# Călimănești-Căciulata [Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Oltenia](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/oltenia) › [Vâlcea County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/valcea) › [Călimănești](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/city/calimanesti) > A spa resort in the Olt Valley, where the river leaves the Cozia Mountains: sulphur springs known since the 19th century, the Central Pavilion of 1886 and thermal pools open all year round. **At a glance:** Resorts and thermal baths in Călimănești, Vâlcea 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 itself is open at all hours and free to walk through; only the pools have opening times. The Cozia AquaPark (zone B, with the indoor pools) is open all year, Sunday–Thursday 8:30–19:00 and Friday–Saturday 8:30–20:00; zone A, with the outdoor Oltul pool, currently opens only Friday–Sunday, 8:30–20:00. The Hotel Central aquapark keeps the same hours: Sunday–Thursday 8:30–19:00, Friday–Saturday 8:30–20:00. In the last two hours (happy hour) entry is 50% off. - **Ticket:** Free - **Visit duration:** 3½ – 4 hours — a walk and the pools - **With kids:** Yes — slides, reduced child ticket - **Parking:** Yes, paid — 10 lei/day at Hotel Central - **Best season:** All year round — aquapark open all year - **Address:** Calea lui Traian 593 (DN 7), at the Central Pavilion, next to the bridge to Ostrov Island, Călimănești, Vâlcea County - **Coordinates:** 45.2478, 24.3386 - **Phone:** +40 250 750 280 - **Website:** https://calimanesti-caciulata.ro/ - **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C4%83lim%C4%83ne%C8%99ti - **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q375371 - **Categories:** [Resorts and thermal baths](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/statiuni-si-bai-termale) ## 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. ### What you can see Entry to the resort is free. Its landmark is the Central Pavilion, white, with a slate roof, dormers and a pointed tower, set in a park of old trees that also holds the pavilions of several springs. Next to it, a narrow bridge crosses to Ostrov Island, the only inhabited island on the Olt, with the hermitage built by Neagoe Basarab in 1518–1522 and a rose garden. The island was raised in 1975–1980, when the reservoir was created, and its casino of 1912 was never rebuilt. At Căciulata, the Cozia AquaPark has 13 indoor and outdoor pools of thermal water at 28–37 °C and 9 slides, open all year. On the bank of the Olt runs the Olt Promenade, with a jetty for boat trips on the lake, and a spa walk through the forest links the two halves of the resort. ### Good to know Cozia Monastery, founded by Mircea the Elder, lies right at the edge of Căciulata on the road to Sibiu, and the Olt Gorge begins just to the north. ## Don't miss - The Central Pavilion, the former bathhouse of 1886, with its pointed tower and a park full of spring pavilions. - Ostrov Island, reached over a narrow bridge, with Neagoe Basarab's hermitage and its rose garden. - The thermal pools of the Cozia AquaPark, which you can step into even in midwinter. - A boat trip on the Olt reservoir from the jetty on the Olt Promenade at Căciulata. - The spa walk through the forest between Călimănești and Căciulata, about 2.3 km long. ## 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 ## Details - **Water type:** sulphurous, chlorinated, sodic - **Water temperature:** 90 °C - **Therapeutic uses:** digestive and kidney conditions, rheumatism ## Frequently asked questions about Călimănești-Căciulata **How much is a ticket to Călimănești-Căciulata?** Admission to Călimănești-Căciulata is free. 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. **What are the opening hours of Călimănești-Căciulata?** Opening hours at Călimănești-Căciulata: daily open 24 hours. The resort itself is open at all hours and free to walk through; only the pools have opening times. The Cozia AquaPark (zone B, with the indoor pools) is open all year, Sunday–Thursday 8:30–19:00 and Friday–Saturday 8:30–20:00; zone A, with the outdoor Oltul pool, currently opens only Friday–Sunday, 8:30–20:00. The Hotel Central aquapark keeps the same hours: Sunday–Thursday 8:30–19:00, Friday–Saturday 8:30–20:00. In the last two hours (happy hour) entry is 50% off. **How long does a visit to Călimănești-Căciulata take?** A visit to Călimănești-Căciulata takes about 3½ – 4 hours (a walk and the pools). **Can you visit Călimănești-Căciulata with kids?** Yes, Călimănești-Căciulata is suitable for children (slides, reduced child ticket). **Where can I park at Călimănești-Căciulata?** There is paid parking at Călimănești-Căciulata (10 lei/day at Hotel Central). 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. **How do I get to Călimănești-Căciulata?** Călimănești-Căciulata is located at Calea lui Traian 593 (DN 7), at the Central Pavilion, next to the bridge to Ostrov Island, Călimănești, Vâlcea County. 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. **When is the best time to visit Călimănești-Căciulata?** The best season for Călimănești-Căciulata: All year round (aquapark open all year). ## Nearby attractions - [Olt Defile](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/defileul-oltului) — Scenic roads · Vâlcea County · Free · 1½ – 2 hours · 6 km The 47 km gorge by which the Olt crosses the Carpathians: on the DN7, between Boița and Călimănești, the road follows the river past Cozia Monastery. A busy through route, not a leisure drive. - [Lotrișor Waterfall](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cascada-lotrisor) — Waterfalls · Călimănești, VL · 10 lei · 1½ – 2 hours · 11 km A waterfall of about 30 m in Cozia National Park, where the stream bursts out of a tunnel cut through the rock; reached on foot along a gentle forest road through the Lotrișor Gorge. - [Băile Olănești](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/baile-olanesti) — Resorts and thermal baths · Băile Olănești, VL · Free · 12 km 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. - [Ocnele Mari Salt Mine](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/salina-ocnele-mari) — Salt mines · Ocnele Mari, VL · 60 lei · 2 – 2½ hours · Top 100 · 24 km A working salt mine near Râmnicu Vâlcea that you enter by bus through a tunnel: huge galleries with swirling salt walls, sports courts, an ice rink and the country's largest underground church. - [Băile Govora](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/baile-govora) — Resorts and thermal baths · Băile Govora, VL · Free · 2 – 2½ hours · 29 km A spa resort in the Vâlcea foothills, with iodine, bromine and sulphur waters, a spa park laid out in 1912 and the Palace Hotel designed by Ernest Doneaud. - [Poenari Citadel](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cetatea-poenari) — Fortresses and fortifications · Căpățânenii Ungureni, AG · 30 lei · 1½ – 2 hours · Top 100 · 33 km Vlad the Impaler's fortress, perched on a ridge above the Argeș Gorge on the Transfăgărășan; 1,480 steps lead up to walls that look out over the whole valley. --- Full page: https://peplaiuri.ro/en/calimanesti-caciulata Other languages: Română: https://peplaiuri.ro/calimanesti-caciulata.md · Deutsch: https://peplaiuri.ro/de/calimanesti-caciulata.md · Italiano: https://peplaiuri.ro/it/calimanesti-caciulata.md Last updated: 29 September 2026 Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania