Călimănești-Căciulata: thermal pools and springs in the Olt gorge

Călimănești-Căciulata is one of Romania's best-known spas, stretching along both banks of the Olt where the river enters its gorge between the Cozia massif and the Căpățânii Mountains in the Southern Carpathians. The town lies in Vâlcea County, 20 km north of Râmnicu Vâlcea and 80 km south of Sibiu. The spa has several parts: Călimănești with its historic Central Pavilion, Căciulata with a large treatment complex, and Cozia next to the monastery of the same name. Căciulata owes its fame to the water of today's spring No. 1: in the mid-19th century the physician Carol Davila recommended it to Napoleon III, who suffered from a liver complaint, and the bottled water was carried by mail coach to Paris.

Natural healing resources

According to the spa, the local mineral waters are sulphurous, iodine-bearing, calcium and bromine waters; they are used for baths, showers, wraps, inhalations and drinking cures (crenotherapy). Thermal water feeds the AquaTerme complex — 15 indoor and outdoor pools at 28–37 °C. The spa lies in the wind-sheltered Olt gorge, among the beech and conifer forests of the Cozia National Park.

What is treated

According to the spa's official list, drinking cures are recommended for diseases of the digestive tract (gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcer, chronic cholecystitis, chronic hepatitis, functional and inflammatory enterocolopathies), of the urinary system (kidney stones and microliths, recurrent urinary infections, chronic pyelonephritis), metabolic disorders (compensated diabetes, gout), and occupational lead poisoning. Sulphur baths are indicated for osteoarthritis, arthritis and spondylosis, back and joint pain, psoriasis and dermatitis, sinusitis and asthma, and recovery after injuries and operations; aerosols for rhinitis, pharyngitis, bronchitis and bronchial asthma. The AquaTerme rules advise people with cardiovascular, neurological or skin conditions to consult a doctor before bathing in the thermal water. This information is for reference only and is not medical advice: a doctor prescribes the course and procedures after a consultation.

Procedures and pools

• Treatment units of the Cozia complex (the Căciulata, Oltul and Cozia hotels, linked by covered passages) and the Balneological Medical Centre of the historic Hotel Central: sulphur baths, underwater shower massage, carbon-dioxide baths, affusions, hydrokinesiotherapy and kinesiotherapy, electrotherapy (diadynamic and interferential currents, ultrasound, shortwave, iontophoresis), magnetotherapy, TECAR, massage, aerosols and drinking cures.
• AquaTerme is the thermal complex at the heart of the spa (Calea lui Traian 910–914), open all year and also to visitors not staying in the hotels: pools at 28–37 °C, slides, saunas and jacuzzis. The rules recommend bathing for 15–20 minutes and then taking a break of about 30 minutes.

Practical information

The spa operates all year. Treatment starts with a medical examination, after which the doctor draws up an individual programme; bookings and information on procedures are available on the spa's phone numbers. AquaTerme hours and prices are listed in the "At a glance" box. The busy DN7 (E81) road runs through the spa along the Olt valley; delays are possible during road works. Nearby are the medieval Cozia Monastery founded by Prince Mircea the Elder, the hermitage on Ostrov island in the middle of the Olt, and paths to the Lotrișor and Urzicii waterfalls.

Getting there from Ukraine

From Chernivtsi it is 511 km, about 9 h 06 min via the Porubne – Siret checkpoint; from Rakhiv it is 442 km, about 7 h 18 min via the Solotvyno – Sighetu Marmației checkpoint; from Uzhhorod it is 525 km, about 8 h 09 min via the Diakove – Halmeu checkpoint; times are without border queues. Romanian roads require the rovinieta e-vignette. The spa has a railway station, Călimănești, on the line along the Olt.

Nearby

Above the spa rises Cozia (Ciuha Mare), the main summit of the Cozia National Park. A few kilometres to the west lies the spa of Băile Olănești with its drinking springs, and further south Băile Govora and the Ocnele Mari salt mine. Mountain rescue: Salvamont 0SALVAMONT — 0725 826 668 or 112.

Official website: calimanesti-caciulata.ro

Photos: Bogdan Muraru, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Aisano, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; MIHAIL, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Andrei Stroe, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Michal Gorski, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.