A bathhouse from the Ottoman Empire era, hidden away within a massive hospital.
Because of its location, it has become something of a hidden gem.
Corner of Medical Facility
The Veli Bej Bath, located on the banks of the Danube, is right behind the Lukács Baths, and you’d be hard-pressed to realize it is a spa facility.
A 22-minute walk from Batthyány tér Station on Metro Line 2, or a 10-minute walk from the Margit híd, budai hídfő tram stop.
Although there is a café on the glass-walled first floor, this is essentially part of a medical facility.
The rate was 6,700 HUF for a 3-hour session (as of this writing).
Reservations are not accepted; you must pay the fee at the ticket counter on the day of your visit.
Please note that the facility is closed from noon to 3:00 p.m. every day.
Children under the age of 14 are not permitted to use this.
After changing into your swimsuit in the separate men’s and women’s changing rooms, head through the outdoor area and back into the indoor bathhouse.
Capybara
It was cold because I went in the middle of winter.
Just for a moment.
Alpaca
The bathhouse was located in a courtyard-like area surrounded by the hospital buildings.
This Turkish-style dome!
Built between 1574 and 1575 under Ottoman rule, the building still retained much of its original appearance.
The main pool was an octagonal pool located beneath a dome that resembled a starry sky.
The four corners were divided into small rooms, each containing a small pool with a different water temp.
The interior of the dome had been tastefully renovated and felt like a completely different world from the exterior, which exuded a sense of grandeur and history.
The octagonal pool showed no signs of being chlorinated, and while it didn’t have a particularly distinctive feel, it was undoubtedly geothermal water.
In the other pools, I could smell the chlorine.
There is also a swimming pool and a Kneipp walk, but they are not available on Saturday mornings.
The dome’s exterior is characterized by its glass roof, and the hospital wing beneath it was equipped with a wide range of facilities, from Finnish saunas to infrared saunas.
