Overview
About this location
Amara (Ialomița County): a lowland salt lake with sapropelic mud, the Perla and Zorilor public beaches and the TBRCM treatment base inside the Ialomița hotel complex, with 15 voucher series in 2026.
Weather – 3 day forecast
Details
General Information
Water temperature
A non-thermal salt lake: the water follows air temperature, so bathing is realistically a summer activity; in winter, warm water is available only indoors, at the salt-water pool and the Laguna Blue spa inside the Ialomița complex
Water type
Sulphated, sodium-chloride, magnesium-rich, weakly brominated and weakly sulphurous hypotonic water, total mineralisation 9.88 g/l; the lake bed is covered by sapropelic mud (39% organic matter, 41% minerals, 20% water), the core of the treatment
Entry price
Perla and Zorilor public beaches (Amara Town Hall), rates announced for 2026: free until 1 May, then 10 lei per person on weekdays and 15 lei at weekends; children under 10, pensioners and people with disabilities are exempt
Accessibility
The treatment base and the indoor facilities operate year-round; the Perla and Zorilor public beaches are also open outside the season and reopened on 6 March in 2026, but lake bathing and mud applications remain seasonal
Wellness
Therapeutic indications
Per TBRCM, the operator of the treatment base: degenerative, inflammatory and soft-tissue rheumatic conditions, post-traumatic conditions, peripheral neurological conditions and gynaecological conditions, plus associated dermatological and endocrine conditions
About Amara
Amara, in Ialomița County, is the one Romanian town built around a lowland salt lake. The first chemical analyses of the water were made in 1887 by the chemist Petru Poni, and the lake mud later became the raw material for the Pell-Amar preparation developed by Dr. Ștefan Ionescu-Călinești. The resort is classified as being of national interest and has a 64-hectare arboretum park, the largest in the south-east of the country.
Location & access
- Ialomița County, 7 km from Slobozia on DN 2C, the road linking Slobozia to Buzău.
- 100 km from Henri Coandă Airport, 120 km from the seaside, 130 km from the Danube Delta.
- Tourist information centre on DN 2C, Tudor Vladimirescu street, Perla complex area, daily 09:00–17:00.
Water & mud
- Sulphated, sodium-chloride, magnesium-rich, weakly brominated and weakly sulphurous hypotonic water, total mineralisation 9.88 g/l.
- Sapropelic mud on the lake bed: 39% organic matter, 41% minerals, 20% water, roughly 50 cm thick.
- A fluvial liman about 4 km long and 200–800 m wide, maximum depth 3 m, with no connection to the Ialomița river.
Who comes here
- A resort profiled on: rheumatic and gynaecological conditions, per TBRCM, the operator of the treatment base.
- Treatment-voucher stays through the county pension houses, all year round.
- Families and day visitors, on the two rebuilt public beaches, in the warm season.
The lake, the water and the mud
Lake Amara has no constant freshwater inflow, so the salts have concentrated over time. The real resource, however, sits on the bottom: an oily, blackish-green sapropelic mud that turns grey on contact with air. TBRCM describes it as covering a large part of the lake bed, roughly 50 cm thick. Published figures for the lake surface differ between sources, so no surface area is given here.
- Warm use: mud baths in tubs and mud wraps, inside the treatment base.
- Cold use: mud applied on the beach, dried in the sun, then rinsed off in the lake.
- A non-thermal lake: the water follows air temperature and no official measured figure is published.
- Bathing is realistically a warm-season activity; in winter, warm water exists only indoors, at the salt-water pool and the Laguna Blue spa.
The same sapropelic lake mud profile is found at Techirghiol.
Ialomița hotel complex
The state treatment unit in Amara is the Ialomița hotel complex (Hotel Ialomița), operated by TBRCM, whose sole shareholder is the National House of Public Pensions. There is no such thing as an "Amara Balneal Sanatorium", although the name circulates online, and the Lebăda and Parc hotels in town run their own treatment bases but are not part of the TBRCM network.
