Zalakarosi Fürdő (Zalakaros Thermal Bath, formerly Gránit)

What to expect

Zalakaros is a spa town in southern Zala County that grew up around a single discovery. In 1962 a hydrocarbon exploration well drilled here hit water instead of oil: very hot, very mineral water rising from more than 2,000 m down at about 205°F96°C. A bath opened in 1965, and the village around it became a resort and then, in 1997, a town.

The bath was long known as the Gránit Gyógyfürdő, and you will still see that name on hotel sites and in guidebooks. It now trades as Zalakarosi Fürdő. It is a big complex with three distinct parts: an indoor medical section with medicinal pools and a treatment centre, an indoor and outdoor adventure bath with slides and a children’s area, and a summer lido set in more than 12 hectares of shaded park.

The crowd changes with the season. In winter and on weekdays the pools are full of older guests on a course of treatment, many staying for a week or more in the town’s hotels. In summer and at weekends, families take over the adventure bath and the lido.

The water

The operator describes the medicinal water as alkali-chloride and hydrogen carbonate water that is high in iodine, bromine and hydrogen sulphide, with significant fluoride, boric acid and metasilicic acid, and rich in organic matter and dissolved salts. It says the combination of minerals is unique in Europe. Treatments subsidised by the national health fund are given in the medical centre, and the water is used for joint and musculoskeletal problems, rehabilitation after surgery and chronic gynaecological conditions. Separately, the bath draws ordinary thermal water at about 127°F53°C from two shallower wells, which feeds many of the leisure pools.

The pools

Indoor medicinal section (Medicinal and Thermal World). Two medicinal pools under a fan-shaped roof and a cooler pool for easy swimming. The operator recommends this area for adults. It is not included in the basic day ticket.

Adventure bath. Indoor and outdoor pools of thermal water at 82-90°F28-32°C, with more than 20 water features: a fast current channel, a water umbrella, standing, sitting and lying massage jets, neck showers and a bubble bath. The outdoor pool is warm enough to use in winter. The Black Hole is an enclosed indoor tube slide with light effects and a timer, aimed at adults and older children. There is also an indoor Children’s World and a panoramic Finnish sauna, plus a children’s sauna run at 104-113°F40-45°C.

Summer lido (strand). The operator lists:

• Wave pool: 82-90°F28-32°C, 0.4-1.6 m deep.
• Family pool: 82-90°F28-32°C, 0.4-1.6 m deep.
• Thermal pool (IV): 90-93°F32-34°C, 1.2 m deep.
• Lido medicinal pool (III/1): two parts at 90-93°F32-34°C and 93-97°F34-36°C, 1.2 m deep.
• Sport pool: 79-82°F26-28°C, 1.2-2 m deep, for laps.
• Paddling pool: 86-90°F30-32°C, 0.3-0.5 m deep, next to the clubhouse.
• Family slide park with six lanes on three slides of different difficulty, and an Adrenalin slide park in high summer.

Getting there

The bath is at Termál út 4, 8749 Zalakaros. The town sits just north of the M7 motorway, which runs from Budapest to the Croatian border. Leave at the Zalakaros-Zalakomár exit (at the 191 km mark); old main road 7 runs about 5 km (3 miles) south of town.

• From Budapest: about 200 km (124 miles), roughly 2 hours 15 minutes by car.
• From Lake Balaton: the western end of the lake is about 25 km (16 miles) to the north.

Local buses stop at “Zalakaros, fedett fürdő” on Termál utca, right by the bath.

When to go

The indoor sections open every day. Since December 31, 2025 the adventure bath, children’s world and adventure sauna run 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. off-peak and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at peak times; the indoor pool and Medicinal and Thermal World run 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day; the medical centre runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Black Hole slide and the Sauna World open only at peak times.

Peak means Friday to Sunday, long weekends, school holidays and the summer high season (June 19 to August 30 in 2026). The 2026 lido season ran from May 22 to September 20, with the wave pool and Adrenalin slide park open only from June 19 to August 30.

Planned changes in late 2026: the indoor Children’s World closes at 6 p.m. on November 23 and all day on November 24; the indoor adventure bath closes at 6 p.m. on December 8; and every section closes at 6 p.m. on December 17. On December 24 the bath closes at 6 p.m., and on January 1 it opens at 10 a.m. The outdoor adventure pool was closed for maintenance from October 11 to 14, 2026.

Prices and booking

Prices in force since December 19, 2025 (off-peak / peak):

• Adult full day: HUF 6,700 / 7,400.
• Adult afternoon (Monday to Thursday after 4 p.m., not in school holidays): HUF 5,100.
• Student, ages 6-17: HUF 5,700 / 6,300, with ID and student card.
• Senior, 65 and over: HUF 5,700 off-peak with a Hungarian pension card. At peak times seniors pay the adult price.
• Child, ages 3-5: HUF 3,900 / 4,400. Baby, under 3: HUF 400.
• Medicinal and Thermal World: HUF 2,300 extra.
• Sauna World (three sauna rituals): HUF 3,700 extra, peak times only.

Families of at least 2 adults and 1 child or student get 5% off each additional child’s ticket. Discounts do not combine. Full-day tickets allow one entry from opening to closing. Buy at the desk or through the online ticket shop at jegyek.zkf.hu; cards and OTP SZÉP cards are accepted.

Bathing culture

Zalakaros is a cure town, and the medicinal pools are treated as such. Shower before you get in, wear a swimsuit, keep your voice down in the medicinal section and keep soaks short. Bring a swim cap: a 2026 visitor guide reports that caps are required in the indoor pools. In the saunas, sit on a towel or sheet. The lido is the place for noise, slides and ball games.

Where to stay nearby

The bath runs its own three-star Fürdő Hotel, a few minutes’ walk away, where the room rate includes a bath ticket. The town has many hotels, guesthouses and apartments within walking distance. Other spa stops in the county include Lake Hévíz, about 30 km (19 miles) to the north, and the Kehida Termál Spa a little further on.

Safety notes

• Medicinal water: It is strong, mineral-heavy water. Keep sessions short, shower afterwards and check with a doctor first if you have heart problems, high blood pressure or are pregnant.
• Children: Lifeguards steer small children away from the hottest medicinal pools. Watch them on the slides and in the wave pool.
• Slippery floors: Tiled areas are slick. Wear flip-flops.