Thermal baths in the Pyrenees
Thermal baths across the French, Andorran and Spanish Pyrenees, most fed by springs that rise at 40 to 70 °C and are cooled to about 32 to 38 °C for bathing. They range from open-air pools in the Cerdagne, at Dorres and the Bains de Saint-Thomas, to big indoor leisure baths such as Caldea and Balnéa. Swimwear rules are strict on the French side, where most baths want men in swim briefs or swim boxers.
- Baths12
- Water33 to 38°
- Hot rooms70 to 90°
Baths in the Pyrenees compared
Entry, swimwear rules, age limits and ticket type, side by side.
| Bath | Entry | Swimwear and rules | Age | Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AquensisBagnères-de-Bigorre |
| Men: swim briefs, swim shorts above the knee or swim boxers. Women: one-piece or two-piece swimsuit. Monokinis, thong swimsuits and full-body swimsuits are not allowed. Bring a bath towel. | 5+ | Day ticket |
| Bains romains de DorresDorres | Not known yet. Official site · Know it? Tell us | Swimsuit required; ordinary underpants are not allowed. | 1+ | Day ticket |
| Bains de LloLlo | Closed for renovation until 4 December 2026 | Any swimwear that reaches neither the elbows nor the knees: men swim briefs, swim boxers or swim shorts above the knee; women one-piece, two-piece or swim shorts. Thongs, burkinis, cotton underwear, clothes and Bermudas are not allowed. | none stated | Day ticket |
| Bains de Saint-ThomasFontpédrouse |
| Swim briefs or swim boxers only; loose swim shorts and burkinis are not allowed. Swim caps optional. Swimsuit hire 2 EUR. | none stated | Day ticket |
| Les Bains du CouloubretAx-les-Thermes |
| Swimwear required: swim briefs or swim boxers for men, one-piece or two-piece swimsuits for women. Thongs, tangas, monokinis, burkinis, board shorts, swim bermudas, underwear and dress or skirt swimsuits are not allowed. Long and mid-length hair must be tied back; swim caps are not required. Towels are not provided. | 5+ | Day ticket |
| Les Bains du RocherCauterets | Closed for technical work until early December 2026 | Men: swim boxers or swim briefs only; beach shorts and underwear are not allowed. Non-slip sandals and a towel are needed; anyone not dressed to the rule is refused the pools. | none stated | Day ticket |
| BalnéaLoudenvielle |
| Women and girls: one-piece or two-piece swimsuit. Men and boys: swim briefs or lycra boxers. Shorts, Bermudas and underwear are not allowed. Swim caps optional; no flip-flops or shoes at the poolside. | none stated | Day ticket |
| Balneario de Panticosa (Termas de Tiberio)Panticosa |
| Swimsuit, swim cap and flip-flops are required; street clothes and shoes are not allowed. Caps (4 EUR) and swimsuits (22 EUR) are sold at Termas de Tiberio. | 3+ | Timed slots, book ahead |
| CaldeaEscaldes-Engordany |
| Swimsuit, bikini, burkini, swim shorts or briefs; sportswear and underwear not allowed. Swim cap optional, but long hair must be tied back. Outdoor sandals not allowed (go barefoot or buy single-use latex socks). Premium entry includes bathrobe, towel and flip-flops. | 3+ | Timed slots, book ahead |
| L'EdenvikCapvern | Closed for the winter, no reopening date announced | Close-fitting swim boxers or shorty swimsuits allowed | none stated | Day ticket |
| Spa Thermal de Vernet-les-BainsVernet-les-Bains |
| Swimsuit (swim shorts and Bermuda shorts not allowed), non-slip sandals and a swim cap are compulsory; all sold on site. | 10+ | Day ticket |
| Thermes de LuchonBagnères-de-Luchon |
| Swimwear required: one-piece or two-piece swimsuits for women, swim briefs or elastane boxers for men (no shorts). The rules also list bikinis, burkinis, thongs, mini swimsuits and swim dresses as not allowed. The sauna and hammam are mixed and nudity is not allowed. Long hair tied up or a swim cap. | 4+ | Day ticket |
Every bath in the Pyrenees
Open all year unless the hours say otherwise.
Aquensis
Thermal bath, Bagnères-de-Bigorre
A balneotherapy centre in the spa town's thermal quarter, finished in wood and Pyrenean marble, whose 300 m² main pool is fed with thermal water drawn by borehole at 50 °C and cooled without mixing.
Bains romains de Dorres
Thermal bath, Dorres · No dogs; not recommended for people with heart conditions
Outdoor pools cut into granite below the mountain village of Dorres in the Cerdagne, fed by a sulphurous spring that the commune says rises at 41 °C.
38°Bains de Llo
Thermal bath, Llo
Five pools of naturally sulphurous water in the Sègre gorges at Llo, in the Cerdagne: three outdoors at 35 °C, among them a swimming pool with water cannons and hydrojets, and an indoor pool and jacuzzi at 37 °C.
35°Closeduntil 4 December 2026Bains de Saint-Thomas
Thermal bath, Fontpédrouse
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.
