# Băile Herculane

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Banat](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/banat) › [Caraș-Severin County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/caras-severin) › [Băile Herculane](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/city/baile-herculane)

> Romania's oldest spa resort, recorded as early as AD 153, in the Cerna valley: hot sulphur springs, a Habsburg old town around the Hercules statue and free thermal tubs on the riverbank.

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**At a glance:** Resorts and thermal baths in Băile Herculane, Caraș-Severin County. Opening hours: daily open 24 hours. Ticket: Free. The visit takes 3½ – 4 hours. Information verified on 29 September 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** daily open 24 hours — The resort, the promenade and the Via Sissi tubs are open at all hours and free; only the museum, the open-air pools and the treatment centres have opening times. The Apollo Baths museum, in Hercules Square, is open daily 9:00–21:00 from 1 May to 30 September and 9:00–19:00 from 1 October to 30 April. The open-air thermal pools run in the warm season, and the hotels' treatment centres keep their own hours: check with each operator.
- **Ticket:** Free
- **Visit duration:** 3½ – 4 hours — old town and a thermal soak
- **With kids:** Yes — open-air pools and walks by the Cerna
- **Parking:** Yes, paid — in the centre, in season
- **Best season:** May – September — the open-air pools run in summer only
- **Address:** Hercules Square, in the resort's old town, Băile Herculane, Caraș-Severin County
- **Coordinates:** 44.891, 22.4249
- **Website:** https://primaria-baileherculane.ro/
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C4%83ile_Herculane
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q650981
- **Categories:** [Resorts and thermal baths](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/statiuni-si-bai-termale)

## 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.

### What you can see

Entry to the resort is free. A walk starts in Hercules Square, with the statue of Hercules and the Baroque façades of the former hotels, and carries on through the Casino park, with its wrought-iron bandstand. On the bank of the Cerna, the Via Sissi promenade, laid out by volunteers, has three tubs of warm sulphur water that you can bathe in for free, next to the Stone Bridge of 1865, recently restored. In the Apollo Baths, now a museum, you see the Austrian pools and bathing cubicles, built over Roman foundations, and next to the Roman Hotel the ruins of the Roman baths survive, with a relief of Hercules carved into the rock. For a proper thermal soak, head for the open-air pools and the hotels' treatment centres, and marked paths lead from the resort up to Domogled and to the Outlaws' Cave (Grota Haiducilor), in the Domogled – Valea Cernei National Park.

### Good to know

Many of the historic buildings are in ruins and can only be seen from outside. The Neptune Baths (1883–1886) lost part of their walls and roof in 2019 and 2021, their façade has been under scaffolding since 2022, and the iron footbridge leading to them is closed. The Casino, the imperial pavilions and the Traian and Decebal hotels are closed, and the resort's museum, which used to be in the Casino, has not reopened. In November 2025 a court ordered 19 of the resort's buildings, including the Casino and the Neptune Baths, to be confiscated by the state, in a ruling that is not yet final, and since 2026 Herculane has been part of a national pilot restoration project running until 2030.

## Don't miss

- The bronze statue of Hercules in Hercules Square, cast in Vienna in 1847, with the façades of the former Habsburg hotels behind it.
- The warm sulphur-water tubs on Via Sissi, next to the Stone Bridge, where you bathe for free a few steps from the Cerna.
- The Austrian pools and bathing cubicles of the Apollo Baths, now a museum, where the Roman wooden pipes can still be seen.
- The ruins of the Roman baths next to the Roman Hotel, with the relief of Hercules carved straight into the rock.
- The façade of the Neptune Baths, the resort's finest bathhouse, seen from the opposite bank of the Cerna.

## 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

## Details

- **Water type:** sulphurous, sodium chloride
- **Water temperature:** 60 °C
- **Therapeutic uses:** rheumatism, musculoskeletal disorders

## Frequently asked questions about Băile Herculane

**How much is a ticket to Băile Herculane?**

Admission to Băile Herculane is free. 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.

**What are the opening hours of Băile Herculane?**

Opening hours at Băile Herculane: daily open 24 hours. The resort, the promenade and the Via Sissi tubs are open at all hours and free; only the museum, the open-air pools and the treatment centres have opening times. The Apollo Baths museum, in Hercules Square, is open daily 9:00–21:00 from 1 May to 30 September and 9:00–19:00 from 1 October to 30 April. The open-air thermal pools run in the warm season, and the hotels' treatment centres keep their own hours: check with each operator.

**How long does a visit to Băile Herculane take?**

A visit to Băile Herculane takes about 3½ – 4 hours (old town and a thermal soak).

**Can you visit Băile Herculane with kids?**

Yes, Băile Herculane is suitable for children (open-air pools and walks by the Cerna).

**Where can I park at Băile Herculane?**

There is paid parking at Băile Herculane (in the centre, in season). 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.

**How do I get to Băile Herculane?**

Băile Herculane is located at Hercules Square, in the resort's old town, Băile Herculane, Caraș-Severin County. 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.

**When is the best time to visit Băile Herculane?**

The best season for Băile Herculane: May – September (the open-air pools run in summer only).

## Nearby attractions

- [Cerna Valley Road](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/drumul-vaii-cernei) — Scenic roads · Caraș-Severin County · Free · 2½ – 3 hours · 9 km
  The DN67D links Baia de Aramă to Băile Herculane in about 65 km: it climbs to the Arșasca saddle at ~900 m and drops down the Cerna Valley, between limestone walls, through Domogled–Valea Cernei National Park.
- [Vânturătoarea Waterfall](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cascada-vanturatoarea) — Waterfalls · Băile Herculane, CS · Free · 2½ – 3 hours · 12 km
  A two-tier waterfall of about 50 m in the Cerna Mountains, with Romania's longest free drop (~40 m), above Lake Prisaca; reached by a steep 1.5 km path from the Cerna valley road, 13 km from Băile Herculane.
- [God's Bridge](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/podul-lui-dumnezeu) — National parks and reserves · Ponoarele, MH · Free · ½ – 1 hours · Top 100 · 36 km
  Romania's largest natural bridge and the only one in the world carrying a public road: a 30 m limestone arch left standing after a cave roof collapsed, in the village of Ponoarele on the Mehedinți Plateau.
- [Rock Sculpture of Decebalus](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/chipul-lui-decebal) — Monuments and historic sites · Eșelnița, MH · Free · ½ – 1 hours · Top 100 · 39 km
  The face of the Dacian king Decebalus, carved between 1994 and 2004 into a 55 m rock at the mouth of the Mraconia, on the Romanian bank of the Danube: the tallest rock sculpture in Europe.
- [Danube Gorge Road](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/drumul-clisurii-dunarii) — Scenic roads · Mehedinți County · Free · 3½ – 4 hours · Top 100 · 39 km
  The DN57 runs about 100 km along the Danube from Orșova to Moldova Nouă, through the Great and Small Cauldrons, past the rock face of Decebalus, with Serbia on the far bank.
- [Danube Gorges (Cazanele Dunării)](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cazanele-dunarii) — Gorges and canyons · Dubova, MH · Free · 3½ – 4 hours · Top 100 · 45 km
  The narrowest stretch of the Danube Gorge, between Dubova and Ogradena: the river squeezes between limestone walls, with Serbia on the far bank, seen by boat or from Ciucaru Mare.

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Last updated: 29 September 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania