Csillaghegyi Árpád Forrásfürdő és Székely Éva Uszoda

Csillaghegyi Árpád Forrásfürdő és Székely Éva Uszoda is a spring-fed bath in the Óbuda district of Budapest (1038 Budapest, Pusztakúti út 2-6), operated by Budapest Gyógyfürdői és Hévizei Zrt. Its pools are supplied with natural spring water, and according to the bath its adventure and wellness pools are filled with high-quality spring water. The site pairs a modern covered pool complex with a large landscaped open-air strand, and is reachable by the Szentendre HÉV suburban railway and buses 160, 134 and 234.

History

The bath traces its first written record to 1858, in geologist József Szabó's geological description of the Pest-Buda area; at that time the local springs supplied a single brick-walled bathing pool, and the outflowing water drove a mill that stood at the end of what is today the 33-metre pool. After the Roman bath, Csillaghegy is described as the capital's oldest strand. The Csillaghegyi Árpádfürdő Rt. was established in 1919 by Ignác Elkán and Árpád Gerő, laying out a large, tree-shaded park with terraced sunbathing areas and promenades. The bath originally had two strands and a swimming pool, and in 1925 a wave pool was built here that operated until 1945.

A later third pool, intended for international swimming competitions and fitted with stands and cabins, subsided because of a structural fault and had to be demolished; the site records that Olympic champion Johnny Weissmuller (Tarzan) once raced there against the Hungarian Olympic silver medallist Dr. István Bárány. The new indoor pool was built on that spot. During excavation work ahead of the bath's expansion in 2017, the Budapest History Museum carried out a rescue archaeological dig that uncovered a Roman-era Celtic chariot burial and, nearby, a child's grave; three restored bronze statues from the find are now on display at the Aquincum Museum.

Water and pools

The bath lists fourteen pools across its indoor and outdoor areas. Indoors these include a 25 x 33-metre, 12-lane swimming pool (26–28 °C, 200 cm deep), a teaching pool (31–32 °C, 90 cm), an adventure pool with water jets and back-massage feature (about 35–36 °C), a relax pool (34–35 °C), an acoustic pool offering an underwater sound experience (35 °C), a children's pool (35 °C, 50 cm), a baby pool (34–35 °C, 30 cm), an indoor plunge pool (26–29 °C), a warm sitting pool (36 °C) and a hot-water plunge pool (40–42 °C). On the panoramic outdoor terrace there is a whirlpool-style panorama pool (29–35 °C) usable in every season.

The open-air strand adds a 55-metre beach pool (22–23 °C, deepening from 140 to 200 cm), a 33-metre outdoor swimming pool (22–23 °C, 140–220 cm) and an outdoor children's pool (22–23 °C, 25–60 cm).

Sauna world

The sauna world (for guests aged 14 and over) offers a spacious classic Finnish Panorama sauna (80–90 °C) with a large window, an Aroma sauna using essential oils (55–60 °C), an Infra sauna (40–60 °C), a high-temperature Finnish "Ördög" (Devil) sauna seating 18 (80–100 °C) and a steam cabin (45–50 °C). It is complemented by plunge pools at 26–29 °C and 40 °C for contrast bathing, a 35 °C sitting pool, and an open-air panorama pool and terrace usable year-round.

Wellness, sport and kids

The wellness zone groups the acoustic, relax and adventure pools. The sport zone centres on the 12-lane 25-metre pool and the teaching pool, and adds a Finnish sauna and a quiet rest area with a book-exchange shelf. The indoor Kids' World is a covered, colourful play area with a baby pool and a children's pool featuring a slide, a spray park and a mini lazy river, plus a dry play corner, children's washrooms and baby-changing facilities.

Grounds and dining

The strand covers a landscaped park of 90,468 m² and is described as Buda's largest and second-oldest open-air bath, with ancient-tree promenades, extensive sunbathing lawns, deckchairs and bookable "Csill" VIP sun terraces. For dining, the Aqua Stella Bistro serves Italian-style dishes, handmade burgers and pizzas on weekends and public holidays (10:00–19:40), while a buffet by the entrance operates daily (09:00–19:00); an outdoor food outlet opens with the strand. Payment in the catering units is by bank or prepaid card only.

Opening hours

The bath is open every day of the week from 06:00 to 20:00, with extended hours until 22:00 on Wednesdays.