Chaudes-Aigues

Nestling in a deep valley in the south of the Cantal, Chaudes-Aigues owes its name and reputation to its thermal springs, including the Par spring, which gushes out at more than 82 °C, one of the hottest natural waters in Europe.

Used since Gallo-Roman times, this underground heat was already used in the Middle Ages to heat the village houses through a system of wooden pipes, an ancestor of modern district heating. The small Géothermia museum, near the Par fountain in the heart of the village, tells this unusual story, while the modern spa continues the healing tradition in an unspoilt mid-mountain setting.

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