Europe's most natural

What follows is a list of Europe's most natural soaks. 

What makes a soak natural? The ability to soak au-naturel, soaks that are free or enterable for a small fee, are little enhanced with significant natural surroundings (open air) or are attractive due to historic / significant surroundings.

Albania
  •  Gjirokastër: Benja (natural)
Armenia
  • Azrakan (ramshakle)
  • Hanqavan/Hankavan (enclosed, still quite primitive bathing place)
  • Karvachar (free and natural) 
  • Sisian: Vorotan (little enhanced, free)
Austria
  • Kärnten: Maibachl, Villach (seasonal, natural)
Azerbaijan

Bosnia
  • Ilidza (small free pool, somewhat enhanced)
Bulgaria
  • Blagoevgrad: Rupite (free, natural)
  • Varna (beachside pool, fee paying)
Croatia
  • Varaždinske Toplice (Roman remains, soaking attributes?)
Czech Republic
  • Ústí nad Labem: Teplice (natural)
France
  • Ariege: Merens Les Vals (free, natural)
  • Auvergne: La Bourboule (free, enhanced riverside tub)
  • Cantal: Chaude Aigues (many streetside fountains)
  • Corsé: Ajaccio-Bains de Guitera (free, natural, tub)
  • Corsé: Aleria-Bains de Pietrapola (free, singular shower)
  • Corsé: Sartene-Caldane (small fee, little enhanced pool) 
  • Hautes-Alpes: Plan de Phazy (warm spring, free, open air)
  • Landes: Le Trou de Madame (small pool, warm (30°C), free)
  • Languedoc: Bain de Saint Thomas (fee-paying, outside, enhanced (not really wild))
  • Languedoc: Bains de Dorres (fee-paying, outside site)
  • Languedoc: Balaruc-les-Bains (free, small pool next to lagoon) 
  • Languedoc: Canaveilles (see below for an impression!)
  • Languedoc: Les Bains de Llo (fee-paying, outside)
  • Languedoc: Prats Balaguer (free, no development, truly wild)
  • Languedoc: Thuès-Entre-Valls (free and wild)
  • Occitanie: Rennes-les-Bains (spout along riverside in village, free)
  • Pays-Basque: Gamere / Camou (free, cave entrance)
  • Vosges: Chaude-Fontaine (small tub, 21°C, year round)
Bains de Canaveilles, source
Georgia
  • Imereti: Vani (open air, free)
  • Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti: Nokalakevi (open air, free)
  • Samtskhe-Javakheti: Borjomi (open-air concrete pool)
  • Samtskhe-Javakheti: Vardzia (makeshift bath house)
  • Tbilisi (many ancient but still functioning sulphur bathhouses)
Greece
  • Attica: Methana (small seaside pool in cliffside)
  • Central Geece: Damasta (little enhanced, free)
  • Central Greece: Evia - Epidos/Aidipsos (beach hotspring)
  • Central Greece: Evia - Gialtron (beach hotspring)
  • Central Greece: Kallyntika (enhanced, free) 
  • Central Greece: Koniavitis (enhanced, free) 
  • Central Greece: Thermopylae (free, faded development)
  • Chios: Agia Markelle (beach hot spring)
  • Drama: Termies (free, little enhancement)
  • Edessa: Loutra Pozar (fee-payment, open-air some wild)
  • Ikaria: Loumakia (free, beachside)
  • Ikaria: Agia Kyriaki (beach hot spring)
  • Kavala: Eleftheron (free, faded development)
  • Kea: Kynthos - Thermia (ancient / enhanced)
  • Kimolos - Prasa (beachside hot spring)
  • Kos: Agios Fokas (beach hot spring)
  • Kos: Agia Irini (beach hot spring)
  • Kos: Nisyros - Avlaki (beach hot spring)
  • Lemnos (Limnos):  Agiasma (enhanced with mud bath)
  • Lesvos: Eftalou (enhanced, ancient)
  • Lesvos: Panagia (free, bath tub)
  • Lesvos: Loutra Geras (fee-paying, ancient)
  • Lesvos: Polychnitos
  • Milos: Aliki (beach hot spring)
  • Milos: Lutra Lukkou (enhanced)
  • Milos: Paleochori (beach hot spring)
  • Milos: Tria Pigadia (beach hot spring)
  • Samotharki: Therma (free, little enhanced)
  • Samotharki: Pigi Frikion (free, wild)
  • Samotharki: Pigi Podoloutron (fee, open-air)
  • Santorini: Palea (free, wild, only reachable by boat)
  • Santorini: Plaka (free, little enhanced)
  • Serres: Agistro (ancient)
  • Xanthi: Termes (free, older development, newer facilities also available)

 Eleftheron
Hungary
  • Heves: Egerszalók (salt mountain with fee paying open air pools, maybe not so natural)
  • Northern Hungary: Miskolctapolca (fee-paying hot spring cave)
  • Zala: Heviz (fee paying, natural hot spring lake)
  • Zala: Heviz (adjacent to thermal lake, overflow into small stream, free)
Iceland
  • East: Laugarfell (small natural pool)
  • Northeast: Ostakarið (tub with natural thermal water)
  • Northeast: Hólsgerði (small hot pool) 
  • Northwest: Biskupslaug (natural small pool)
  • Northwest: Hveraborg (natural pool, free)
  • Northwest: Grettislaug (stone lined pool) 
  • Northwest: Reykjavellir (small natural hot pool)
  • Reykjanes: Skátalaug (natural pool)  
  • Snaefellsnes: Landbrotalaug (natural small tub, free)
  • South: Seljavellir (natural swimming pool fed by hot spring, free)
  • Southeast: Hveravellir (natural pool, free) 
  • Southwest: Gunnuhver (geothermal plant overflow, free)
  • Southwest: Hveragerði (natural warm river) 
  • Southwest: Marteinslaug (natural pool, free) 
  • Southwest: Rjúpnabrekkur / Rekjadalur (hot river, various soakable places) 
  • Southwest: Sundlaug (natural hot spring pool)   
  • West: Grafarlaug (swimming pool with warmish water)
  • Westfjords: Drangsnes (open air hot tubs)
  • Westfjords: Hellulaug (small hot pool) 
  • Westfjords: Hörgshlíð (small hot tub)
  • Westfjords: Nautaeyri (natural small pool)
  • Westfjords: Pollarin (small tub)
  • Westfjords: Reykjafjörður (large pool, free) 
'Rjúpnabrekkur, wasserfallbaedli'
  
Italy
  • Ascoli: Lu Vurghe (free, wild, though only warm ...)
  • Calabria: Caronte (free, wild, slightly enhanced, spa overflow)
  • Calabria: Grotte delle Ninfe (warmish developed springs with mud and original hot water cave)
  • Campania: Ischia-Nitrodi (hot showers, but expensive!)
  • Campania: Ischia-Sant'Angelo (fumarole on the beach)
  • Campania: Ischia-Sorgeto (beach hot spring)
  • Lazio: Castelforte-Suio (pools) 
  • Lazio: Civitavecchi-Ficoncella (cheap and enhanced)
  • Lazio: Viterbo-Il Bagnaccio (free, slightly enhanced)
  • Lazio: Viterbo-Bullicame (free and wild) 
  • Lazio: Viterbo-Picines Carletti (free and wild)
  • Lombardy: Bormio-La Pozza (small, wild riverside soak)
  • Lombardy: Sirmione (overflow from commercial op., seasonal)
  • Piemonte: Craveggia (ruins, but with a tepid soak)
  • Sicily: Aeoli, Vulcano-Fanghi di Vulcano (small fee, open air geothermal hot spring with hot spring off-shore)
  • Sicily: Aeoli, Lipari-San Calogero (free, very small pool)
  • Sicily: Pantelleria-Bagno Asciutto (free, sauna cave)
  • Sicily: Pantelleria-Gadir (beachside thermal pool)  
  • Sicily: Pantelleria-La Vela (small seaside tub)  
  • Sicily: Pantelleria-Nikà (sea springs) 
  • Sicily: Pantelleria-Sateria (cave springs)
  • Sicily: Pantelleria-Scauri (inside port area)
  • Sicily: Pantelleria-Venere lake (free mildly warm large lake with lots of thermal mud!) 
  • Sicily: Sclafani Bagni (smallish, free and wild)
  • Sicily: Terme di Segesta (open air sulphur stream)
  • Toscana: Acqua Borra (being restored?)
  • Toscana: Bagni di Lucca (enhanced/ruins?)
  • Toscana: Bagni di San Filippo (free use of hot stream)
  • Toscana: Bagni di Petriolo 
  • Toscana: San Casciano (concrete pool)
  • Toscana: Sasso Pisano (concrete pool / natural pool)
  • Toscana: Saturnia (fee-paying, natural) 
  • Toscana: Vignoni (lake, enhanced, but no usage?; but some free usage possible)

