About the resort
Ocna Șugatag is first mentioned in documents in 1355, and the surrounding villages — Breb, Hoteni and Sat-Șugatag — appear in records around 1360. The whole history of the place lies in its name: "ocna" means salt mine, and for centuries salt was the wealth that kept the community alive and drew trade routes to the area.
After the mines closed in 1950, the settlement reinvented itself as a spa resort, around the salt lakes formed on the site of the old mines. Today it is the best-equipped base in the destination: it has a treatment centre, the most accommodation, shops, a pharmacy and good road links to the surrounding villages.
Why it makes a good base
From Ocna Șugatag you can quickly reach almost anywhere in the destination: Breb and Hoteni in a few minutes, the wooden churches of Budești, Sârbi and Călinești in the Cosău Valley, and the Rooster's Crest and the Igniș plateau along the road that climbs towards Gutâi. For visitors without a car, it is also the place with the most transport connections.
The combination of spa facilities and a central location makes it especially suitable for longer stays and for families — you can alternate hiking days with days of rest by the lake.
See also the salt-water baths, the Royal Forest right at the edge of the resort, and the Hoteni Lakes. The Cosău Trail ends at the Old Baths in Ocna Șugatag.
Hiking trails from here
- Ocna Șugatag – Hoteni Lakes – Breb hiking trail — 9.9 km, 2–2.5 hours, red cross waymark, easy difficulty.
