Sárvár Spa and Wellness Centre

What to expect

Sárvár is a small town in Vas County in western Hungary, best known for its castle and its spa. Thermal water turned up here in 1961 during a search for oil. The present spa, the Sárvári Gyógy- és Wellnessfürdő, opened in 2002 and was doubled in a second phase finished in 2010, which turned it into a family bath as well as a medical one.

It is a big, modern complex rather than a historic bath. One side is the medicinal bath, where older visitors sit in warm pools and book treatments. The other is the family bath, with a wave pool, slides and children’s pools. A textile-free Sauna World sits alongside, and in summer a lido opens outside with a beach pool, a diving pool, more slides and a wave pool.

The spa runs its own hotels and a campsite next door, so many visitors stay several days on a cure package.

The pools

The spa lists these pools and temperatures:

• Medicinal pools: indoor medicinal pool 95-99°F35-37°C; medicinal adventure pool with seated massage jets 93-97°F34-36°C; outdoor medicinal pool 93-97°F34-36°C, open in winter; a seasonal retro medicinal pool 93-97°F34-36°C.
• Adventure pools: indoor 90-93°F32-34°C with a passage outside; outdoor 90-93°F32-34°C with a current channel, waterfall and neck jets.
• Giant jacuzzi: 91-93°F33-34°C.
• Swimming pool: 75-79°F24-26°C, 1.3-2 m deep, open all year.
• Family bath: indoor wave pool, children’s adventure pool and baby pool, all 90-93°F32-34°C.
• Summer lido: beach pool 72-77°F22-25°C, wave pool 72-79°F22-26°C, a 3.6 m diving pool and children’s pools.

The spa uses two waters. The medicinal pools take an alkaline bicarbonate water that comes from about 1,200 m down at 109°F43°C and contains sodium chloride and trace elements but no sulphur. A second well, about 2,000 m deep, gives a very salty 181°F83°C brine with iodine, bromine and fluoride. It is used for salt bath treatments and is evaporated to make the “Sárvár thermal crystal” salt sold at the spa. The spa recommends about 20 minutes per soak in the medicinal pools.

Getting there

The spa is at Vadkert utca 1, 9600 Sárvár.

• By car: Sárvár is about 25 km (16 miles) east of Szombathely, 115 km (71 miles) south-east of Vienna and 160 km (99 miles) west of Budapest, all straight-line distances; road trips are longer. The spa has its own car park.
• By bus: direct long-distance buses run to the Sárvár termálfürdő stop, a 2-minute walk from the entrance. The spa’s timetable lists a daily direct bus from Budapest that takes just under 4 hours, and buses from Győr (about 1.5 hours), Sopron and Veszprém. Check menetrendek.hu before you travel.

When to go

The spa is open every day except December 24. Off-season weekdays (Monday to Thursday outside school holidays) are cheapest and quietest. Every Friday to Sunday counts as main season, and so do the summer holidays and October 23 to November 1, 2026.

Summer brings the outdoor lido, but also crowds. In winter, the outdoor medicinal pool stays open.

Single pools close for maintenance on set dates. Late 2026 dates are November 9-13 (wave pool and green slide), December 1-4 (medicinal jacuzzi) and December 14-18 (indoor medicinal pool).

Prices and booking

Sárvár spa published these 2026 prices (off-season / main season):

• Adult full day: HUF 6,600 / 8,900.
• Adult from 4 p.m.: HUF 4,400 / 5,900. From 6 p.m.: HUF 2,400 / 3,300.
• Child 3-14: HUF 3,600 / 4,500 (from 4 p.m. HUF 2,400 / 3,300). Under 3: HUF 500.
• Student or ONYFI pensioner card: HUF 4,000 / 5,400.
• Families: two adults and one child HUF 14,500 / 18,700; two adults and two children HUF 16,600 / 21,400.
• Sauna World supplement: HUF 3,200 full day, HUF 2,800 from 4 p.m., HUF 2,300 from 6 p.m.
• Night bathing: HUF 4,500 (6 p.m. to 1 a.m.), or HUF 2,300 added to a day ticket.
• Rentals: towel HUF 800, bathrobe HUF 1,100, swim cap HUF 500, safe HUF 500, each with a cash deposit in forints.

A same-day second entry costs HUF 1,900 for adults. Lockers are included except from June 19 to August 31, when they cost HUF 1,000.

Bathing culture

The pools are swimsuit areas, and Hungarian spas ask everyone to shower before getting in. The spa rents swim caps and goggles for the swimming pool. The Sauna World is textile-free and open to guests 12 and over: take a sheet (free with a deposit) to sit on, and keep quiet during sauna sessions.

The national rule (Government Decree 510/2023) bars children under 14 from medicinal pools and pools above 95°F35°C, and children under 6 from whirlpools. Families with young children should stick to the family bath. On Wednesday mornings from 9 to 11 a.m., the rainbow slide pool is used for baby swimming. On Tuesdays the medicinal bath opens at 8:30 a.m. for pensioners.

Where to stay nearby

The spa company runs the VitalMed Hotel, the Harmónia Hotel, the Thermal Camping site and the Erdei KalandLak cabins, all beside or near the spa. The town has other spa hotels, and its own long-established thermal hotel, now under the Ensana brand, opened in 1985. Szombathely, the county seat, has more choice about 25 km (16 miles) away.

For more Hungarian spas, Bükfürdő is about 20 km (12 miles) north-west in a straight line and makes an easy second spa day, the Pápa Várkertfürdő is to the east, and Lake Hévíz and Kehida are to the south in Zala County.

Safety notes

• Heat and time: the spa suggests about 20 minutes in the medicinal pools. Drink water and stand up slowly.
• Health: Hungarian spas advise people with heart disease, high blood pressure or a pregnancy to ask a doctor before using medicinal water.
• Deep water: the diving pool is 3.6 m deep and the swimming pool reaches 2 m.
• Slides: follow the slide attendants and age or height signs.