Bains de Saint-Thomas
Three outdoor pools at 1,150 m in a rock amphitheatre above Fontpédrouse, filled with sulphurous water that rises at 58 °C and is cooled to 34 to 37 °C depending on the season. The main pool has two swan-neck jets, a second pool has a jacuzzi, horizontal jets, geysers and cascades, and an indoor wellness area adds a sauna, hammam and vaporarium.
Getting in
- Public transport
- Train Jaune halt at Fontpédrouse, 3 km below the baths: no shuttle, walk up the road and marked paths; show your train ticket for 1 EUR off the baths (2 EUR off with the wellness area). LIO bus 560 (Perpignan to Cerdagne) stops in Fontpédrouse village, about an hour's walk away.
- Address
- 130 rue de Saint-Thomas, 66360 Fontpédrouse
Entry, hours and rules
- Entry
- Bains extérieurs, adulte (outdoor baths, adult) (Valid all day)€9
- Bains extérieurs, enfant 4-11 ans (outdoor baths, child 4 to 11) (Under 4 free)€7.50
- Carte 10 entrées bains (10-entry card)€70
- Accès bains et espace bien-être, adulte à partir de 12 ans (baths and wellness area, from 12)€18
- Hours
- Mon10:00-19:40
- Tue10:00-19:40
- Wed10:00-19:40
- Thu10:00-19:40
- Fri10:00-19:40
- Sat10:00-19:40
- Sun10:00-19:40
- Swimwear and rules
- Swim briefs or swim boxers only; loose swim shorts and burkinis are not allowed. Swim caps optional. Swimsuit hire 2 EUR.
- Children
- Under 4 free; children must be with an adult. Wellness area from 12.
- Tickets
- Day ticket, no time slot
- Official site
- bains-saint-thomas.fr
- Facilities
- Outdoor poolSaunaSteam roomCaféChanging roomsLockersShowersStep-free accessSwimsuit hireTowel hire
About Bains de Saint-Thomas
Older villagers remember breathing in the sulphur vapour from the spring by lifting the stone slabs that covered its channel. In 2011 the baths turned that habit into a vaporarium, which became a room of its own in the works of 2016 and 2017. A certified practitioner gives watsu sessions, a floating massage, in the outdoor pool. The baths sit on walking routes: a longer marked path comes down from Planes station on the Train Jaune past the Gisclard suspension bridge, and from the entrance a 15 to 20 minute walk passes the Riberole hydroelectric plant to Prats-Balaguer and the ruins of a castle that watched the pass to Spain.