Chalmová Thermal Pool near Prievidza

Chalmová Thermal Pool (Termálne kúpalisko Chalmová) is a public pool complex in the village of Chalmová, part of the municipality of Bystričany, about 14 km south of Prievidza. It sits in a quiet wooded corner below the Drieňový vrch hill on the edge of the Strážov Mountains, above the valley of the Nitra river. The pool belongs to the municipality and is run by its company TERMAL CHALMOVÁ – BYSTRIČANY, s.r.o. It is not a spa with doctors but a simple, inexpensive pool with warm mineral water, popular with families with children, pensioners and people from the Upper Nitra mining region. Two indoor pools are open all year, and in summer the large outdoor pools open as well.

Thermal water

Warm springs at 25 to 34 °C rise to the surface in several places right inside the complex. In addition, three boreholes 150–217 m deep supply water at 31–42 °C; all the pools are filled from these sources. According to the pool, it is a natural, moderately mineralised water (about 1,100 mg/l) of the sulphate-hydrogen-carbonate calcium-magnesium type with raised fluoride, slightly alkaline and hypotonic. The most interesting part is the two indoor regeneration pools built directly above the springs: the warm water flows in from the bottom, and the temperature is adjusted with borehole water. The pool notes that warm water is good for the joints and circulation, but no medical treatments are prescribed here.

Pools and wellness

The indoor hall has two pools: a cooler one at 32–34 °C and a hot one at 36–38 °C. In summer the outdoor area offers a 25-metre swimming pool at 27–28 °C, a 25 × 10 m leisure pool (water mushroom, jets, 28–29 °C) and a 13 × 2 m children's paddling pool, where small children may go only with an adult. Outside the summer season the ticket covers the two indoor pools and one outdoor pool, if it is open. The wellness area was renovated at the end of 2024: it has a Finnish and an infrared sauna, a plunge pool and an ice-cold shower, and loungers for resting. There is also a gym, and massages can be booked in advance with the pool's partners. The Termal snack bar is by the entrance.

Practical information

Chalmová lies by the road from Prievidza to Partizánske and Nitra; from Prievidza it is a 15–20 minute drive. The pool has a guarded car park for cars, coaches and motorbikes, and parking on private land along the road is forbidden. Tickets can be bought at the reception (cards accepted) or online and are valid for 30 days. Allow 2–3 hours for a swim with the sauna. In autumn 2026 the pool opens daily from 10:00, and an adult ticket costs €9.

Nearby: trails, peaks, sights

A short loop, Chalmová, Spa – Chalmová, Spa, Loop, starts at the car park and leads to the lookout tower on Malý Ľubín and the wooden chapel of St Hubert. The longer Chodník Petra Školnu passes nearby. In Chalmová itself, see the Romanesque church of St Anne from the 12th century and the 17th-century manor house with its park. A quarter of an hour's drive away are Bojnice Castle — Slovak National Museum and Bojnice Spa: thermal springs, pools and treatments.

Official website: chalmova.sk

Photos: Palickap, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; chalmova.sk.