Therme Bucharest is the kind of place people fly to Romania just to see. Walk in under those glass domes, palm trees stretching toward the ceiling and warm air settling over you as the doors close, and it clicks fast why.
It’s the largest thermal spa and wellness resort in Europe, in Balotești on the northern edge of the city, about 21 km from the centre and roughly 20 minutes from Otopeni Airport. Here’s what actually matters before you go.
| Detail | Info |
| Location | Balotești, Ilfov County — 21 km from central Bucharest, ~20 min from Otopeni |
| Size | Over 250,000 m², with roughly 37,000 m² indoors |
| Opened | January 2016 |
| Water | Geothermal, drawn from over 3,000 m underground, held at a constant 33°C |
| Zones | Galaxy (all ages), The Palm (14+), Elysium (14+) |
| Ticket durations | 3 hours, 4.5 hours, or full day |
| Required | Swimsuit, towel, clean flip-flops |
| App | myTherme, with live occupancy by zone |
This is the part most guides skip, and it’s the part that decides what you pay.
Tickets are zone × duration. You pick one of three zones and one of three lengths — 3 hours, 4.5 hours, or a full day. That’s nine combinations before any add-ons.
Higher zones include lower ones. A Palm ticket includes Galaxy. An Elysium ticket includes both The Palm and Galaxy. You never need to buy a separate Galaxy pass on top.
Weekday and weekend rates differ. Monday to Thursday is cheaper than Friday to Sunday and public holidays. As a guide, a 3-hour Galaxy adult ticket has run around 67 lei midweek against 77 at weekends, and The Palm around 97 against 107.
Overstaying is forgiving. Extra time is charged at about 10 lei per 30 minutes, and the total never exceeds the full-day price for your zone. So a 3-hour ticket that turns into a whole day just tops up to the day rate at checkout — no penalty for losing track of time.
There’s an Evening Special. Monday to Thursday, entering around 17:30–18:30 has brought Galaxy down to roughly 64 lei, The Palm to 89 and Elysium to 125. It doesn’t run during school or public holidays.
Concessions exist. Reduced rates for seniors and students, with a valid retirement coupon or student ID required on the day. Children under 3 enter free with a birth certificate.
Three zones, each tier including the ones below.
Galaxy is the family zone with no minimum age — 16 water slides, an indoor wave pool, jacuzzis, hydromassage beds, outdoor thermal pools usable year-round, and a Himalayan salt feature kids gravitate to more than the slides. Loud, lively, and full by Saturday lunchtime.
The Palm is the tropical middle tier. A vast central thermal pool under a retractable roof, mineral pools, wet saunas, hydromassage beds, a pool bar, and over 800,000 plants make up one of Europe’s largest indoor botanical gardens. This is the zone in every photo you’ve already seen.
Elysium is the wellness tier — around 10 themed saunas including Amazon, Provence, Alhambra, Hollywood, Himalaya and Bavaria, mineral pools infused with selenium and zinc, panoramic infinity pools, infrared therapy beds, a large terrace and an à la carte restaurant.
| Zone | Best for | Ages | Includes |
| Galaxy | Families, kids, slides | All ages | Galaxy only |
| The Palm | Couples, balance of calm and scenery | 14+ (and under-3s) | + Galaxy |
| Elysium | Sauna lovers, quiet wellness | 14+ | + The Palm + Galaxy |
The age rules, precisely
This trips families up, so here it is exactly:
So a couple with a baby can use The Palm. A family with a seven-year-old cannot. If you’re travelling with children in that 3–13 band and want Palm or Elysium time, the workaround is splitting up — one parent in Galaxy, one upstairs, swapping over.
One health note: guests with heart conditions or other serious medical issues aren’t permitted.
Weekday mornings, Tuesday to Thursday, are consistently quietest — empty loungers, barely any slide queues, near-private saunas. They’re also the cheaper rate band.
Saturday afternoons are the opposite. Galaxy becomes a scrum, food counters get slammed, and finding a free lounger takes patience. If a weekend is your only option, arrive at the opening.
