Călimănești-Căciulata

About Călimănești-Căciulata

Călimănești-Căciulata is the spa resort of the Olt Valley, strung out for several kilometres along the DN 7 where the river emerges from the Cozia Mountains, 20 km north of Râmnicu Vâlcea. It has two centres: Călimănești, with the Central Pavilion and Ostrov Island, and Căciulata, further north, with the large treatment complexes. The waters are mostly sulphurous, chlorinated and sodic: the cold springs are drunk as an internal cure for digestive and kidney conditions, while geothermal water, drawn from wells some 3,000 m deep at almost 90 °C, feeds the baths and pools.

Spring no. 1 at Căciulata was analysed on the orders of Prince Grigore Ghica in 1828, and in the second half of the 19th century its water was sent in bottles to Paris for Emperor Napoleon III. It won medals at the exhibitions in Vienna (1873) and Brussels (1893). The Central Pavilion, built as a bathhouse and hotel between 1881 and 1886 and raised and remodelled by the architect Gheorghe Mandrea in the early 1910s, is now a listed historical monument and still works as a hotel.

Good to know before you go

Getting there

By car: the resort lies on the DN 7 (E81), 20 km north of Râmnicu Vâlcea and ~80 km south of Sibiu, on the road that climbs the Olt Valley into Transylvania; from Bucharest take the A1 to Pitești and then the DN 7, about 190 km. The DN 7 is busy at weekends and in season, and traffic in the Olt Valley often moves in long queues.

Public transport: buses and minibuses run daily between Râmnicu Vâlcea and Călimănești–Căciulata, stopping in both parts of the resort. Călimănești also has a railway station on the Râmnicu Vâlcea – Sibiu line.

Where to park

Hotel Central has its own car park, at 10 lei a day for non-residents (7 lei for guests). The complexes at Căciulata and the hotels have their own car parks; you can drive onto Ostrov Island, but the bridge is single-lane, there are few parking spaces and the island's gates close at night.

Fees & discounts

Walking through the resort, the parks, Ostrov Island and the promenade are free; you pay only at the pools and for treatments. At the Cozia AquaPark, a 3½-hour ticket costs 40 lei for adults and 20 lei for children aged 2–14 from Monday to Thursday, 50 and 25 lei from Friday to Sunday and on public holidays; each extra half hour costs 5 lei (adults) and 3 lei (children). At the Hotel Central aquapark, also for 3½ hours, it is 30 lei (adults) and 10 lei (children) Monday to Thursday, 35 and 15 lei Friday to Sunday. During happy hour, the last two hours of the day, entry is 50% cheaper. Guests staying at the complex that runs both aquaparks get in free. Spa treatments are paid for separately, at the treatment centres. Prices checked in September 2026.

Rules

Entry to the aquaparks is by wristband, valid only on the day of purchase; the 3½ hours start when you go in, and the ticket is single-entry, so it lapses if you leave. Each aquapark's rules are posted at the entrance and on its website. Treatments require a consultation with the doctor at the treatment centre, as some procedures have contraindications. Modest dress is expected at the hermitage on Ostrov Island.

Facilities

At the Cozia AquaPark: jacuzzi, steam sauna, hydrotherapy, more than 1,400 sunloungers, changing rooms and showers, self-service restaurant · spa treatment and rehabilitation centres in the Căciulata complexes and at Hotel Central · restaurants, terraces, shops and pharmacies along the DN 7 · jetty for boat trips on the lake · railway station and bus stops in the resort