Saturnia. Source
Macedonia
  • Northeast: Staro Nagoričane - Strnovac (lesser developed pond)
  • Skopje: Petrovec - Katlanovo (cave spring)
  • Smokvica (free shower at pipe head)
  • Southwest: Debar - Banjishte (more undeveloped nearby?)
  • Stip, Novo Stelo - Ldzi (low flow hot spring, drinking only?)
  • Strumica, Bansko - Parilo (hot pipe, no bathing, byo?)
Portugal
  • Azores: Flores-Agua Quente (remote and wild)
  • Azores: Graciosa-Termas do Carapacho (geothermal seaside pool)
  • Azores: São Miguel-Caldeira Velha (natural pool, fee required)
  • Azores: São Miguel-Caldeiras da Ribeira Grande (small open air pool)
  • Azores: São Miguel-Poça da Dona Beija (naturally enhanced, fee required)
  • Azores: São Miguel-Termas da Ferraria (free and natural hot springs in sea inlet)
  • Azores, São Miguel-Furnas: Terra Nostra (hot pond, fee required)
  • Viseu: Sangemil / Alcafache (geothermal springs in river)
'Caldeira veiha - Natural warm water (30 C degrees). AZores'
Romania
Serbia
  • Jošanice Banja (a few less developed and freely available springs)
  • Knjaževačka (warm water stream, freely available)
  • Lukovska Banja (a few free concrete outdoor tubs with muddy thermal water)
  • Sokobanja (ancient hamam)
  • Zdrelo (pipehead shower; not very natural) 
Slovakia
  • Kalameny (free, thermal lake in forest)
Spain
  • Almeria: Balsa de Cela (free, 22-24°C)
  • Almeria: Baños de Sierra Alhamilla (traditional bath house)
  • Cantabria: La Hermida (free, natural, riverside pool)
  • Castellon: Montanejos (free, riverside pool, 25°C)
  • Catalunya: Jafre (small pool)
  • Catalunya: Fontcalda (natural pool with warm water 28°C, free)
  • Granada: Alhama de Granada (free, spa overflow)
  • Granada: Alicun (free, spa overflow) 
  • Granada: Balneario de Zujar (man made, small fee, sometimes lake nearby (free))
  • Granada: Santa Fe (free, wild)
  • Huesca: Baños de Benasque (free ancient tub?)
  • Malaga: Casares, La Hedionda (free, ancient)
  • Murcia: Saladillo / Mazzaron (free, wild) 
  • Ourense: Bande (free, wild)
  • Ourense: Chavasqueira (free, enhanced)
  • Ourense: Pozas do Muiño das Veigas (free, enhanced)
  • Ourense: Ribadavia (free, natural)
  • Ourense: Tinteiro (free footbaths)
  • Ourense: Torneiros (enhanced) 
  • Rioja: Arnedillo (free, natural, riverside)
  • Teruel: Ariño (22°C, free, enhanced)
  • Valancia: Ontiyent (not even warm, but very natural)
  • Zaragosa: Alhama de Zaragoss (hot lake?)
  • Zaragosa: Tiermas, Yesa (free, wild, dependent on lake levels, great mud)
 Santa Fe: wild and free, but so natural as you wish ... Source

Switzerland
  • Aargau: Baden, Limmat riverside baths (free, modern and hot)
Turkiye
  • Eskişehir: Uyuzhamam (free, abondonded thermally sourced hamam)
  • Eskişehir: Yaprakhisar (free, hot spring bath)
Ukraine
  • Crimea: Arabat (open air, little enhanced, fee payment required)
If you know any others feel free to contact me!

20 comments:

  1. Funny, I mostly have my email address on the blogs I publish. It's jhdubbeldam@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Really good initiative!!! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. have you included rennes les bains near carcassonne? i will go there soon x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It should be there ..., but it's not.
      Odd, I've posted quite a few pictures of this hot spring, but it's not on the list.
      I feel a correction is on it's way.
      Thanx for the interest shown.Rick

      Delete
  4. This is great. Is it possible to create a map with pins on. As it's easier than trying to find someone who knows where they are.

    ReplyDelete
  5. On the main site, you'll see an overview with pins of soaking sites which have been featured in this blog.
    Pinning the above maybe a step too far,at least too much work for myself at this moment in time

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi,
    I am researching some wild hot springs for a magazine article and your posts have been a great source of inspiration. I would very much like name your website for further information on the various hot springs, if this is ok for you?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sure thing, feel "free" to mention the website. Curious concerning which magazine your article might be published in ...

      Delete
  7. Are there free public hot water springs in Denmark 🇩🇰

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sorry, there aren't any in Denmark.

    ReplyDelete
  9. On that website page, you'll see your description, why not read through this. Stahlwandbecken

    ReplyDelete
  10. Ein Schwimmbecken oder Whirlpool im eigenen Garten ist für viele ein langgehegter Traum. Wer schon lange vom Badespaß vor der Terrassentür träumt, zudem seinen Kindern eine riesige Freude machen möchte, der sollte nicht mehr zögern, sondern sich einen Pool kaufen
    Pool kaufen

    ReplyDelete
  11. In Sasso Pisano, Tuscany, 100 meters from the Etruscan excavations, high up on a ridge there is a natural hot pool at 48c...hidden within bushes..fabulous

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the excellent tip; has been added to the list. And my personal wish list!

      Delete
  12. There aren't any natural and free for soaking hot springs in Germany. Aachen, Wiesbaden, Baden&Baden have hot spring resorts and the Europa Thermen are also hot spring fed. Too much de velopment ....?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Replies
    1. None that I know of, Scandinavia seems virtually void of hot springs. Maybe that's why they're the home of sauna.

      Delete