Mineral waters · spa resorts · stays with treatments
The Carpathians are not only mountains for hiking but also a land of mineral waters: Truskavets and Skhidnytsia with Naftusia, the sulphate waters of Morshyn, the sparkling springs of the Svaliava valley, the salt lakes of Solotvyno and the thermal pools around Berehove. Here are the main resorts, a short guide to which waters are drunk where, and stays that offer massage, baths, salt rooms and other treatments.
The main springs in brief: the type of water, what the place is known for and where to stay nearby.
Truskavets’ best-known water: a low-mineral calcium-magnesium bicarbonate water with natural organic compounds — hence the faint smell of oil and the name. It is drunk fresh at the pump room, as the water is believed to lose some of its properties when stored. Besides Naftusia, Truskavets has other springs too — Maria, Sofia, Barbara.
Morshyn is a resort in the Lviv region known since the late 19th century. Its healing springs are highly mineralised sulphate waters, drunk at the pump room in small portions. The familiar bottled Morshynska is a different, low-mineral table water for everyday drinking.
A village in a forested valley near Boryslav where dozens of mineral springs of different chemical composition rise within a small area — including Naftusia-type waters. Most springs are numbered and fitted with pump rooms. Skhidnytsia is quieter and more intimate than Truskavets, with many guesthouses and small spa hotels.
The Svaliava valley in Zakarpattia is home to naturally sparkling waters with a distinctive “soda” taste: Polyana Kvasova, Polyana Kupel, Luzhanska, Svaliava. They are bottled, and on site people drink them straight from the pump rooms. The sanatoriums of Polyana combine drinking cures with mineral baths.
Shayan near Khust is known for its carbonated Shayanska water and a sanatorium in the forest. Syniak, in the mountains above the Mukachevo area, is known for its sulphide springs and a sanatorium of the same name. Both are quiet places with mountain air and only a handful of places to stay nearby.
“Burkut” is the local word for a naturally sparkling mineral spring. The village of that name in the upper Cheremosh valley was once a resort of iron-rich carbonated waters; today it is a remote mountain spot where people come for silence and water straight from the spring. There are carbonated springs in Soimy, in the Mizhhiria area, too.
For centuries Solotvyno lived off its salt mines — there was even an underground allergy hospital here. Salt lakes formed on the site of old workings, and their water holds you up like the sea. Karst sinkholes make parts of the area dangerous: swim only at equipped spots and respect closed zones.
Around Berehove hot mineral water rises from deep wells and feeds the thermal pools of Berehove and Koson, open in winter too. It is more about relaxing than treatment: warm water under the open sky, steam over the pools on frosty days and wine cellars nearby.
Spa towns and mountain villages with pump rooms, sanatoriums or spa hotels.
Truskavets
The main spa town: Naftusia, pump rooms, sanatoriums and spa hotels.
3 with treatments
Morshyn
A quiet park resort with sulphate waters and sanatoriums.
2 with treatments
Skhidnytsia
Dozens of springs in a forest valley, guesthouses and small spas.
1 with treatments
Polyana
Polyana Kvasova water, sanatoriums, mineral baths and hot tubs.
1 with treatments
Svaliava
The heart of Zakarpattia’s mineral water valley.
1 with treatments
Shayan
Carbonated Shayanska water and a forest sanatorium near Khust.
5 with treatments
Syniak
Sulphide springs in the mountains above Mukachevo.
Solotvyno
Salt lakes on the site of old mines, salt therapy.
1 with treatments
Berehove
Open-air thermal pools, open all year round.
3 with treatments
Bukovel
Spa hotels with pools, saunas and massage next to the lifts.
13 with treatments
Yaremche
Mountain air above the Prut, hot tubs and spa complexes.
9 with treatments
Slavske
Guesthouses with hot tubs and saunas after skiing or a hike.
1 with treatments
Guesthouses, hotels and sanatoriums with massage, baths, salt rooms and other treatments — mountains and offers with prices first.
Chalet "Mlyn" Myhove (pool, sauna, massage, Hutsul bath)
from 4 000 UAH per property
Apartments "Zolota Banya"
from 900 UAH per room
Eco-Cottages "Beskydy"
from 700 UAH per room
On the Mountain
from 700 UAH per room
Homestead "4 SEZONY"
from 700 UAH per room
Healing and Wellness Complex "Eko-Thermal" Kosino
Resort Complex "Rixos-Prykarpattia"
Resort Complex "Shale Graal"
Sanatorium "Karpatia"
Recreation Base "FIESTA" Solotvyno
Hotel "MarMaros" Bukovel
ROMANTIK SPA HOTEL in Yaremche
Pick a treatment to see the stays that offer it.
They are waters of different composition. Naftusia from Truskavets and Skhidnytsia is a low-mineral water with natural organic compounds, drunk fresh at the pump room. Morshyn’s healing waters are highly mineralised sulphate waters drunk in small portions, while bottled Morshynska is a low-mineral table water for everyday drinking. A doctor can tell you which water suits you and how much.
Pump rooms, sanatoriums and spa hotels are open all year. In summer and early autumn treatments combine easily with mountain walks, in winter with skiing and thermal pools. Sanatoriums usually offer courses from a few days to two or three weeks; a short spa weekend is also an option.
Not to stay at a hotel or guesthouse that offers treatments. Sanatoriums usually ask for a spa treatment card or offer a check-up with their own doctor on arrival, who then recommends procedures and a drinking plan. If you have a chronic condition or are pregnant, talk to your doctor before the trip.
Healing mineral water is not ordinary drinking water: its composition, amount and timing all matter. Tasting it is fine, but for a drinking course talk to a doctor, ideally a resort doctor.
A room with salt-lined walls and a special microclimate. Salt rooms can be found in sanatoriums and many spa hotels in Truskavets, Morshyn, Skhidnytsia and Bukovel, and Solotvyno has a long history of salt therapy. It is a pleasant extra procedure, not a replacement for treatment.
Pick a treatment on this page — massage, Naftusia, mineral baths, a salt room and so on — or open the accommodation catalogue with the Treatment filter. Check prices and conditions for procedures directly with the property.
The information on this page is general and is not medical advice. Talk to a doctor before a course of treatment, drinking mineral waters or taking procedures.
Ask a question about travelling in the Carpathians to start a conversation.
