What better way to unwind from a wonderful Christmas day then with a visit to one of the many thermal baths Budapest is famous for? For this evening we had tickets to one of the most popular baths in the are, the Széchenyi Thermal Bath and Spa. A quick bus ride from the ship, a short walk, and proof of vaccination at the entrance and we found ourselves in the magnificently ornate lobby. We made our way to the private changing rooms and went downstairs to the indoor thermal pools. We did not take any photos in the pool areas, but you can find them online. The interior has a several small mineral pools of varying temperatures from cool to hot where folks sit and soak fairly quietly, while the large outdoor pool is where the citizenry go to socialize and frolic in the hot mineral water. There is a large whirlpool area in the center that whips your around a “track” with a fairly good force. We spent time in both the inside and outside pools and were thoroughly relaxed after.
We had some time before our bus would leave back to the ship so used the opportunity to walk across the park to the nearby outdoor ice skating rink. The mood was festive and there was a small Christmas Market set up around the perimeter. We showed our vaccine cards and entered the market where we dined on traditional street sausage at the Kobe Sausage stand before catching the bus back to the ship. A most memorable Christmas evening!
