SPA culture of Hungary
If you are looking for a rich cultural experience with medical, health or wellness treatments, then Hungary is the place that suits you best. The ancient Romans had a very developed bath culture in Hungary more than 2000 years ago. They highly valued the healing effects of Hungarian thermal waters. In the 16th century, the Turks built beautiful Turkish Baths which are still in use today.
Budapest deserves the nicknames such as “Spa City” or “Spa Capital” (it got this illustrious title in the 1930’s) because the Hungarian capital has the highest number of thermal springs (118) within the city limits in the world. For those who love spa and wellness, it is unique for being the only large city in the world, which abounds in fountains of healing water. In this way Hungary is one of the best and most popular destinations for Spa and Wellness Vacations.
The waters that are beneficial for the body come under three categories:
- the mineral waters from groundwater layers,
- thermal water at temperature of 30°C and above and
- medicinal water with scientifically proven medicinal effects.
| You can find in Hungary totally: | Spa cities/areas in Hungary: |
|---|---|
1 289 springs in 385 cities can be found thermal bath 13 health resort 57 sanatoriums 39 qualified thermal bath 5 medicinal caves 81 mineral water, and 315 thermal water source 4 medicinal mud 1 mofetta | Budapest Lake Balaton Hévíz, Zalakaros, Sárvár Harkány, Bükfürdő Hajdúszoboszló,Gyula Miskolctapolca, Eger, Mezőkövesd, Egerszalók, Aggtelek, Lillafüred Nyíregyháza – Sóstófürdő Szeged |
Thermal water or medicinal water can be found in 80% of the country. The country has more thermal-water sites than anywhere in the world because the Earth’s crust is so thin that waters can rise closer to the surface. The heat penetration from the sun is greater, so the mineral-rich, brittle rocks can be absorbed more effectively in the waters. Today, taking the waters is still second nature to Hungarians and doctors routinely recommend a trip to the spa to their patients. More than 1000 springs provide medicinal and thermal water to natural and medical spas. Lake Hévíz is a real natural phenomenon with its 25 °C yearly average water temperature. This is the largest biollogically active thermal lake in Europe.
