# Lake Ursu

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Transylvania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/transilvania) › [Mureș County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/mures) › [Sovata](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/city/sovata)

> A heliothermal salt lake in Sovata, formed in 1875 over a salt massif: beneath a thin layer of fresh water the salt water goes above 40 °C in summer; a lido runs on the shore in season.

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**At a glance:** Lakes in Sovata, Mureș County. Information verified on 28 September 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** The path around the lake is public and open at any time. The lido only operates in summer, from late June (in 2026 it opened on 26 June) into September, depending on the weather, daily, with a compulsory two-hour break around midday when nobody may enter the water. The lido's operator (Ensana Sovata) does not publish opening hours or prices on its website; check them at the entrance or at the Sovata tourist information centre before the season.
- **Ticket:** paid lido, free lakeside path
- **Parking:** Yes, paid — paid, on the resort's streets
- **Best season:** All year round — lido in summer only, path all year
- **Address:** Strada Trandafirilor, Sovata-Băi resort (lido entrance, on the southern shore), Sovata, Mureș County
- **Coordinates:** 46.603, 25.0866
- **Website:** https://ensanahotels.com/ro/destinatii/romania/sovata
- **Wikipedia:** https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lacul_Ursu_%C8%99i_arboretele_de_pe_s%C4%83r%C4%83turi
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1175336
- **Categories:** [Lakes](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/lacuri), [National parks and reserves](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/parcuri-nationale-si-rezervatii), [Resorts and thermal baths](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/statiuni-si-bai-termale)

## About Lake Ursu

Lake Ursu (Bear Lake) lies in the middle of the Sovata spa resort, in a wooded hollow at the foot of the Gurghiu Mountains. It covers around 4 hectares and is more than 18 m deep. It began to form in 1875, when the ground above the salt massif caved in, and over the following years two streams filled the hollow. Its outline resembles a stretched-out bearskin, which gave the lake its name; the bear also appears on the town's coat of arms.

The lake is famous for heliothermy: the streams' fresh water stays on the surface, above the very salty water, and acts like a lid that lets sunlight through but keeps the heat in. As a result, in summer the water a metre or two below the cool surface often climbs above 40 °C. Salinity rises towards the bottom to almost 300 grams per litre, so you float without any effort. The lake's water and mud are used in the resort's spa treatments, mainly for rheumatic and gynaecological conditions.

The lake is the heart of the 79-hectare "Lake Ursu and the salt-soil woodlands" nature reserve, which also takes in the Aluniș, Verde, Roșu, Mierlei and Paraschiva lakes and a forest of oak, sessile oak and beech growing directly on salt.

### What you can see

In summer the southern shore is taken over by the lido: wooden decks and pontoons from which you step straight into the salt water, with the white bathhouse building and the resort's hotels behind. The rest of the year you have the path of just over a kilometre around the lake, with boardwalks, benches, viewpoints and panels about the reserve. From it the themed trails of the "Salt Road" lead to the Green and Red lakes, to the Salt Mountain and through the salt valley to Lake Aluniș.

### Good to know

The layering of the water is fragile. During the season, bathing stops every day for two hours around midday so that the fresh-water layer can form again. Do not dive in: the very salty water stings the eyes and must not be swallowed. The hot water below the surface is not for everyone: if you have heart or blood pressure problems, ask your doctor first.

## Don't miss

- A swim at the lido on the southern shore, where you feel the water turn warm just a few hands' breadths below the surface.
- A walk along the path of just over a kilometre around the lake, with the viewpoint on the western shore looking over the lake and the resort.
- The "Salt Road" trail to the Green and Red lakes, tinted by iron oxides, and to the white rocks of the Salt Mountain.
- Lake Aluniș next door, also formed over salt, with its quiet shores and dense woodland.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** Sovata lies on the DN13A, between Sighișoara (~70 km) and Odorheiu Secuiesc (~50 km); from Târgu Mureș it is ~55–60 km, about an hour. In town, head up to the Sovata-Băi resort along Strada Trandafirilor, which ends near the southern shore of the lake, at the lido entrance.

**Public transport:** several minibuses and coaches run daily from Târgu Mureș to Sovata (some as far as the resort), operated by private companies; timetables are on the bus timetable websites. Sovata bus station is on Strada Trandafirilor, about a kilometre from the lake.

### Where to park

On Strada Trandafirilor and Strada Bradului, in the resort area, parking on public land is paid, at the roadside machines or by text message. The hotels around the lake have car parks for guests. On summer weekends the spaces near the lake fill up quickly; it is easier to leave the car lower down, towards the bus station, and walk up.

### Fees & discounts

Walking the path around the lake and the reserve's trails is free. Entry to the lido is paid; prices are set each season by the operator and are not published on its website, so check them at the ticket office or at the tourist information centre. In summer, the Ensana hotels in Sovata include lido entry for their guests.

### Rules

The lake is a nature reserve: do not pick plants, do not leave litter and do not enter the fenced-off Green and Red lakes. At the lido, respect the midday break, do not dive and do not splash water into your eyes; the salt water stings and must not be swallowed. Stay in the water for only 20–30 minutes at a time, go in gradually and avoid bathing straight after a meal. People with heart conditions or high blood pressure, and pregnant women, should ask a doctor first.

### Facilities

Lido with wooden decks and pontoons, in summer · footpath of ~1 km around the lake, with benches and viewpoints · tourist information centre and reserve information point · public toilets along the path · playground and outdoor fitness equipment on the western shore · hotels, restaurants and treatment centres right on the shore

## Details

- **Protected area type:** nature reserve
- **Part of:** Lake Ursu and the salt-soil woodlands reserve
- **Lake type:** salt, heliothermal
- **Area:** 4 ha
- **Maximum depth:** 18 m
- **Altitude:** 502 m
- **Swimming allowed:** Yes
- **Water type:** heliothermal salt lake and mud
- **Therapeutic uses:** rheumatism, gynaecological conditions

## Frequently asked questions about Lake Ursu

**Where can I park at Lake Ursu?**

There is paid parking at Lake Ursu (paid, on the resort's streets). On Strada Trandafirilor and Strada Bradului, in the resort area, parking on public land is paid, at the roadside machines or by text message. The hotels around the lake have car parks for guests. On summer weekends the spaces near the lake fill up quickly; it is easier to leave the car lower down, towards the bus station, and walk up.

**How do I get to Lake Ursu?**

Lake Ursu is located at Strada Trandafirilor, Sovata-Băi resort (lido entrance, on the southern shore), Sovata, Mureș County. By car: Sovata lies on the DN13A, between Sighișoara (~70 km) and Odorheiu Secuiesc (~50 km); from Târgu Mureș it is ~55–60 km, about an hour. In town, head up to the Sovata-Băi resort along Strada Trandafirilor, which ends near the southern shore of the lake, at the lido entrance. Public transport: several minibuses and coaches run daily from Târgu Mureș to Sovata (some as far as the resort), operated by private companies; timetables are on the bus timetable websites. Sovata bus station is on Strada Trandafirilor, about a kilometre from the lake.

**When is the best time to visit Lake Ursu?**

The best season for Lake Ursu: All year round (lido in summer only, path all year).

## Nearby attractions

- [Praid Salt Mine](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/salina-praid) — Salt mines · Praid, HR · Top 100 · 8 km
  The salt mine of the Land of Salt, with huge leisure and treatment halls 120 m underground, once Romania's most visited. Closed indefinitely since the flood of May 2025.
- [Lázár Castle in Lăzarea](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/castelul-lazar-lazarea) — Castles and palaces · Lăzarea, HR · 35 lei · 49 km
  The Renaissance castle of the Lázár family, with four bastions, a gate tower and walls topped by ornamental crenellations, at the edge of the forest near Gheorgheni; Gabriel Bethlen spent his childhood here.
- [Târgu Mureș Zoo](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/gradina-zoologica-targu-mures) — Zoos and aquariums · Târgu Mureș, MS · 40 lei · 2 – 2½ hours · 49 km
  The zoo on the Cornești Plateau, open since 1964 and now spread over 42 hectares of forest, with elephants, giraffes, gibbons, tigers, lions and bears, the largest in Romania by area.
- [Palace of Culture in Târgu Mureș](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/palatul-culturii-targu-mures) — Castles and palaces · Târgu Mureș, MS · 30 lei · 1 – 1½ hours · Top 100 · 53 km
  A masterpiece of Transylvanian Secession architecture, completed in 1913, with a gold-ground mosaic façade, the Hall of Mirrors and its 12 stained-glass windows, a concert hall with an organ and the Mureș County Museum's art galleries.
- [Dârjiu Fortified Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-fortificata-din-darjiu) — Monasteries and churches · Dârjiu, HR · 10 lei · UNESCO World Heritage · Top 100 · 59 km
  The only Székely and Unitarian church in the UNESCO fortified-church site: a Gothic church with 1419 frescoes of the legend of Saint Ladislaus, whose fortress villagers still use to store their bacon.
- [Saschiz Fortified Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-fortificata-din-saschiz) — Monasteries and churches · Saschiz, MS · 10 lei · UNESCO World Heritage · Top 100 · 60 km
  A Late Gothic Saxon church beside the DN13, with a bell tower modelled on Sighișoara's Clock Tower; on the hill above the village stand the walls of a 14th-century peasant fortress.

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Last updated: 28 September 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania