From Roman Baths to Alpine Resorts

French spa towns, as well as other spa towns throughout Europe, remain unique for the quality of their waters, the treatments they offer, and their cultural heritage.

The Romans sought their warm, mineral-rich waters, the Middle Ages and Renaissance saw them fall a little out of favour, but the spa towns experienced their golden age with the advent of the Belle Epoque.

Vichy, Mont-Dore, Luxueil-les-Bains, Saint-Honoré-les-Bains, Luchon, Dax, Bagnières-de-Bigorre, Evian, Aix-les-Bains, and Contrexéville are some of the 89 ‘station thermales‘ in France, many of them still standing on their original Roman foundations.

Thermalism has had a huge impact on the infrastructure of these spa towns, their remarkable architecture, and their thriving economy. Even for the non-initiated, spa towns deserve to be discovered.

Read about their history in the article by Denyse Betts in the FrenchEntrée Magazine.

France’s Famous Spa Towns: From Roman Baths to Alpine Resorts – FrenchEntrée (frenchentree.com)