Resorts and thermal baths

Mineral and thermal waters are one of the country's old riches, and the spa resorts of Romania have grown around them since antiquity: the Romans used the springs at Herculane, and in the 19th century, under Austro-Hungarian influence, the villas and cure pavilions of Transylvania and the Banat appeared, followed by the resorts of the Olt Valley and Moldavia. The offer is varied: thermal springs and warm-water pools, salt lakes with mud, sparkling mineral waters for drinking and mofettes in the volcanic areas of Harghita and Covasna. Many resorts have renewed their treatment centres; others keep the air of a past era, with buildings still waiting to be restored.

Băile Herculane in the Banat has the longest history, and Băile Felix, near Oradea, is the largest spa resort in the country. In Transylvania, Băile Tușnad and Covasna are resorts of sparkling mineral waters and mofettes; on the Olt Valley, Călimănești-Căciulata has mineral springs, and in Bukovina, Vatra Dornei combines the cure with skiing.