Duane Brown jets off to international destinations seven or eight times a year.
08.08.2024 - 11:13 / lonelyplanet.com
Aug 7, 2024 • 9 min read
Welcome to Budapest, the “World’s Spa Capital.” In this captivating, cultured city, nothing feels more relaxing than plunging into a thermal pool and soaking away your stress and worries in warm, muscle-melting, mineral-rich waters.
A landlocked country with an undying love for water, Hungary is blessed by naturally heated springs bubbling up from below the ground. With its famously elegant bathhouses, Budapest is a paradise for those seeking relaxation, healing and a bit of quirky local culture.
But these aren’t just any old baths – they’re architectural marvels, portals to the past, sanctuaries of wellness, social hotspots and a quintessential part of the Budapest experience. Whether you’re looking to cure what ails you or just soak up the local way of life, here's everything you wanted to know about Budapest’s thermal baths, but were too self-conscious to ask!
Hungary is awash with thermal springs – there are more than 1000 in the country and more than 100 in Budapest alone, producing some 40,000 sq meters of warm, mineral-rich water every day. Before the Roman conquest, the area around present-day Budapest was inhabited by a Celtic tribe, the Eravisci, who named this land Ak-ink (Abundant Water).
Romans built the regional capital of Aquincum and quickly began taking advantage of Hungary’s thermal springs, as evidenced by the ruins of Roman bathhouses found around the country’s borders. The most notable spa in Aquincum was the Thermae Maiores (Great Bath) near Flórián tér in Óbuda, which had luxuries such as hot and cold piped water and underfloor heating.
But bathing only became an integral part of life in Hungary during the Ottoman Occupation in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Ottomans built elegant hammam-style baths consisting of octagonal pools topped by high-domed ceilings dotted with glass inlays, allowing rays of light to shine through and strike the water.
Two of these historic bathhouses – Rudas Baths and Veli Bej Baths – are still in use today, but most of Budapest’s other historic baths, such as Széchenyi Baths or Gellért Baths, were built in the 19th and 20th centuries, during Budapest's time as the second capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Many Budapest bathhouses boast about the healing properties of their waters. Bubbling up from a network of underground caves, the warm waters are rich in dissolved minerals such as calcium, hydrogen carbonate, magnesium, sodium, sulfate chlorides and metaboric acid. A mineral bath isn't just pampering and calming, it's also curative.
Studies have shown that bathing in mineral-rich water can help to relieve a number of health problems ranging from arthritis and muscle pain to slipped discs, circulatory disorders,
Duane Brown jets off to international destinations seven or eight times a year.
Lake Como, in northern Italy, conjures images of glistening blue water, opulent villas and villages where celebrities like Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, and Amal and George Clooney try to dodge the paparazzi.
AmaWaterways has unveiled a new seven-night "Best of the Danube" itinerary inspired by co-founder and President Rudi Schreiner.
With a handful of notable exceptions, airline CEOs are a fairly measured bunch. So when you hear a chief executive predicting that “this will change everything,” it’s a good idea to pay attention.
Slovakia’s Mountain Rescue Service introduced a location-sharing feature to its rescue app at the beginning of 2024, amid an increasing number of fatal accidents in the mountains.
Europe dominates in a new ranking of the world’s most beautiful cities, filling nine of the top 10 spots.
As someone who's traveled to over 40 countries, there was one thing I never checked off my travel bucket list: flying business class. I always walked past the lie-flat seats and dreamed one day I would be able to.
Landal GreenParks UK, the UK’s fastest growing company offering holiday breaks in nature, has seen a 24% YoY increase in summer bookings driven by longer staycations in the Southwest region.
Aug 7, 2024 • 8 min read
The Netherlands is famous for its capital city, Amsterdam, but the country has much more to offer visitors.
An anti-cruise rebellion is afoot in popular tourism destinations in Greece.
Heading off on a long car journey this weekend? Take extra care, as some of Europe’s top holiday hotspots are among the deadliest places in Europe for driving, a new study reveals.