Travel Guide Borsec

The name may sound familiar: it's that of one of the country's best-selling mineral waters. The waters of this spa town of 2,500 inhabitants, first mentioned in the 16th century, have been bottled since 1860 and have won numerous international awards. Situated at an altitude of 950 m, in the heart of a beautiful landscape, the village offers all the amenities of a renowned spa. The surrounding area is also famous for its many caves (grotte des ours, grotte de glace...). Twenty kilometers west of Borsec, Toplița (pop. 12,500) also boasts a small, but less renowned spa. Its Sfântul Ilie monastery boasts beautiful 18th-century icons and a fine wooden church. Outside town, there's another wooden church, Biserica Doamnei (1658), typical of the region. The surrounding villages (Sărmaș, for example) have kept their folklore alive.