
- Bathing temperature
- 36°C
- Bathing
- Indoor / Outdoor
- Established
- 1919
Palatinus Strand occupies a wooded stretch of Margaret Island in the middle of the Danube, a short walk from central Budapest. Its terraces of open-air pools, wave pool and thermal basins are supplied by the island's own thermal wells, making it the city's largest outdoor bathing complex.
Balnevia view
Why visit
Come for open-air bathing on a scale few European capitals can match: broad terraces, mature trees, and a mix of cool swimming pools and warm thermal basins in a single park setting.
Recommendations
Hotels nearby
Explore places to stay near Palatinus Strand.
The water
Thermal water
- Source
- Margaret Island thermal wells
- Mineralisation
- Alkaline thermal water with calcium, magnesium and bicarbonate
- Character
- Wells drilled on Margaret Island supply the thermal basins; the swimming and wave pools are cooler.
History
Open-air baths were established here in 1919, after thermal water was struck on Margaret Island; the complex was enlarged in the 1930s and has been repeatedly modernised since.
Practical information
Primarily a summer destination, with a reduced year-round thermal section. Check current opening months and ticket types on the official site before travelling.
Getting there
Margaret Island is served by tram 4 and 6 (Margitsziget stop) and by bus 26 from Nyugati station; the baths are a signposted walk inside the park.
Location
Related places
More thermal baths in Hungary

Budapest/Hungary
Széchenyi Thermal Bath
Budapest's grand neo-baroque bathing palace, where mineral water fills vast outdoor pools beneath ochre colonnades.
Bathing temperature 38°C

Budapest/Hungary
Gellért Thermal Bath
Budapest's most photographed bathing hall: Art Nouveau mosaics, glass roof and mineral water from the Gellért Hill springs.
Bathing temperature 38°C

Budapest/Hungary
Lukács Thermal Bath
The bathers' bath of Budapest, with plaques of thanks on its walls.
Bathing temperature 40°C