Chaudes-Aigues

The Par spring at Chaudes-Aigues surfaces at about eighty-two degrees Celsius, the hottest natural spring in Europe, and the town has used it practically rather than only medicinally: from the fourteenth century water was piped through stone channels under houses to heat them, one of the earliest district heating systems anywhere, and parts of the network still warm public buildings. Around thirty springs rise in the town. Water is drawn at public fountains, used for washing in old lavoirs where it steams in winter, and cooks eggs in a few minutes. A museum, Geothermia, covers the geology and the heating system.

What you actually see

• The Par spring - water surfacing at around eighty-two degrees.
• The old heating channels - medieval district heating under the houses.
• The steaming lavoirs - public washhouses fed by hot water.
• Geothermia - a museum on the geology and the town's use of it.

When to go

May to October for the walking country around; winter shows the steam best, when the lavoirs and street channels fume in cold air. The spa runs a season with breaks.

Honest expectations

The water at source is hot enough to scald and is fenced accordingly. The town is small and remote, high in the Cantal with winding approach roads. The spa is a treatment centre rather than a leisure pool.

Nearby

The Garabit viaduct lies north; Saint-Flour is northeast.