Overview
About this location
Eforie Nord sits on the strip between the Black Sea and Lake Techirghiol, with mud baths on the lake shore at 40 lei entry. The season runs from May or June to 30 September; in winter only the indoor Efosan bases work.
Weather – 3 day forecast
Details
General Information
Water temperature
Lake Techirghiol 80–90 g/l salinity (the sanatorium publishes circa 80 g of mineral salts per litre), the sea 17–18 g/l; sapropelic mud from the same lake
Water type
Hypertonic lake with therapeutic sapropelic mud, plus Black Sea water a few hundred metres away
Entry price
Cold Baths 40 lei / entry (5 entries 160 lei, 10 entries 300 lei — grid last updated in 2024); children free, accompanied by a parent
Accessibility
the Cold Baths run in the summer season, until 30 September; the indoor Efosan bases, all year
Wellness
Therapeutic indications
Inflammatory & degenerative rheumatic, post-traumatic and post-operative sequelae, neurological, dermatological, gynaecological and peripheral vascular
About Eforie Nord
A seaside resort in Constanța County with an unusual geography: it sits on a narrow strip of land with the Black Sea on one side and the hypertonic Lake Techirghiol on the other, a few hundred metres apart. That is the whole point of the place — you can have a beach holiday and a mud cure in the same afternoon, walking between the two.
The mud here is the same Techirghiol sapropelic mud, extracted from the lake bed, where it covers around 100 hectares in a layer over half a metre thick. It runs in a closed circuit: after being used in the treatment bases, the mud drains back into the lake through a dedicated network so it can regenerate naturally. The baths are done on the lake shore, in four Cold Bath pavilions belonging to the Efosan hospital, using the Egyptian method of coating rather than a tub.
Region & access
- A2 then A4 and DN39, which runs straight through the resort. Constanța about 15 km, Mangalia about 34 km, Bucharest about 240 km.
- Eforie Nord has its own railway station on the Constanța–Mangalia line, roughly 23 minutes from Constanța — a genuine advantage over most spa towns, which have no working rail link at all.
- Mihail Kogălniceanu airport is about 40 km away. Techirghiol itself is 4 km inland, so the two can be done as one trip.
Mud, sea, lake
- The sapropelic mud forms from the alga Cladophora and the brine shrimp Artemia salina decomposing in hypersaline water, and it is the same material used across the whole coast.
- The lake is far saltier than the sea beside it — 80 to 90 g/l against 17 to 18 g/l — which is why you float in one and swim in the other.
- Bathing in the lake after the mud is part of the procedure, not an extra. The sequence matters more than the duration.
What it is used for
- Inflammatory and degenerative rheumatic conditions; post-traumatic and post-operative sequelae; neurological conditions ranging from neuralgia to hemiparesis, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson disease.
- Also dermatological, gynaecological and peripheral vascular conditions, plus prophylaxis in children and adolescents, for rickets and immunity.
- On the CAS outpatient route, Efosan covers a consultation plus four procedures a day: electrotherapy, ultrasound, short waves, magnetodiaflux, massage, paraffin, and group kinesiotherapy in the gym or pool. Anything beyond that is paid.
What is open and what is not
- Băi Reci nr. 1, run by the Efosan rehabilitation and balneology hospital on the lake shore: mud coating plus a bathe in the lake, no accommodation needed, ticket at the gate, with a separate sector for families with children.
- The ticket includes video-monitored parking, an emergency medical point, a lifeguard, a sun lounger while stocks last, showers with both salt and warm fresh water, and mud for coating, usable only inside the enclosure.
- Efosan runs Clinica Grand, handling 800 patients a day, and the Steaua de Mare base 100 m from the sea, rated for 1,400 patients a day. Both operate year round.
- Check Steaua de Mare before relying on it. The hospital own site states that only the administrative headquarters is there and that the treatment base itself is in conservation.
- Ana Aslan Health Spa at Hotel Europa has an indoor pool with salt water drawn from the lake, a jacuzzi and a sauna; its rates are not published. Complex Traian has its own base with salt and mud baths, a salt water pool and hydrokinesiotherapy, mainly for its own guests.
