Băile Felix

About Băile Felix

Băile Felix is the largest spa resort in Romania that stays open all year: a settlement with almost 6,000 beds, 8 km south of Oradea, grown up around thermal springs that come out of the ground at 20–49 °C and never freeze. The waters are oligomineral, bicarbonated, calcic and sodic and, together with the local sapropelic mud, underpin treatments for rheumatism, peripheral neurological and gynaecological conditions and recovery after injury.

The warm water here is mentioned as far back as the Middle Ages, in a papal diploma of 1221 that speaks of "Termae Varadienses", but the resort takes its name from the monk Felix Helcher, who between 1711 and 1721 captured the main spring and built the first bathing facilities. The Apollo baths have been running since 1900. In recent years the centre of the resort has been rebuilt with seven million euros of EU funding — a pedestrian promenade, cycle lanes, fountains, new lighting — and around 300,000 tourists come here every year.

Good to know before you go

Getting there

By car: Băile Felix is 8 km south of Oradea on the DN 76 (E79) towards Beiuș, about 15 minutes; the turning into the resort is signposted from the roundabout on the DN 76, and the large car park is right there. From Cluj-Napoca it is ~160 km on the E60 (~2h45), from Arad ~120 km, from Timișoara ~175 km, from Bucharest ~570 km.

Public transport: OTL bus line 511 links Oradea (Nufărul bus station) with Băile Felix every day, and private minibuses run the same route from morning until late. The resort's railway station is closed: the last Oradea – Băile Felix train ran in 2014.

Where to park

The main car park, with around 800 spaces, is at the entrance to the resort from the DN 76 and is run by Sânmartin town hall: the first 45 minutes are free, then ~3 lei an hour and ~15 lei for a whole day (rates announced in 2023, check at the machine). In the centre and on the resort's streets parking is charged until the evening, at machines, through the TPARK app or by text message. The large hotels have their own car parks, usually included in the room rate.

Fees & discounts

Walking through the resort, the promenade and the Lake of Water Lilies reserve are free; you pay only at the thermal baths and for treatments. At the Apollo-Felix complex, run by Turism Felix, a day ticket is ~65 lei for adults and ~35 lei for children up to 14 from Monday to Friday, ~70 and ~35 lei at weekends; after 15:00 the rates drop to ~55 and ~60 lei for adults and ~30 lei for children, and under-4s go in free. Guests of the Nufărul hotel have free access. At the President Aqua Park a day costs ~80 lei for adults and ~30 lei for children, a five-hour ticket ~45 and ~25 lei, and after 17:00 entry is ~35 lei; hotel guests pay less. At Venus Waterland, the baths at Băile 1 Mai, 2 km away, a day is ~70–80 lei for adults and ~45 lei for children. Spa treatments are paid for separately, at the hotels' medical centres. Prices checked in September 2026.

Rules

At the baths you pay with a wristband, topped up with cash or card at the marked points; at the President Aqua Park the wristband needs a deposit of at least 10 lei, and going over your paid time costs 0.17 lei a minute. Each bathing complex has its own rules posted at the entrance. The Lake of Water Lilies is fenced and viewed from the path around it: do not go into the water and do not pick the plants. Spa treatments require a consultation with the doctor at the hotel's medical centre, as some procedures have contraindications (serious heart conditions, pregnancy, infectious diseases).

Facilities

At the Apollo-Felix complex: free sunloungers, self-service restaurant, bars, cake shop, shops, Finnish sauna, massage, manicure and pedicure, volleyball and football pitches, playground, first-aid point · treatment, rehabilitation and wellness centres in the larger hotels · pharmacies, cash machines, shops, restaurants and terraces on the main street · pedestrian promenade and cycle lanes · bus stop for Oradea in the centre