- Mud baths in tubs, mineral-water pool baths, galvanic baths, mud and paraffin wraps.
- Underwater shower, aerosols, diadynamic, TENS and interferential currents.
- Ultrasound, short waves, solux, laser therapy, therapeutic massage and medical gymnastics.
- The hotel has its own thermal plant, which brings both the water and the mud to working parameters.
How you get in
- For 2026, TBRCM scheduled 15 voucher series at Amara, with arrival days between 27 April and 6 December.
- Vouchers are issued by the county pension houses; a stay package bought directly is the other route.
- At check-in you present a referral from your family doctor or a specialist, an activated health card, and a pension slip or an employer certificate.
- The treatment base has no day ticket: it is not a facility you visit, it is one you are scheduled into.
Therapeutic indications listed for the unit, per TBRCM: rheumatic conditions (degenerative, inflammatory and soft-tissue), post-traumatic conditions, peripheral neurological conditions and gynaecological conditions, plus associated dermatological and endocrine conditions.
Beaches, hours and rates
The Perla and Zorilor public beaches, run by Amara Town Hall, were rebuilt from scratch with European funds and opened on 1 June 2025, at a total works value above 25 million lei. Perla has sports courts, mini-golf, picnic and barbecue areas, pontoons, bird-watching spots and facilities for people with disabilities; Zorilor has playgrounds, hammocks, outdoor showers, reed parasols and an area dedicated to sapropelic mud. In 2026 access reopened on 6 March.
- Summer season, from 1 May: daily 08:00–21:00. Off-season: daily 08:00–20:00, free entry.
- Rates announced by mayor Valentin Moraru on 5 March 2026: free until 1 May, then 10 lei per person on weekdays and 15 lei at weekends.
- Exempt from the fee: children under 10, pensioners and people with disabilities.
- Deck-chair hire has no confirmed 2026 rate; the last known figures, from June 2025, were 5 lei on weekdays and 10 lei at weekends.
- No day rate is published for the indoor Laguna Blue spa.
The 10 / 15 lei figure is not settled. At the 2025 opening the town communicated free public access for five years, so confirm the current rate with Amara Town Hall before you travel.
Map location
Treatment base address: Aleea Teilor 1, Amara, Ialomița County.
What to know
- Lake bathing and mud applications are seasonal, roughly June to September; the treatment base and the indoor facilities work all year.
- Crowds peak in July and August, around the local festivals: the Mud Festival in July and Trofeul Tinereții in August.
- The lake is under special bird protection and is administered by Apele Române, so access rules are stricter than at an ordinary lido.
- Mud hygiene: apply on the skin, let it dry in the sun, then rinse. Not on open wounds, and not hours on end in the sun with dried mud on you.
- The operator of the treatment base does not publish a list of contraindications, so ask the resort balneologist before starting any mud cure.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How much is the entrance fee at Amara?
Perla and Zorilor public beaches (Amara Town Hall), rates announced for 2026: free until 1 May, then 10 lei per person on weekdays and 15 lei at weekends; children under 10, pensioners and people with disabilities are exempt. Prices can change, so check the official information before visiting.
What are the opening hours at Amara?
Daily 08:00-21:00.
What is the water temperature at Amara?
A non-thermal salt lake: the water follows air temperature, so bathing is realistically a summer activity; in winter, warm water is available only indoors, at the salt-water pool and the Laguna Blue spa inside the Ialomița complex.
Is Amara open in winter?
The treatment base and the indoor facilities operate year-round; the Perla and Zorilor public beaches are also open outside the season and reopened on 6 March in 2026, but lake bathing and mud applications remain seasonal.
What is the therapeutic profile of Amara?
Amara is a balneary resort with a profile covering: Per TBRCM, the operator of the treatment base: degenerative, inflammatory and soft-tissue rheumatic conditions, post-traumatic conditions, peripheral neurological conditions and gynaecological conditions, plus associated dermatological and endocrine conditions. Whether a balneary cure is appropriate is a decision to make together with a physician.