Thermal baths in Bulgaria
Bulgaria has many mineral springs, and towns that grew around them often carry banya, the word for bath, in their names. At Sapareva Banya, below the Rila mountains, a geyser rises in the town centre at about 103 °C.
- Baths9
- Cities and towns7
- Water29 to 42°
- Hot rooms70 to 100°
City pages: Strelcha · Velingrad · Bankya · Hisarya · Kyustendil · Sapareva Banya · Varna
Baths in Bulgaria compared
Entry, swimwear rules, age limits and ticket type, side by side.
| Bath | Entry | Swimwear and rules | Age | Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aquahouse Thermal & BeachVarna |
| Swimwear and slippers required; swim cap required in the swimming pool | none stated | Day ticket |
| Central Mineral Bath BankyaBankya |
| Swimwear required in the pools; slippers in the thermal and wellness zones; shower with soap before entering the pools | none stated | Day ticket |
| Radonovi Baths (Radonova Banya)Velingrad | Not known yet. Official site · Know it? Tell us | Not known yet. Official site · Know it? Tell us | none stated | Day ticket |
| Aqua Club KotvataSapareva Banya |
| Not known yet. Official site · Know it? Tell us | none stated | Day ticket |
| Strelcha Mineral BathStrelcha | Not known yet. Official site · Know it? Tell us | Not known yet. Official site · Know it? Tell us | none stated | Day ticket |
| Strelcha Municipal Mineral BeachStrelcha | Closed for the winter, no reopening date announced | Not known yet. Official site · Know it? Tell us | none stated | Day ticket |
| Terme di HissarHisarya |
| Swimwear required; no underwear, transparent swimsuits or monokinis | none stated | Day ticket |
| Therme PautaliaKyustendil | Closed for the winter season, no reopening date announced | Swimwear required; no underwear, transparent swimsuits, monokinis, or clothes with metal fittings | none stated | Day ticket |
| Velingrad Central Mineral BeachVelingrad |
| Not known yet. Official site · Know it? Tell us | none stated | Day ticket |
Every bath in Bulgaria
Open all year unless the hours say otherwise.
Sske2023, Wikimedia Commons · CC0Aquahouse Thermal & Beach
Thermal bath, Varna · Some facilities run only in summer or only in winter; the operator advises checking before a visit.
Seafront thermal complex in the St Constantine and Helena resort, 8 km north-east of Varna, with 14 indoor and outdoor pools fed with mineral water and a beach.
Nikolai Karaneschev, Wikimedia Commons · CC BYCentral Mineral Bath Bankya
Thermal bath, Bankya · Recommended stay in the pools up to 2 hours. Staying past the ticket time costs 2.56 EUR. Wristband deposit 2.56 EUR.
Bankya's Central Mineral Bath, designed by the Bavarian architect Karl Hocheder, opened on 24 May 1911 and reopened in October 2022 after a restoration begun in 2018.
Radonovi Baths (Radonova Banya)
Thermal bath, Velingrad · Separate buildings for men and women.
Municipal mineral baths in Velingrad's Chepino quarter, in separate men's and women's buildings on the bed of the Chepinska river about 500 m from Kleptuza; an inscription over the men's door recorded a renovation in 1750.
Aqua Club Kotvata
Thermal bath, Sapareva Banya · From October to June two of the three large adult pools operate; the three children's pools run from June to October.
Open-air mineral water pools in Sapareva Banya, opened in 2011 on a site with ancient fortress remains, about 300 m from the town's geyser.
Strelcha Mineral Bath
Thermal bath, Strelcha · Separate men's and women's sections.
Municipal mineral bath in the central park of Strelcha, with separate men's and women's sections, each with a 36 m² indoor pool, plus 14 private tubs and a pearl bath.
Strelcha Municipal Mineral Beach
Thermal bath, Strelcha
Municipal open-air mineral beach on eight decares of lawn in Strelcha, at the foot of Sredna Gora, with an Olympic-size pool at about 27 to 29 °C, a 25 by 12 m pool at 32 to 35 °C and a children's pool.
27 to 29°ClosedTerme di Hissar
Thermal bath, Hisarya · Outdoor facilities may close in bad weather, with no refund.
Five pools, among them a semi-Olympic sports pool and an indoor relaxation pool, filled with unheated water from the Bancheto Miromir spring, which rises at 36 °C.
Therme Pautalia
Thermal bath, Kyustendil · Slides and the lazy river run to set timetables. Leaving the complex for more than 5 to 10 minutes needs a new ticket.
Open-air complex of over 10,000 m² in Kyustendil, at the foot of Osogovo, with eight outdoor mineral water pools, a lazy river and a 617 m² hydromassage pool.
ClosedVelingrad Central Mineral Beach
Thermal bath, Velingrad
Municipal open-air mineral beach in the centre of Velingrad, with a 30 m pool of mineral water beside a 50 m pool of cold water.
€4.09As of Oct 2026
Nothing here for that filter.
Questions about Bulgaria
Are the Sapareva Banya pools open in winter?
Yes. From October to June two of the three large adult pools operate, and the three children's pools run from June to October.
How do you get to Sapareva Banya from Sofia?
Buses run from Dupnitsa about every 30 minutes, and the municipality lists a daily direct bus from Sofia's Ovcha Kupel bus station.
Which Bulgarian thermal baths can you reach without a car?
Aquahouse in Varna and Therme Pautalia in Kyustendil, among others. Varna city bus 409 runs from the airport, bus station and centre to the St Constantine and Helena resort, and bus 31A from the railway station. Kyustendil has trains and buses from Sofia, though Therme Pautalia is closed for the winter season. In Hisarya, Terme di Hissar runs free buses from points in the town.
What do you wear at Bulgaria's mineral baths?
Swimwear, with extra rules at several baths. Terme di Hissar and Therme Pautalia turn away underwear, transparent swimsuits and monokinis. Aquahouse asks for slippers and a swim cap in the swimming pool, and Bankya's Central Mineral Bath wants slippers in the thermal and wellness zones and a shower with soap before the pools. Strelcha's municipal bath has separate men's and women's sections.