Bathing Bliss in Beautiful Budapest

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Cool Cuisine
Take your wellness weekend in Budapest all the way and indulge in clean, vibrant food that will leave you feeling as light and invigorated as a dunk in a cool plunge pool. Our favorite healthy-eating spot is 100-percent Mannatural, a friendly raw-food restaurant with two Budapest locations to choose from.

Besides the warm welcome, we love the little-bit-of-everything plate, which--as the name implies--includes a sampling of all the daily salads, "burgers," crackers, noodles, and sauces. With a smoothie and a rich slice of cake for dessert, you can count on two things:

1. Spending less than $5 for your meal, and
2. Not having to think about food for the rest of the day.

Budapest might not have the same glamorous allure as Paris, London, or some other tourist-packed European capitals, but it does have one big draw of particular appeal to travelers in search of sine serious R & R, and that’s its thermal baths.

Since the Ottoman era, hot water has been funneled from deep underground wells and piped into more than a dozen public spas where locals and out-of-towners alike come to indulge in a leisurely day (or two, or more) of bathing in the mineral-rich, curative pools.

Even if you’re not the “spa type,” a trip to one of these beautiful public pools--with their cafes and indoor-outdoor lounges, hot and cold pools, steam rooms and saunas—is a must. Bring your swim suit, your flip-flops, and your sense of adventure to one of our top co-ed choices for a relaxing, invigorating day in the Hungarian capital.

Széchenyi Baths 
Less than $20 earns you all-day access this sprawling, colorful, sometimes crowded but never dull spa in the northwest corner of Budapest Park. Two enormous outdoor pools, a bar/café,  Finnish saunas, and too many indoor pools count among its many merits. Massage and beauty treatments are also available.

Lukacs Baths
Low-key, pleasant, and ever-so slightly  clinical in its overall vibe, the Lukacs baths are so calming and soothing you’ll  want to spend the whole day. Alternate between two outdoor pools (one with addictive massaging water jets), relaxing indoor sulphur baths, an herbal steam room, and Finnish sauna.  Entry fee is about $12, and  you can add a 20-minute massage for $10 more. 

Gellert Spa 
This palatial spa on the Buda side of the Danube is one of the most popular in the city—especially so with tourists, who are drawn by its colorful Belle Epoque beauty and the chance to indulge in aromatherapy massage, spa pedicures, and other relaxing beauty treatments.