Leukerbad Therme
Valais, Switzerland
The biggest Alpine thermal bath, fed by 65 springs beneath sheer Gemmi cliffs
Leukerbad sits at 1,400 meters under a ring of limestone cliffs, and about 4 million liters of thermal water flow out of 65 springs here every day, more than anywhere else on the European mainland. The strongest, the St. Lorenz spring, runs at 51 C.
The water spends decades underground on its way from a lake high above, and comes out as a calcium-sulfate type with some sodium and iron. At the Leukerbad Therme, the largest thermal bath in the Swiss Alps, it is cooled to between 28 and 43 C across indoor and outdoor pools, with slides and a sauna area. Three hours cost CHF 33 and a day ticket CHF 39; the local guest card takes 15 percent off.
The baths open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. You arrive by bus from Leuk station in the Rhone valley or by car up a long switchback road. The honest downside: the main pools are busy and family-oriented, so if you want calm, come early in the day or pick one of the smaller hotel baths in the village.
What's in the water
- CalciumCalcium-rich springs build travertine: the white terraces of Pamukkale and the rock rims of countless wild pools.
- SodiumSalty thermal water floats you a little higher and can sting fresh cuts.
- IronIron turns water and rock rust-orange or red-brown. It can stain light swimsuits.
- SulfateSulfate springs are often clear and odorless, common in European spa towns.
Sources
Hot springs near Leukerbad Therme
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