Wellness & Spa in Europe
Europe practically invented the spa, from the thermal baths of the Romans to the grand 19th-century spa towns where royalty came to ‘take the waters’. Today the continent offers everything from historic bathhouses to volcanic hot springs and cutting-edge wellness resorts.
Central Europe is the heartland of thermal bathing, with Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic leading the way, while Iceland and Turkey add dramatic natural settings. Many spas are as much about grand architecture and history as relaxation.
These are the best places to unwind across Europe.
Where to Unwind in Europe#
Budapest, Hungary The ‘City of Spas’, built atop over a hundred thermal springs, where grand bathhouses like the Szechenyi and Gellert offer steaming pools beneath ornate domes. Bathing is a cherished local ritual. Some baths host night-time parties.
Baden-Baden, Germany The epitome of the grand European spa town, where royalty and writers came to bathe in the Black Forest, still home to the opulent Friedrichsbad and Caracalla thermal baths. Belle Epoque grandeur abounds. It defines old-world wellness.
The Blue Lagoon, Iceland A surreal, milky-blue geothermal lagoon set amid a black lava field, its mineral-rich, silica-laden waters famed for soothing the skin. Steam drifts across the water. It is Iceland’s most iconic experience.
Pamukkale, Turkey The dazzling white ‘Cotton Castle’ of travertine terraces filled with warm, calcium-rich water, cascading down a hillside beside the ancient spa city of Hierapolis. Bathing among Roman ruins is unforgettable. It is a UNESCO wonder.
Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic An elegant Bohemian spa town of colonnades and pastel facades, where visitors sip mineral waters from ornate cups and unwind in historic wellness hotels. It has drawn the famous for centuries. The setting is storybook pretty.
Bath, England The only natural hot springs in Britain, where the Romans built grand baths still standing today, complemented by a modern rooftop thermal spa with views over the Georgian city. History and relaxation blend perfectly. The whole city is a UNESCO site.
Bad Gastein, Austria A dramatic Alpine spa town built around a waterfall, famed for its radon-rich thermal waters and Belle Epoque hotels clinging to the mountainside. Skiing and bathing pair beautifully. It has a faded grandeur all its own.
Terme di Saturnia, Italy A series of natural hot springs in the Tuscan countryside, where sulphurous water tumbles over the famous Cascate del Mulino travertine pools, free to all. Soaking under the stars is magical. Nearby a luxury resort offers more.
Spa, Belgium The little Ardennes town that gave the world the very word ‘spa’, its mineral springs drawing health-seekers since the 16th century. Elegant thermal baths continue the tradition. It is where it all began.
Vichy, France A grand thermal resort in the Auvergne, famed for its healing springs, belle-epoque architecture and the pastilles and cosmetics that bear its name. It epitomises French spa culture. The parks and pump rooms are elegant.
Loutraki, Greece A seaside spa town on the Corinth coast, whose renowned thermal and mineral springs have drawn visitors since antiquity. Modern wellness centres sit beside the beach. It combines sea, sun and soothing waters.
Montecatini Terme, Italy One of Italy’s most elegant spa towns, a UNESCO site of grand thermal establishments set in landscaped Tuscan gardens. Taking the waters here is a genteel tradition. A funicular climbs to the old town above.