Krzysztof Golik, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SALes Bains du Couloubret
Thermal bath, Ax-les-Thermes
The Couloubret building, rebuilt in 1865 to 1872 with an Art Deco façade added in 1931, reopened as a thermal leisure bath in 2009.
Les Bains du Rocher
Thermal bath, Cauterets
A thermal spa in the Pyrenean village of Cauterets, fed by the same naturally hot sulphur water as the town's cure baths, which leaves the ground at 53 to 60 °C and reaches the pools at 33 to 35 °C.
33 to 35°Closeduntil early December 2026Balnéa
Thermal bath, Loudenvielle · Japanese baths closed since a fire in July 2026.
A thermal leisure complex in the Pyrenees with themed indoor and outdoor baths (Amerindian, Inca, Maya, Roman and Japanese) and a 25 m pool, all fed with sulphurous thermal water.
Balneario de Panticosa (Termas de Tiberio)
Thermal bath, Panticosa · Phones and cameras are not allowed in the thermal circuit
Termas de Tiberio is the public thermal building of the Panticosa spa complex, more than 8,500 m² supplied by the Tiberio spring, which rises at 53 °C and which the operator says the Romans used first.
Caldea
Thermal bath, Escaldes-Engordany · Premium area from 16; children's spa for ages 3 to 8
A thermal spa opened on 26 March 1994 in Escaldes-Engordany, using water from the town's sodium and sulphur springs, which the operator says surface at 70 °C.
L'Edenvik
Thermal bath, Capvern
A thermal leisure center in the spa quarter of Capvern-les-Bains, whose 120 m² pool under a wooden dome is fed by the local Hount Caoute spring at about 33 °C.
33°ClosedSpa Thermal de Vernet-les-Bains
Thermal bath, Vernet-les-Bains
The thermal spa of the ValVital baths at Vernet-les-Bains, at the foot of the Canigou about 50 km from Perpignan, sells a day ticket to its Aqua-détente area.
Thermes de Luchon
Thermal bath, Bagnères-de-Luchon · Entry depends on capacity, so there can be a wait when it gets busy
The Ressources & Vous area of the Luchon baths has three thermal-water pools, one of them outdoors on the roof, three saunas and a cold room where snow falls from the ceiling.
Nothing here for that filter.
Questions about the Pyrenees
What swimwear do the Pyrenees thermal baths allow?
A proper swimsuit everywhere, and on the French side most baths want men in swim briefs or swim boxers. The Bains du Rocher, Balnéa, Thermes de Luchon, the Bains du Couloubret, the Bains de Saint-Thomas and the thermal spa at Vernet-les-Bains turn away shorts or loose swim shorts, while Aquensis and the Bains de Llo accept swim shorts that end above the knee and L'Edenvik at Capvern-les-Bains allows close-fitting swim boxers or shorty swimsuits. Burkinis aren't allowed at Luchon, Llo, Saint-Thomas or the Couloubret, but Caldea accepts them. Termas de Tiberio at Panticosa requires a swim cap and flip-flops, Vernet-les-Bains a swim cap and non-slip sandals, and Dorres doesn't accept ordinary underpants.
Can children use the Pyrenees thermal baths?
Yes, though the starting age differs by bath and most set a higher age for the saunas and hammams. Dorres takes children from 1, Balnéa and L'Edenvik at Capvern-les-Bains from 9 months and the Bains de Llo babies from 4 months, while Aquensis and the Bains du Couloubret start at 5 and Luchon at 4. Vernet-les-Bains starts later: children must be at least 10 and 1.40 m tall. Saunas and hammams start at 12 at Llo and Saint-Thomas, 15 at Aquensis and 16 at the Couloubret, and Caldea's Premium area is 16 and over. At Panticosa children of 3 to 11 go only in the family sessions.
Can you bathe outdoors in the Pyrenees thermal baths in winter?
Yes. Dorres is open all year, and the Bains de Saint-Thomas warm their three outdoor pools to 37 °C in autumn and winter. The Bains de Llo have three outdoor pools at 35 °C, the Bains du Rocher a 200 m² outdoor lagoon facing the mountains, and Caldea a panoramic lagoon with a transparent floor 5 m above the Valira river. At Luchon one of the three thermal pools is outdoors on the roof. L'Edenvik at Capvern-les-Bains and the thermal spa at Vernet-les-Bains close for the winter.
How do you get to the Pyrenees thermal baths without a car?
By train to Luchon, Ax-les-Thermes and Fontpédrouse, by train or bus to Vernet-les-Bains, and by coach to Caldea. liO regional trains run to Luchon from Toulouse Matabiau via Montréjeau, and SNCF trains stop at Ax-les-Thermes, with direct links to Toulouse. The Train Jaune halt at Fontpédrouse is 3 km below the Bains de Saint-Thomas, a walk up the road with no shuttle, and coaches to Andorra leave from Barcelona and Lleida. For Vernet-les-Bains, trains run from Perpignan to Villefranche-Vernet-les-Bains station, and a departmental bus from Perpignan takes about 1 h 30, except on Sundays and public holidays. Panticosa is harder: public transport reaches the village, and the last 8 km up to the balneario is by taxi.