# Spa The Ardennes spa town, a World Heritage Site: the Thermes with views, the Pouhon water, the springs in the forest and the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/belgium/spa · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Spa is the town that gave its name to all the spas in the world. From the sixteenth century kings, tsars and writers came here to drink its ferruginous waters, and since 2021 it has been part of the Great Spa Towns of Europe, a World Heritage Site. Today it is a quiet little Ardennes town, surrounded by forests and springs, with a modern thermal baths at the top of the hill and, a quarter of an hour away, the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. It is the most convenient thermal getaway from Brussels. ## How do you get there from Brussels? By car, about an hour and a half on the E40 towards Liège and the E42, exit 8. The baths have parking for €2 for up to five hours. By train, about two hours with a change at Pepinster; the station is in the centre and the baths are on the hill above. Without a car you reach the baths and the centre, but not the circuit or the springs in the forest. ## What to do in Spa? The main plan is the Thermes de Spa: 800 m² of indoor and outdoor baths, saunas and hammams, with the town at your feet. Three hours cost €35 on weekdays and €37 at weekends; the minimum age is 15 and it is best to book. Have something to eat on the terrace of the Panoramique 325 brasserie, open also to those who are not bathing. In the centre, the Pouhon Pierre-le-Grand holds the most abundant spring, of sparkling, iron-rich water, and the tourist office; try it, it tastes of iron. Ten minutes away, the Museum of the Water Town, in Queen Marie Henriette's villa, shows the Jolités, the lacquered objects typical of Spa, and is open every afternoon from 13:00 to 17:00. Outside the centre, the Sauvenière spring, the oldest, is the starting point of the promenade d'Orléans through the forest, and Lake Warfaaz makes for a quiet one-hour walk. ## What about the circuit? If you like Formula 1, the Spa-Francorchamps circuit is about 15 minutes away and runs guided behind-the-scenes tours, with the paddock, the podium and the Race Control room, for €16. Only on set dates from March to November: check the calendar and book. ## Where to eat and sleep? La Source de la Géronstère, in the forest, roasts its meats over wood and is open every day; it is the Sunday lunch. Le Grand Maur is the seasonal dinner, Tuesday to Saturday. To sleep, La Villa Blanche is a typical villa 500 metres from the centre with free parking; L'Ecrin d'Ô, a seven-room chalet on the hillside, only for over-12s, from €145 a night; and Le Grand Maur has rooms above the restaurant. ## One day or one night? The baths and the centre fit into a day from Brussels. With a night you add the circuit and a walk in the forest, or you go on to Liège, 40 minutes away, or to Durbuy, an hour away. ## Dónde está - Zonas: Thermal getaways - Cerca: Liège (a 26.7 km), Durbuy and La Roche-en-Ardenne (a 32.9 km), Bastogne (a 55.7 km), Caves of Han (Han-sur-Lesse) (a 63.1 km) ## Qué hacer - **The Thermes de Spa: baths, saunas and views over the town** (3 h · From age 15; accessible with a companion for reduced mobility · 3 h: €35 Monday to Friday, €37 at weekends and public holidays · whole day on weekdays €48 · 3 h from 17:30 on weekdays €31): Spa is the thermal town that gave its name to every spa in the world, and since 2021 it has been part of the Great Spa Towns of Europe World Heritage site. Its Thermes, at the top of the Annette et Lubin hill, have 800 m² of indoor and outdoor baths, saunas, hammams, relaxation rooms with Wood's light and infrared, and aqua aerobics and other activities every day. The terrace looks over the town. Price and opening hours Three hours cost €35 from Monday to Friday and €37 at weekends and on public holidays; the whole day on weekdays, €48; three hours from 17:30 on weekdays, €31. Each additional half hour is charged at €4. Open Monday to Thursday and Saturday from 9:00 to 21:00, Friday until 22:00 and Sunday until 20:00; saunas and hammams from 10:00. These prices are valid until 31 December 2026. Rules Minimum age, 15. Book beforehand: you can turn up without a reservation, but