- Eforie Nord against Techirghiol, 4 km inland: identical mud, identical 40 lei, but Eforie gives you the sea, a working railway station and a much larger stock of hotels and flats. Techirghiol gives you the sanatorium and treatment that runs through the winter.
- The practical way to use the resort is to treat the two shores as one day: mud and lake in the morning, when the Cold Baths are least crowded, then the beach in the afternoon. They are a few hundred metres apart, which is the whole reason the resort exists in this shape.
Two published timetables
- The Cold Baths have two official timetables that contradict each other. The hospital site gives daily 07:00–19:00 with the last ticket at 18:00; the local tourist information centre gives 1 May to 30 September, Monday to Sunday 08:00–18:00. Phone 0241 748 594 before you go.
- Efosan outpatient hours: consultations Monday to Friday 07:00–14:00, electrotherapy Monday to Friday 07:00–19:00, pool and gym Monday to Friday 07:30–18:00. Appointments on 0766 079 544, weekdays 07:00–14:00.
- Radiology runs daily 07:00–13:00, on 0724 220 495.
- CNPP series in 2026: fifteen series of 16 days, from 27 April to 21 December, with the pensioner paying 50% of their net pension.
Read on 1 August 2026
- Băi Reci Eforie Nord: 40 lei per entry. The Efosan grid also lists 160 lei for 5 entries and 300 lei for 10.
- Children go free, accompanied by a parent, with no ticket needed.
- The pass prices come from an Efosan page last updated in 2024 and may be out of date. Note the oddity: Techirghiol charges 350 lei for 10 entries while Eforie lists 300 lei, for the same mud from the same lake.
- Everything else at the Cold Baths is included in the 40 lei — parking, lifeguard, medical point, showers and the mud itself. There is no separate charge for the mud.
- Rates at Ana Aslan Health Spa and the exact opening and closing dates of the Cold Baths in 2026 are not published anywhere. So is nothing about lake water temperature in summer, which no official source gives.
Good to know
- The ritual has an order: thin layer of cold mud, 30 to 60 minutes in the sun until it dries, 10 to 15 minutes swimming in the lake, a cold shower, then dry in the sun. One series a day, and never over the head or heart.
- Mud at the lake is a summer proposition only, roughly May or June to 30 September. Outside that window you are left with the indoor Efosan bases and the hotels with treatment.
- Eforie Nord has some of the busiest beaches on the coast in July and August, and the Cold Baths fill up in the morning. Early or late is the answer.
- Parts of the built heritage are in poor shape: the Steaua de Mare base is in conservation and Hotel Belona, from 1934, along with other interwar buildings, is derelict. The photographs online do not always match.
- Around the resort: Lake Belona, the main beach, Techirghiol 4 km inland, Eforie Sud, and Constanța 15 km north.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How much is the entrance fee at Eforie Nord?
Cold Baths 40 lei / entry (5 entries 160 lei, 10 entries 300 lei — grid last updated in 2024); children free, accompanied by a parent. Prices can change, so check the official information before visiting.
What are the opening hours at Eforie Nord?
Cold Baths: 07:00-19:00 per efosan.ro, last ticket at 18:00, but the tourist information centre gives 08:00-18:00, 1 May - 30 September (check on +40 241 748 594).
What is the water temperature at Eforie Nord?
Lake Techirghiol 80–90 g/l salinity (the sanatorium publishes circa 80 g of mineral salts per litre), the sea 17–18 g/l; sapropelic mud from the same lake.
Is Eforie Nord open in winter?
The Cold Baths run in the summer season, until 30 September; the indoor Efosan bases, all year.
What is the therapeutic profile of Eforie Nord?
Eforie Nord is a balneary resort with a profile covering: Inflammatory & degenerative rheumatic, post-traumatic and post-operative sequelae, neurological, dermatological, gynaecological and peripheral vascular. Whether a balneary cure is appropriate is a decision to make together with a physician.