A bath might seem like an odd attraction. Visiting lots of baths might seem like an even odder attraction. When in Rome, or, in this as far as the Roman empire reached, Budapest, grab your swimsuit and a towel and head to the baths. As many baths as you can. Morning. Day. Night. Old. New. Classic. Modern. There're baths for every taste, every occassion, every mood.
As a general operating procedure, the baths use either a wristband or card to use lockers, order food (when available), etc. while on premise. That being said, I'd dress light and not bring any valuables when heading to the baths. My recollection is also that the baths, at least some of them, require a "membership fee" in addition to a day pass but that overall, the prices were reasonable, this being Hungary after all. One other general comment, the baths are tough to do as a solo traveler. Tough to walk around by yourself, sit at the pool by yourself, etc. without looking like a bit of a creeper.
As a general operating procedure, the baths use either a wristband or card to use lockers, order food (when available), etc. while on premise. That being said, I'd dress light and not bring any valuables when heading to the baths. My recollection is also that the baths, at least some of them, require a "membership fee" in addition to a day pass but that overall, the prices were reasonable, this being Hungary after all. One other general comment, the baths are tough to do as a solo traveler. Tough to walk around by yourself, sit at the pool by yourself, etc. without looking like a bit of a creeper.
Szechenyi Bath is the grand dame of the Budapest Baths. Don't believe me? Simply scroll down and compare. Gellert is nice too but Szechenyi's main pool is tough to beat, for any pool, anywhere. There are hot jacuzzi baths in a bath house on the opposite side of the main pool house but those jacuzzi's had quite a bit of fecal matter floating around. Now you know why they expect you to shower at the gym before entering the pool. This seemed like a great place to drink a few beers and hangout but, as I mentioned above, if you were with a group. As a solo traveler, it was tough to find a spot to crash, then once you got up, you'd lose your spot. What's difficult to judge is how much Szechenyi is a tourist attraction vs. a local spot to hang out. Philadelphia has a lot of places that are both popular with tourists and locals alike and this bath seemed to fall into that category, however, there were a lot of tourists here. Still, if you only had time to visit one bath, visit Szechenyi.
Gellert Baths is the other major must-see bath in Budapest. Compared to Szechenyi it's an overall more impressive facility. It doesn't have as singularly as beautiful a bath as Szenchenyi's but everything else felt higher class - I actually believe Gellert had a higher fee than Szechenyi and it didn't seem as overrun with tourists, likely because its outdoor pool isn't as in inviting and I don't recall there being as much day drinking going on here.
If it isn't obvious from the photos below, Kiraly Baths, is an original old school bath. I came here early one morning, which is probably a good idea due to the fact that the bath is small and likely would not be much fun if a ton of people were here. That said, I can't imagine a ton of people showing up. The attraction of this place is that it's old - just look at those lockers, look at the entrance to the baths. A great contrast to Szenchenyi and Gellert.
Rudas Baths was originally built in the 1550s but I think it's safe to assume that the facility has undergone a few renovations since then. This was the "coolest" bath I visited. It could, and I think does, turn into a bit of a club at night. There's a rooftop bar with great views of Budapest. Not too crowded either making this a nice bath to sit back, relax, and enjoy a beer.