Aidipsos Thermal Springs

Aidipsos has one of the largest concentrations of thermal springs in Greece, some eighty sources emerging along the shore at temperatures between about twenty-eight and eighty degrees Celsius, rich in iron, salt and sulphur. The waters were praised by Aristotle, Strabo and Plutarch, and Roman emperors built here; ruins of the ancient baths survive in the town. In the early twentieth century Aidipsos became a fashionable spa resort, and its belle epoque hotels still line the front, some restored, others faded. The best-known spot is the free cascade at the northern edge of town, where hot mineral water runs down a rock face and out over the beach, forming natural pools where people sit with the cold sea on one side and steaming water on the other, all year round.

What you actually see

• The shoreline cascade - hot water falling over rock into pools on the beach.
• The historic hotels - early twentieth-century spa architecture on the front.
• The ancient baths - Roman-era remains in the town.
• The steaming sea edge - hot water meeting cold, visible in winter.

When to go

October to May is the classic season, when soaking in hot water outdoors makes sense; the town is also busiest with Greek spa visitors then. Summer is hot for bathing but the beaches are pleasant.

Honest expectations

The public cascade is free, informal and often crowded, with rocky, slippery footing and a strong sulphur smell. The spa hotels vary greatly in quality; some are dated. The town centre is ordinary outside the seafront.

Nearby

Drymona waterfalls and the northern Evia forests lie south; the ferry to Arkitsa crosses in under an hour.