Termy Cieplickie

Cieplice Slaskie-Zdroj is one of the oldest spas in Poland - the hot springs here were being used by the thirteenth century, when the Knights Hospitaller were granted the site, and the water comes up at around eighty-seven degrees, the hottest in the Sudetes, rich in fluoride and silica. The Termy Cieplickie complex opened in 2013 uses that water in pools indoors and out, with a large recreation section, brine pools, saunas and a separate quieter thermal area. It sits inside a spa district that is worth walking: a long park laid out from the eighteenth century with a pump room and colonnade, the Schaffgotsch palace, an ornithological museum with a large collection of birds and butterflies, and the wooden Norwegian-style villas along the streets. Jelenia Gora's old town is a few kilometres north and the Karkonosze rise to the south, so it works as a base as well as a bath.

What you actually see

• Springs at eighty-seven degrees - the hottest in the Sudetes, used since the 1200s.
• Indoor and outdoor pools - recreation, brine and quieter thermal sections.
• A spa park - pump room, colonnade and the Schaffgotsch palace.
• An ornithological museum - a large bird and butterfly collection in the district.

When to go

All year; best in cold weather. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Busy at weekends and in school holidays, with queues for lockers and slides. Tickets are sold in timed blocks with extra charges for overrunning. The recreation section is loud; the quiet zone costs more.

Nearby

Jelenia Gora old town is north; Chojnik castle and the Karkonosze are south.