The Gellért Baths have announced that they are closing for large-scale renovations, which are scheduled to last until 2028. The city’s most famous Art Nouveau spa is set to undergo a €51 million transformation that will include the addition of a new wellness area and panoramic sauna, as well as a complete refresh of the interiors.
Budapest is world-renowned for its thermal spas, but none are as emblematic as the Gellért Baths. With their colourful Zsolnay ceramic tiles, stained glass, and grand domes, the baths are a masterpiece of early 20th-century architecture. Designed by Hungarian architects Ármin Hegedűs, Artúr Sebestyén and Izidor Sterk, the complex opened in 1918 and quickly established itself as a symbol of luxury and elegance. Over the years, it has welcomed numerous high-profile guests, including US President Richard Nixon, Iran’s Shah Reza Pahlavi, and actress Jane Fonda.
The baths will be closed for the next three years while BGYH, the municipal company that operates the city’s seven thermal baths, carries out a full reconstruction. This coincides with the ongoing renovation of the adjoining Gellért Hotel, which has been closed since work began in November 2021.
According to BGYH, it made sense to renovate both properties simultaneously, as the thermal baths were already suffering from the noise and dust caused by the hotel renovations, as well as “difficulties in the daily operation of the baths and in providing adequate service to guests”. In 2022, the hotel was purchased by the BDPST Group, a private equity firm owned by István Tiborcz, the son-in-law of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
The spa usually attracts 1,500–1,800 visitors a day, and its last major renovation was completed in the 1980s.
Plans for the baths’ overhaul had been in preparation for several years. The structure has been significantly weakened by continuous exposure to thermal water, steam and cleaning chemicals, prompting the need for a renewal aimed at enhancing both safety and visitor experience.
In a statement, BGYH said that “after fifty years, due to the deteriorated basic infrastructure and the static problems that have arisen, a comprehensive renovation, architectural, mechanical and technological modernisation [of the Gellért baths] is inevitable”.
The company further explained that the ‘thermal water, steam, cleaning of pools and spaces according to regulations, and the use of various chemicals’ had caused deterioration of “equipment, tools, all kinds of coverings and metal objects or surfaces, and even the building’s structure”.
The city is set to invest 20 billion Hungarian forints (approximately €51 million) in the project. The restoration project will prioritise protecting and renewing the site’s historical Art Nouveau features, restoring them to their original grandeur while introducing sustainable, energy-efficient systems to improve heating and thermal water management.
The baths’ operators said that the aim of the reconstruction is also to strengthen Budapest’s reputation in Hungarian and international spa tourism. The exact reopening date is not yet known, but it is expected to be in 2028. Works are set to begin in 2026.
While Gellért Baths embark on its three-year rejuvenation journey, visitors keen to experience the spa can enjoy the city’s other thermal landmarks, such as Széchenyi, Rudas and Lukács, or lesser-known gems like Dandár and Pesterzsébeti baths.
With Gellért’s usual 1,800 daily visitors set to be redirected elsewhere, these spas may be busier than usual, so advance booking is recommended.
