Băile Herculane

About Băile Herculane

Băile Herculane is a spa resort set on the floor of the narrow Cerna valley, at 168 m above sea level, between the limestone walls of the Cerna and Mehedinți mountains. Its sulphurous, sodium chloride and calcium springs come out of the ground at 38–60 °C and have been used for almost two thousand years: the Romans built baths here dedicated to Hercules, "Ad Aquas Herculi Sacras", and the oldest written record is a votive tablet from AD 153. The water and the sulphur baths are recommended above all for rheumatism and disorders of the musculoskeletal system.

After the Peace of Passarowitz in 1718 the Austrians rebuilt the baths, and from 1736 the resort grew into a place of cure for the Viennese court. The old town dates from the 19th century: Hercules Square, with the bronze statue cast in Vienna in 1847, the Casino (1862–1864) with its inscription "Saluti et laetitiae", the imperial pavilions, the Neptune, Apollo and Diana baths and the bridges over the Cerna. Empress Elisabeth, "Sisi", came here several times between 1887 and 1896. The tower-block hotels downstream were built between the 1960s and the 1980s.

Good to know before you go

Getting there

By car: Băile Herculane lies in the Cerna valley, ~5 km off the DN6 (E70): at Pecinișca, by the railway station, the DN67D branches off and climbs along the river to the old town, then carries on up the Cerna valley towards Baia de Aramă. It is ~25 km from Orșova (~25 minutes), ~50 km from Drobeta-Turnu Severin (~45 minutes), ~180 km from Timișoara on the E70 via Lugoj and Caransebeș (~3 hours), ~160 km from Craiova and ~380 km from Bucharest (~5h30).

Public transport: Băile Herculane station, on the Timișoara – Craiova line, is at Pecinișca, by the DN6, ~5 km from the old town; carry on from there by taxi. The station building, put up in 1878 in the style of the Viennese imperial pavilions, is due to be restored.

Where to park

In the tourist season, parking on public land in the old town and around Vicol Park is charged during the day, by text message or through the town hall's attendants; the rate has changed several times, so check the signs on the spot. The larger hotels have their own car parks. The old-town streets are narrow and get crowded in summer, so it is easier to leave the car at your hotel or in the area of the newer hotels and walk up along the Cerna.

Fees & discounts

Walking through the resort, Hercules Square, the Via Sissi promenade and the tubs on the bank of the Cerna are free; the tubs are kept up by a volunteer association, from donations. At the Apollo Baths museum a ticket costs 15 lei for adults and 10 lei for pupils, students, pensioners and organised groups, and visitors with disabilities go in free. The open-air thermal pools and the hotels' treatment centres set their own prices, with day or few-hour tickets, and treatments are paid for separately; the hotels also sell accommodation packages with treatment. Prices checked in September 2026.

Rules

The Via Sissi tubs and the rough pools on the bank of the Cerna have no lifeguards, changing rooms or opening hours: you bathe at your own risk, and should not stay long in the hot water, especially if you have heart or blood-pressure problems. The ruined historic buildings, above all the Neptune Baths, are dangerous: do not go inside them or past the fences and scaffolding put up for safety. Spa treatments require a consultation with the doctor at the treatment centre, as some procedures have contraindications. The paths up to Domogled run through the Domogled – Valea Cernei National Park: keep to the marked trails and take your litter home.

Facilities

Sulphur-water treatment centres in the larger hotels · open-air thermal pools in summer · museum in the Apollo Baths · restaurants, terraces and shops in the old town and around the newer hotels · pharmacies and cash machines · marked paths to Domogled and the Outlaws' Cave · railway station on the Timișoara – Craiova line