Vulkán Gyógy- és Élményfürdő

What to expect

Celldömölk is a small town in the Kemenesalja area of Vas County, and its landmark is Ság hill, the stump of a basalt volcano about five million years old that rises just outside town. The bath takes its name from it. Vulkán Gyógy- és Élményfürdő (Vulkán Medicinal and Adventure Bath) is the town’s municipal bath, run by a local company, and it mixes three things under one ticket: medicinal pools, a lap pool and, in summer, an outdoor strand with slides.

The medicinal water, sold as Vulkán gyógyvíz, comes from a well drilled in 2003 to 1,245 m (4,085 ft). It reaches the surface at 109°F43°C. The bath describes it as a warm, soft sodium hydrogen-carbonate chloride water with about 3,330 mg of dissolved minerals per litre and an unusually high fluoride content (6.5 mg per litre). It is registered as a medicinal water, and the bath has offered medical treatments since February 2008.

It is a local bath, not a resort. Expect families from the surrounding villages in summer, regulars doing lengths before work, and older bathers in the warm pools on weekday afternoons.

The pools

The town and the bath both put the total at eight pools. The bath’s own list:

• Medicinal pool in the courtyard: 91-95°F33-35°C, in an enclosed inner courtyard, open all year. The warmest water here.
• Thermal medicinal pool: 80 square metres under cover and 80 square metres outside, joined so you can swim out, at 90-93°F32-34°C. The covered half is open all year; the outdoor half is seasonal.
• Swimming pool: 25 m and six lanes, fully covered, 75-79°F24-26°C, used for lane swimming and lessons.
• Teaching pool: covered, 84-86°F29-30°C.
• Adventure pool (summer): 560 square metres outdoors with bubble beds, underwater massage jets, neck showers and a current channel.
• Children’s pool (summer): shallow, with three small slides.
• Splash pool (summer): for toddlers, with a water feature in the middle.

The summer strand also has a Kneipp path with alternating warm and cold water and the slide tower, which is shaped like a volcano. It has four slides, one of them a three-lane racing slide, and a lookout on the top floor with a view over the strand to Ság hill. A salt cave, massage and a beauty salon complete the indoor side.

Getting there

The bath is at Sport utca 8 on the edge of Celldömölk, about 2 km (1.2 miles) from the town centre. Celldömölk is on main road 834 and also has a railway station.

• From Budapest: about 194 km (121 miles), roughly 2 hours 20 minutes. Take the M1 motorway to Győr, then main road 83 south towards Pápa and road 834 to Celldömölk.
• From Pápa: about 32 km (20 miles), 40 minutes.
• From Sárvár: about 21 km (13 miles), under half an hour.
• From Szombathely: about 49 km (30 miles), 50 minutes.

There is a bus stop named Vulkán Fürdő on Sport utca, right outside.

When to go

The bath is open every day of the year. Hours since October 15, 2025:

• September 1 to May 31: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• June 1 to August 31: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Weekdays from September to May are the cheapest and quietest time, and the half-outdoor thermal pool is at its best on a cold day. Come in summer if you want the slides and the adventure pool; the bath says the strand opens with the summer season and depends on the weather, so check before a June trip. Summer, weekends and public holidays all carry the higher ticket price.

Prices and booking

You do not need to book a day ticket. Prices from the list valid since October 15, 2025, still posted in October 2026 (weekdays September to May first, then summer, weekends and holidays):

• Adult day ticket: HUF 1,950 / 2,950.
• Senior: HUF 1,300 / 1,950.
• Child or student, ages 4 to 25: HUF 500 / 900.
• 4-hour ticket (all year): adult HUF 1,900, senior HUF 1,300, child HUF 500.
• Family day ticket (all year): two adults and one child HUF 5,900, two adults and two children HUF 7,000, plus HUF 500 per extra child.

Saunas cost extra and are sold only with a bath ticket. The bath’s textile sauna area is HUF 700 a day and opens Friday to Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. The hotel-run Sauna World is HUF 3,100 a day; sheets are rented at the hotel reception against a HUF 2,000 deposit. Massage starts at HUF 4,500 for 20 minutes, and the salt cave costs HUF 700 for 30 minutes. The bath accepts SZÉP cards. For sauna hours, which the operator lists slightly differently on different pages, call the hotel on +36 95 421 180.

Bathing culture

Hungarians treat the medicinal pool as a place to sit still. Shower before you get in, keep your head above the water, and limit each soak to about 20 minutes before a break. The 25 m pool is for swimming in lanes, so do not stand chatting in the fast lane, and bring a swim cap in case the lifeguard asks for one.

The two saunas follow the two Central European habits. The bath’s own area is a textile sauna, so swimwear is normal. The Sauna World run by the hotel is textile-free: you go in with a towel or sheet to sit on, not in a swimsuit, and the bath has even published an article explaining why. Do not bring children into the textile-free area without checking the age rule at the hotel.

Where to stay nearby

The Vulkán Hotel is next to the bath and runs its textile-free Sauna World. Celldömölk itself has a few guesthouses near the centre, 2 km (1.2 miles) away.

For a bigger choice, Sárvár, about 21 km (13 miles) east, is a spa town with several hotels. Pápa, about 32 km (20 miles) north, has its own thermal bath, the Pápai Várkertfürdő, and makes a good second stop.

Nearby stops worth adding

Ság hill (Ság-hegy) is the old volcano behind the bath, about 6 km (4 miles) by road. Quarrying cut into it for basalt, leaving a double cone with a crater you can walk around, and it is a popular short hike with wide views over the Kemenesalja plain.

Safety notes

• Heat: The warmest pool is 95°F35°C. That is mild, but long soaks still tire you. Get out slowly.
• Medical water: Ask a doctor before using medicinal pools if you are pregnant or have heart, blood pressure or circulation problems.
• Slides: Follow the lifeguards and the height rules posted at the tower.
• Floors: Wear bath sandals on wet tiles.