Thermal water bubbles up from nearly two kilometres beneath the earth in Zalakaros, rich in minerals and warm enough to soothe the sorest muscles. The new thermal aquapark has expanded on this natural gift, adding water slides, wave pools, and children play areas to the traditional medicinal baths. Indoor and outdoor pools connect through glass tunnels. Steam rises from open-air thermal basins surrounded by gardens. The water temperature stays between 34 and 38 degrees Celsius regardless of the season. Locals come for their joints and their backs. Visitors come for the sheer pleasure of floating in warm, mineral-laced water under a Hungarian sky.
Zalakaros Thermal Spa is a new spa resort in Hungary. It is situated in the small town of Zalakaros, in the southwestern part of Hungary, about 30 km from Lake Balaton and 200 km from Budapest. Zalakaros Thermal Baths are a combination of treatment centre, indoor waterpark and outdoor thermal swimming pool.
The Thermal Pools and Water Attractions
Zalakaros Thermal Spa offers 4,000 square metres of water area surrounded by large forested park. The indoor treatment centre which is open all year round includes several relaxation pools with thermal water and a large thermal pool. Here you can also enjoy a huge sauna complex, wellness centre, restaurants and cafes. The large thermal swimming pool is open during the summer months only. Waterpark offers an indoor pool with thermal water and various water attractions and the multifunction sport pool. Outdoor thermal park covers a total area of 10 hectares, where you can enjoy the thermal relaxation pool, multipurpose pool offering lots of attractions, swimming pool with artificial waves, a children pool and paddling pool.
Zalakaros is one of the newest spas, its 85 to 99 degree Celsius hot water was discovered during exploring of oil deposits. The springs provide the active iodine and bromine water, and feature highest fluorine content of all Hungarian spa waters. The baths are suitable for treating post-operative conditions, for the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders, for rehabilitation and are effective in treating chronic gynaecological problems and other conditions. The thermal water emerges at a rate of 3 million litres per day, ensuring that all pools are refreshed continuously with natural mineral water. The medical wing of the spa offers physiotherapy sessions, electrotherapy, mud-pack treatments using thermal mud harvested from local lake beds, and inhalation therapy in a salt chamber. The spa recommends a minimum stay of five days for measurable therapeutic results, and many visitors return year after year for relief from chronic joint conditions.
Exploring the Town and Lake Balaton Region
From the nearby attractions you should not miss the bird sanctuary in Zimány, which is located only 18 kilometres away. Among other must-see attractions are watching herds of bison, stretched 10 km from the spa centre. These animals live in Europe only rarely in the wild. Nearby Zalavár is famous for its ruins of Slavic settlements and visitors arriving by car can also include a trip to Lake Balaton. Zalakaros itself is a small, purpose-built spa town with a population of just over 2,000. The town centre consists of a pedestrian-friendly promenade lined with chestnut trees, boutique hotels, and restaurants that cater to wellness travellers. Most visitors spend their mornings in the spa pools and their afternoons strolling through the town arboretum, a 9-hectare park with rare tree species from Asia and North America.
Lake Balaton, Central Europe largest lake, lies only 20 kilometres north of Zalakaros. The southern shore, with its gently sloping sandy beaches and shallow waters, is ideal for families. The resort town of Keszthely, a 20-minute drive from Zalakaros, is home to the magnificent Festetics Palace, a baroque mansion with 100 rooms, a library of 80,000 volumes, and sprawling English gardens. A boat cruise from Keszthely across the Balaton takes you to the Tihany Peninsula, where an 11th-century Benedictine abbey sits on a volcanic bluff above the water. Wine lovers should continue to the Badacsony wine region on the northern shore, where the volcanic soil produces the full-bodied Kéknyelű white wine. These attractions make Zalakaros not just a spa destination but an ideal base for exploring western Hungary.
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