Lukács Baths

Lukács has run since the 12th century in some form, though the current complex dates to the 19th, and it's built its reputation on therapy rather than spectacle — the mineral-rich water here feeds neighbouring Király's supply, and the bath itself leans toward medical soaking and physiotherapy pools over the ornate architecture of the bigger names.

It draws a crowd of regulars — plaques on the walls list patients who credited the water with treating specific conditions — rather than the international tourist circuit that fills Széchenyi and, increasingly, Rudas.

Go for the genuinely local, unglamorous version of a Budapest thermal soak — bring a robe rather than expecting a palace.