Solotvyno

Salt has been mined at Solotvyno since Roman times, and when the workings flooded and collapsed through the twentieth century they left a set of lakes so saline that bathers float on them, which turned the town into a spa. Salt allergy and skin treatment sanatoria operate alongside informal bathing. The ground here is genuinely unstable, sinkholes have swallowed buildings, and parts of the old mining area are fenced off.

What you actually see

• The salt lakes - flooded workings saline enough to float in.
• The bathing - informal lakeside beaches alongside the sanatoria.
• The salt history - workings dating back to Roman extraction.
• The Tisza - the river running along the border below the town.

When to go

June to September is the bathing season. The lakes are cold outside summer. Weekends bring crowds from across Transcarpathia and from Romania.

Honest expectations

Subsidence here is real: sinkholes have destroyed buildings and parts of the area are fenced for that reason. Facilities at the lakes are basic and vary in cleanliness. The water is harsh on skin and eyes and rinsing afterwards matters.

Nearby

Rakhiv is east up the Tisza, and the Romanian border is at the town.