# Băile Olănești

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Oltenia](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/oltenia) › [Vâlcea County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/valcea) › [Băile Olănești](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/city/baile-olanesti)

> A spa resort in a wooded valley below the Vâlcea mountains, with more than 30 numbered mineral springs, a springs walk along the river and Horea's wooden church, brought here from the Apuseni Mountains.

**At a glance:** Resorts and thermal baths in Băile Olănești, Vâlcea County. Opening hours: daily open 24 hours. Ticket: Free. Information verified on 29 September 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** daily open 24 hours — The resort, the park and the Springs Walk are open at all hours. The town hall's sulphur-water pool on Strada Băilor opens only in summer, daily 10:00–18:00 (hours announced in 2025; in 2026 it reopened in mid-July, until the end of the summer season). We found no official published hours for the card-operated mineral springs or for the hotels' treatment centres: ask at your hotel's reception.
- **Ticket:** Free
- **With kids:** Yes — playgrounds in the park
- **Best season:** All year round — sulphur pool in summer only
- **Address:** Parcul central, Strada Mihai Eminescu, at the start of the Springs Walk, Băile Olănești, Vâlcea County
- **Coordinates:** 45.2049, 24.2377
- **Phone:** +40 250 775 099
- **Website:** https://primariabaileolanesti.ro/
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C4%83ile_Ol%C4%83ne%C8%99ti
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q855721
- **Categories:** [Resorts and thermal baths](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/statiuni-si-bai-termale)

## About Băile Olănești

Băile Olănești is a small spa resort squeezed into the valley of the Olănești river, 18 km north-west of Râmnicu Vâlcea at around 450 m above sea level, among hills covered in beech and fir. It owes its fame to its mineral springs: more than 30 of them, numbered and captured along a few kilometres of the valley, with sulphurous, chlorinated, iodised and sodium-rich waters, drunk as a cure for digestive, kidney and respiratory conditions and used in baths for rheumatism.

The waters here appear in a charter of 1760, where they are called "healing waters", and in 1873 they won the gold medal at the World Exhibition in Vienna. In 1895 a flash flood buried the springs, and the resort stood almost abandoned for some three decades, until they were captured again after the First World War. Today their exploitation is leased to a private company, and access to the springs is by card, a system disputed by locals and visitors alike.

### What you can see

Entry to the resort is free. From the park in the centre, recently rebuilt with fountains, paths and playgrounds, the Springs Walk sets off: a paved path of about 1.3 km that climbs along the riverbank in the shade of the forest, past the pavilions and taps of the numbered springs, up to Spring 24, the best known, sheltered under a concrete pavilion with a roof curved like a sail. On the way you pass the old bath house, with tiled roofs and small turrets, a listed historic monument.

On a hill in the eastern part of the resort stands the wooden church from Albac, Horea's home village, built in the middle of the 18th century. Ion I. C. Brătianu bought it and moved it in 1907 to his Florica estate, and in 1954 Patriarch Justinian brought it to Olănești, where it was consecrated again in 1958. In summer the town hall's sulphur-water pool in the centre is open to everyone.

### Good to know

Most of the mineral springs are enclosed in pavilions or behind railings and can only be used with the card, on the recommendation of a doctor at one of the treatment centres. From the resort, up the Olănești valley, a forest road climbs towards the Olănești Gorges, one of the entry points to the Buila-Vânturarița National Park.

## Don't miss

- The Springs Walk, 1.3 km along the Olănești river in the shade of the forest, from the park in the centre up to Spring 24.
- The concrete pavilion with a sail-like curved roof at Spring 24, the resort's best-known spring.
- The wooden church from Albac, Horea's home village, brought here from the Apuseni Mountains and consecrated again in 1958.
- The old bath house, with tiled roofs and small turrets, a listed monument on the way to the springs.
- The sulphur-water pool in the centre, heated to 28–30 °C and open to everyone in summer.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** from Râmnicu Vâlcea head north-west on the DN 64, which ends right in the resort: 18 km, about 25 minutes. From Bucharest it is ~195 km on the A1 to Pitești and then the DN 7 to Râmnicu Vâlcea (~3h), from Sibiu ~115 km on the DN 7 through the Olt Gorge (~2h).