Weekday evenings are the sleeper pick: softer lighting, thinner crowds, and the Evening Special discount Monday to Thursday. Quieter than daytime weekends, though busier than a Tuesday morning. A night experience with transfers handles the timing and the drive back in one booking.
Season barely matters for crowds, since the whole place is indoor and climate-controlled. Winter has its own appeal — floating in 33°C water while snow falls outside is the thing photos never capture. Summer opens the outdoor beach and retractable roof sections, so June to September if sun loungers matter.
Check the myTherme app before you commit to a zone. It shows live occupancy, which beats any general advice about timing.
Therme is 21 km out, so sort this before the day.
| Option | How it works | Best for |
| Public bus | Line 442 runs to Therme; from the centre you may need 783 first to a shared stop | Budget travellers comfortable with a transfer |
| Taxi or rideshare | About 90–110 lei from the city centre, 30–50 lei from the airport | Small groups wanting to go direct |
| Driving | 30–40 minutes from the centre, free on-site parking | Anyone with a rental car |
| Bundled transfer ticket | Round-trip transport and entry in one booking | First-timers who’d rather not think about it |
Worth doing the maths on that last row. A return taxi from the centre runs roughly 180–220 lei, which is around €36–44 before you’ve paid for entry at all. A skip-the-line entry ticket bundled with transport for a similar total is genuinely good value rather than just convenient.
Free shuttle services have been offered from central Bucharest at times — check the official site for current routes and timetables rather than assuming one runs.
You never need to leave. Every zone has its own setup — pool bars serving you on the lounger, casual counters, and a proper à la carte restaurant in Elysium.
Everything charges to your wristband and settles on the way out, so there’s no card or cash to carry round the pools.
Required for entry: swimsuit, towel and clean flip-flops. These aren’t suggestions — you’ll be turned away or made to buy them on site.
Also worth packing:
Get the zone right, time the visit against the crowds, and sort transport before you land. Whether that’s the daytime buzz of Galaxy or a quiet, lantern-lit evening in Elysium, it remains one of the most distinctive things to do in Bucharest.
Therme Spa Bucharest is Europe’s largest thermal wellness resort, open since January 2016 in Balotești. It spans over 250,000 square metres across three zones, using geothermal water drawn from 3,000 metres underground and held at a constant 33°C.
Pricing is zone by duration. A three-hour Galaxy adult ticket has run around 67 lei Monday to Thursday and 77 at weekends, with The Palm near 97 and 107. Elysium and full-day tickets cost more.
Daily, year-round. Monday to Thursday it runs 10:00 to 23:00, Friday and Saturday 09:00 to midnight, and Sunday 09:00 to 23:00. Hours can shift on public holidays and during events, so check the myTherme app.
Henri Coandă International, better known as Otopeni. Therme sits roughly 8 kilometres away, about 20 minutes by road, with a taxi costing around 30 to 50 lei. That makes it a genuine layover option.
Partly. Children aged 3 to 13 are limited to the Galaxy zone and must be accompanied by an adult. Under-3s can enter The Palm free with a birth certificate. From 14, with ID, all zones open.
No. Therme Bucharest is not a nude spa — swimwear is mandatory in every pool area, along with clean flip-flops. Both must be carried in your bag rather than worn in, and staff check at reception.
Yes, free of charge. A luggage room past the reception desks handles suitcases and larger bags, while your locker fits a small cabin case. That makes Therme practical straight from the airport or between hotels.
It operates year-round, including January, and winter is one of its better seasons. The Christmas and New Year window is a peak period rather than a closure, with bigger crowds. Holiday hours vary, so confirm your date.
Saturdays and Sundays are busiest, with Friday close behind. Monday to Thursday are consistently quietest. Summer is the peak season overall, and the Christmas to New Year window spikes too. Opening time and after 19:00 are calmest.
Book online in advance rather than at the door, especially for weekends. Choose your zone first, then duration — Galaxy for families, The Palm or Elysium for quiet. Massages sell out by midday, so reserve at check-in.
Experiences connected to this travel guide.
Bucharest, Romania
