Hungarospa Hajdúszoboszló

What to expect

Hajdúszoboszló is a small town on the plain west of Debrecen that became one of Hungary’s biggest spa resorts almost by accident. On October 26, 1925, a team searching for oil and gas under the geologist Ferenc Pávai-Vajna hit hot water instead, at 1,091 m, rising at 163°F73°C along with natural gas. Locals bathed in the pools it formed, and the town opened its first bath on July 26, 1927. A century later the operator, Hungarospa, calls the site Europe’s largest bath complex.

It is several baths in one park, and the tickets reflect that:

• Medicinal bath (Gyógyfürdő): the heart of the place, with seven medicinal pools, open all year.
• Strandfürdő (lido): a 30-hectare summer lido with up to 15 pools, sharing one ticket with the medicinal bath.
• Aqua-Palace: a 15,000-square-metre indoor water park with 15 pools, separate ticket, open all year.
• Aquapark and Premium Zone: slide park and a quieter paid area on the lido, summer only, extra ticket.
• Árpád Uszoda: an indoor swimming pool.

The water is an iodine-bromine salt water, brown in colour. Hungarospa markets it mainly for rheumatic and joint complaints and for recovery after orthopaedic surgery; those are its claims.

The pools

Medicinal pools, all running from September 7, 2026 until further notice:

• Indoor pool I: 90-93°F32-34°C.
• Indoor pool II: 93-97°F34-36°C.
• Indoor pool III: 97-100°F36-38°C.
• Outdoor swimming pool I: 90-93°F32-34°C.
• Outdoor show pool II: 93-97°F34-36°C.
• Outdoor pools III and IV: 93-97°F34-36°C and 97-100°F36-38°C.

The pools work as fill-and-drain pools all year: they are emptied and refilled with fresh medicinal water rather than recirculated. The indoor hall has a gallery and a tea room looking out over the lido, and a roof terrace for sunbathing.

The Aqua-Palace pools are themed: a tropical pool and Ganges, Roman and sea pools at 90-93°F32-34°C, cinema, cave and Pávai thermal pools at 93-97°F34-36°C, and an ice-cave pool at 77-81°F25-27°C. There is a family slide and a giant spiral slide from the upper floor.

On the lido, the Mediterranean pool is a 6,200-square-metre artificial seaside with a sandy shore, a pirate ship and a lighthouse, at 72-75°F22-24°C. There are also a wave pool, a 50 m pool, a 97-100°F36-38°C bubble pool and several children’s pools, plus a boating lake with pedal boats.

Getting there

The complex is at Szent István park 1-3, in the centre of Hajdúszoboszló. Debrecen is about 19 km (12 miles) east, and Budapest roughly 180 km (112 miles) west in a straight line; Hajdúszoboszló is on the main road and rail routes between the two. Trains from Budapest and Debrecen stop in town, and local bus 1 runs from the station to the bath. The town bus station is just 50 m from the medicinal bath and 200 m from the Aqua-Palace.

Street parking around the bath is paid: in zone I HUF 400 an hour or HUF 2,000 a day in 2026, and in zone II HUF 200 an hour. Hungarospa’s parking page shows a free parking area as well.

When to go

The medicinal bath is the year-round draw, and autumn, winter and spring are the time to use it: lower prices, fewer people, and steam rising off the outdoor pools on cold mornings.

Summer is a different place. The lido opens on May 1 and closes on September 30, with only some pools running until mid-June and again in September. The full set of 15 lido pools, the Aquapark and the Premium Zone run from mid-June to the end of August. That is also when prices rise and the town fills up.

In late 2026, the Aqua-Palace closes early on November 28 (4:30 p.m.) and December 31 (6 p.m.).

Prices and booking

Buy at the desks or online; no booking is needed. Medicinal bath and lido, 2026 adult prices:

• January 1 to June 14 and September 1 to December 31: HUF 5,500; pensioners HUF 4,800; students and children from 4 HUF 4,600; under 4 HUF 600.
• June 15 to August 31: HUF 6,000 on weekdays, HUF 6,500 at weekends and holidays.
• From 4 p.m.: HUF 4,500 off-season, HUF 4,900 / HUF 5,300 in summer.
• Two entries in a day: HUF 7,300 off-season.
• 7-day pass: HUF 33,000 off-season, HUF 36,000 in summer.

Aqua-Palace, 2026: adults HUF 6,400 on off-season weekdays and HUF 7,400 at weekends, holidays and in summer; children and students from 4 HUF 4,600 / HUF 5,600; under 4 HUF 3,000 / HUF 3,800. Its sauna world is HUF 2,200 on top.

Extras in the medicinal bath: sauna HUF 1,800, sheet hire HUF 2,000, swimsuit hire HUF 2,000, valuables safe HUF 1,000, private cabin HUF 2,500 a day, poolside lounger HUF 1,800. Medical treatments (mud packs, weight baths, tub baths, massage) are booked in the treatment department, open weekdays 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday mornings. SZÉP cards are accepted.

Bathing culture

The medicinal bath is a working cure bath, full of regulars on a course of treatment. Swimsuits everywhere, a shower before you get in, slippers on the tiles, and low voices in the hot pools. Respect the posted soaking times; the medicinal water is strong and longer is not better. Hungarospa does not recommend the medicinal pools or the sauna for under-14s. Adults may not use children’s pool I on the lido. The nudist island on the lido closed on August 1, 2024.

Where to stay nearby

Hungarospa runs its own Thermal Hotel and Thermal Camping, both open all year and next to the complex. Hajdúszoboszló has many other hotels and guesthouses within walking distance, many with bath packages, and Debrecen, 19 km (12 miles) away, is a full-sized city if you want more choice.

Safety notes

• Heat and salt: the 97-100°F36-38°C pools and the mineral-heavy water tire you quickly. Keep soaks to the posted limits, drink water and get out if you feel faint.
• Children: the medicinal pools and sauna are not recommended for under-14s.
• Crowds: on hot summer weekends the lido is very busy; agree a meeting point with children.
• Valuables: use the safe; it is HUF 1,000.

Nearby stops worth adding

Debrecen, Hungary’s second city, is a short drive east, with its Great Reformed Church and the Déri Museum. Hortobágy National Park, the open grassland of the Great Plain, is north of town and makes a good half day out.