**Public transport:** take the train to Râmnicu Vâlcea station, then one of the minibuses that link the town with Băile Olănești every day (they leave from the bus stations in Râmnicu Vâlcea; the ride takes 30–45 minutes).

### Where to park

In the centre, on Strada Băilor, opposite the sulphur-water pool, there is a multi-storey car park, and next to the park there is a large open-air car park. We could not find the official rates. Hotels usually have their own car parks for guests.

### Fees & discounts

Walking through the resort, the park and the Springs Walk is free, as is visiting the wooden church. At the town hall's sulphur-water pool entry is 30 lei for adults and 15 lei for children over 7; under-7s go in free (rates unchanged in summer 2026). Water from the mineral springs is drawn with a paid daily card, issued through the treatment centres after a consultation with the doctor; we found its price only in the press and it changes, so ask at your hotel's reception. Treatments are paid for separately, at the hotels' treatment centres.

### Rules

Each mineral spring has its own indications and contraindications: the drinking cure is taken on the recommendation of a spa doctor, in the amounts and at the times he or she sets. Most springs are locked and open only with the card; a few drinking-water taps are free. For the trails in the Buila-Vânturarița National Park, read the visiting rules on the park's website before you set off.

### Facilities

Central park with fountains, gazebos, playgrounds, fitness equipment, table tennis and chess tables and Wi-Fi · spa treatment centres in several hotels · public sulphur-water pool, open in summer, with changing rooms, showers and sunloungers · restaurants, shops and stalls along the main street · minibus stop for Râmnicu Vâlcea

## Details

- **Water type:** sulphurous, iodised mineral waters
- **Therapeutic uses:** digestive, kidney, respiratory conditions

## Frequently asked questions about Băile Olănești

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

Admission to Băile Olănești is free. Walking through the resort, the park and the Springs Walk is free, as is visiting the wooden church. At the town hall's sulphur-water pool entry is 30 lei for adults and 15 lei for children over 7; under-7s go in free (rates unchanged in summer 2026). Water from the mineral springs is drawn with a paid daily card, issued through the treatment centres after a consultation with the doctor; we found its price only in the press and it changes, so ask at your hotel's reception. Treatments are paid for separately, at the hotels' treatment centres.

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

Opening hours at Băile Olănești: daily open 24 hours. The resort, the park and the Springs Walk are open at all hours. The town hall's sulphur-water pool on Strada Băilor opens only in summer, daily 10:00–18:00 (hours announced in 2025; in 2026 it reopened in mid-July, until the end of the summer season). We found no official published hours for the card-operated mineral springs or for the hotels' treatment centres: ask at your hotel's reception.

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

Yes, Băile Olănești is suitable for children (playgrounds in the park).

**How do I get to Băile Olănești?**

Băile Olănești is located at Parcul central, Strada Mihai Eminescu, at the start of the Springs Walk, Băile Olănești, Vâlcea County. By car: from Râmnicu Vâlcea head north-west on the DN 64, which ends right in the resort: 18 km, about 25 minutes. From Bucharest it is ~195 km on the A1 to Pitești and then the DN 7 to Râmnicu Vâlcea (~3h), from Sibiu ~115 km on the DN 7 through the Olt Gorge (~2h). Public transport: take the train to Râmnicu Vâlcea station, then one of the minibuses that link the town with Băile Olănești every day (they leave from the bus stations in Râmnicu Vâlcea; the ride takes 30–45 minutes).

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

The best season for Băile Olănești: All year round (sulphur pool in summer only).

## Nearby attractions

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- [Horezu Monastery](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/manastirea-horezu) — Monasteries and churches · Horezu, VL · 1 – 1½ hours · UNESCO World Heritage · 24 km
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Last updated: 29 September 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania