again, the ticketing system is complex and many complain about the unfriendly staff, but it’s well worth a visit if only to wallow in the opulence.
Some bizarre treatments are available, and those who don’t fancy being pummelled half to death by a stony-faced masseur can endure galvanisation and carbon-acid tubs, among other things.

Michael Logan