Băile Herculane
Nine thermal springs and imperial bath architecture in the Cerna valley, Romania.
Țetcu Mircea-Rareș / Wikimedia Commons
- Source temperature
- 60°C
- Bathing temperature
- 40°C
- Bathing
- Indoor / Outdoor
- Accommodation
- Hotel on site
Băile Herculane occupies a narrow valley in the Carpathians where sulphurous and chloride springs surface between roughly 38°C and 60°C. Austro-Hungarian bath houses and hotels line the river, some restored, some spectacular ruins.
Balnevia view
Why visit
The most atmospheric thermal town in Romania: nineteenth-century imperial architecture, mountain water and visible layers of decay and restoration.
Recommendations
Hotels nearby
Explore places to stay near Băile Herculane.
The water
Thermal water
- Source
- Cerna valley springs
- Character
- Sulphurous, chloride and sodium-rich waters from nine springs
History
The Romans built Ad Aquas Herculi Sacras here in the second century. The town was rebuilt as an imperial resort under the Habsburgs from the 1730s, and Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth both visited.
Practical information
Bathing takes place in hotel and public bath facilities of varying standard; check in advance what is open. Some historic buildings are closed and unsafe.
Getting there
About 1h30 by car from Timișoara or 2h from Sibiu; Băile Herculane station is on the Bucharest–Timișoara line, a short taxi from the centre.
Location
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