Pozar Thermal Baths

The Pozar springs emerge at the base of a cliff where the Thermopotamos leaves a gorge, delivering water at a constant thirty-seven degrees at a rate of several hundred cubic metres an hour. The site is developed as a bathing complex: a large open-air pool where hot water meets the cold river, indoor and private baths, and, best known, a spot where the thermal water falls as a small waterfall that bathers stand under. Because the air is often near freezing in winter while the water stays at body temperature, the steam and the setting are at their most dramatic in the cold months. Above the springs a path climbs into the gorge past caves and smaller falls, and the Voras mountains behind hold ski slopes at Kaimaktsalan.

What you actually see

• The open-air pool - thermal water meeting the cold river under the cliff.
• The waterfall - a hot fall that bathers stand beneath.
• The gorge path - a walking route past caves and cascades above the springs.
• The winter steam - the springs at their most atmospheric in freezing air.

When to go

October to April is the classic season, when the temperature contrast is greatest and the crowds are smaller than in summer. Weekends and holidays are busy year-round; arrive early.

Honest expectations

The complex is a commercial spa, not a wild spring: entry is ticketed, changing rooms and cafes surround the pools, and in peak periods the main pool is crowded. Private tubs cost extra and queue. Facilities are functional rather than luxurious.

Nearby

Edessa and its waterfalls lie south; the Kaimaktsalan ski centre is up the mountain road.