French spa and wellness towns off the beaten path.
What are some less-touristed spa towns in France, for travelers seeking beautiful places with fewer crowds? Answer
Options include Salins-les-Bains, a small Jura town with historic saltworks and a spa; Ax-les-Thermes, a thermal spa village with more than sixty hot springs; and Plombières-les-Bains, a spa village with springs first developed by the Romans. This page includes 14 options. Click here to see which are close enough to be day trips from major cities like Lyon or Bordeaux.
Cauterets
This spa town and ski resort in the French Pyrenees, Cauterets sits along the Gave de Pau river within the Pyrénées National Park, surrounded by mountain sce…
Plombières-les-Bains
A spa village in the Vosges whose thermal springs were first developed by the Romans, Plombières-les-Bains drew an extraordinary roll of visitors over the ce…
Ax-les-Thermes
Thermal spa village in the Ariège Pyrenees with more than sixty hot springs, Ax-les-Thermes also operates a winter ski area — Ax 3 Domaines, established in D…
Bagnères-de-Bigorre
Spa town in the foothills of the French Pyrenees, Bagnères-de-Bigorre sits in the valley of the Adour river and offers a café and restaurant scene that holds…
Salins-les-Bains
Salt has shaped Salins-les-Bains since the fifth millennium BC, and the town's historic saltworks — added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2009 as an ext…
Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste
Walled medieval village in the French Pyrenees, Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste sits on the Tech river close to the Spanish border and belongs to the Les Plus Beaux…
Jonzac
A spa town in the Charente-Maritime since 1986, Jonzac sits on the Seugne river in the heart of Cognac wine country, with a café and restaurant scene that pu…
Chaudes-Aigues
A spa village in the Cantal department of south-central France, Chaudes-Aigues — whose name translates as "Hot Waters" — has been known for its thermal sprin…
Aubenas
This small town in the southern Ardèche with a café and restaurant scene that is well stocked for its size, Aubenas sits on the river Ardèche at a crossroads…
Dax
France's leading spa town for mud-based rheumatism treatments, Dax sits on the Adour river in the Landes department of southwestern France, with thermal esta…
Alet-les-Bains
A pocket-sized village in the Aude department of southern France, Alet-les-Bains sits on the River Aude and is known for its mineral spring, the Eau d'Alet.
Bagnères-de-Luchon
This Pyrenean spa town in Haute-Garonne, Bagnères-de-Luchon — commonly called Luchon — combines thermal baths with a ski area at Luchon-Superbagnères, reacha…
Luxeuil-les-Bains
Known since Celtic times for its hot springs, Luxeuil-les-Bains is a pocket-sized spa town in Haute-Saône, eastern France, where thermal bathing has shaped t…
Vittel
Vittel, a small spa town in the Vosges department of northeastern France, is the source of the globally recognised Vittel mineral water, bottled here by Nest…
French spa towns: quick answers
Which French spa towns can you visit on a day trip from Lyon or Bordeaux?
Salins-les-Bains is among 1 spa towns on our day trips from Lyon. And Jonzac is among 1 spa towns on our day trips from Bordeaux.
Where are France's less-touristed spa towns?
Wandering Well lists 14 spa towns across France. The most are in Hautes-Pyrénées (2) and Vosges (2).
Which are the highest-rated?
10 are rated gold, including Salins-les-Bains, Cauterets, Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste and Jonzac.
Which can you reach by train?
6 of the 14 have a railway station within a 10-minute drive, including Salins-les-Bains, Jonzac, Luxeuil-les-Bains and Ax-les-Thermes.