on busy days you may be refused entry. Swimming trunks are compulsory (no shorts), swimming cap optional; bring two towels. You go barefoot around the baths, you must shower before going in and after the sauna, and mobile phones and cameras stay in the locker. Animals are not allowed. Parking costs €2 for up to five hours. - **Pouhon Pierre-le-Grand, the spring in the centre** (20 min · Free): The Pouhon Pierre-le-Grand holds the most abundant spring in Spa: a naturally sparkling water, loaded with mineral salts and rich in iron, which yields about 21,000 litres a day. The pavilion, from 1880, the work of Victor Besme, was restored in 2012 and houses the tourist office. Inside is the city's Golden Book, a 9-metre painting by Antoine Fontaine with 92 figures who came to take the waters, and interactive displays on the history of Spa. Access to the spring is free, during the office's opening hours. - **The Museum of the Water City and the Horse Museum** (1 h): The Spa ! Museum is in the former Royal Villa, the residence of Queen Marie-Henriette, the second queen of the Belgians. It tells the story of the spa town with a large collection of Jolités, the lacquered wooden boxes and objects typical of Spa since the 17th century, as well as old posters and engravings. In the queen's former stables, the Horse Museum recalls Spa's equestrian past, with carriages and a forge. Open every day from 13:00 to 17:00, except 1 and 2 January and 24 to 26 December. For children there are games bags for an interactive visit and the "Carnet du Petit Visiteur". It is at Avenue Reine Astrid 77; telephone +32 87 77 44 86. - **The Sauvenière spring and the Orléans walk** (1 h 30 · Free): The Sauvenière spring is the oldest and was the most visited in Spa. According to legend it was discovered by St Remaclus, who left the print of his sandal in the stone, and it was a place of pilgrimage for newlyweds because of its supposed powers against infertility. Beside it is the Groesbeek spring. Access is free, in the open air, at Rue de la Sauvenière 116, and it is the starting point of several walks, among them the famous promenade d'Orléans, named after a duchess. - **Lake Warfaaz** (1 h · Free): North of the centre, a few minutes by car, Lake Warfaaz is Spa's quiet walk: a circuit of the water among woods, with benches and terraces on the shore. It is good for clearing your head after the thermal baths or for children who need to run around. The tourist office has maps of the walks that leave from here into the forest. - **Guided tour of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit** (1 h 30 · €16 adults · €9 under-14s): About 15 minutes from Spa is Spa-Francorchamps, the Belgian Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit, with the Eau Rouge corner and the Raidillon. From March to November, while there is activity on the track, multilingual guides take you through the key places: the paddock, the press room, the commentary boxes, the podium and the Race Control room, normally closed to the public, from where the safety of the track is monitored. Price and dates €16 for adults and €9 for under-14s. There are only individual tours on the dates the circuit publishes each year (in 2026, for example, several days from March to November, many in April and August): check the calendar and book on its website. ## Dónde comer - **Brasserie Panoramique 325** (Café, Spa · Thermes de Spa, €€). Qué pedir: a salad or a pasta dish on the terrace; the Espace Lunch buffet, €35, by reservation - **La Source de la Géronstère** (Restaurant, Spa · Géronstère forest, €€€). Qué pedir: a wood-grilled cut of meat, the house speciality - **Le Grand Maur** (Restaurant, Spa, €€€). Qué pedir: the seasonal menu of the day ## By car: Spa by car, with the baths and the circuit By car, Spa is about an hour and a half from Brussels along the E40 and E42, exit 8. With a car you can reach the forest springs, Lake Warfaaz and the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, about 15 minutes away, and the hotels on the outskirts, which have free parking. Presupuesto orientativo: 110–200 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir if you're driving - **La Villa Blanche** (Small hotel): La Villa Blanche is a family hotel in a villa in the typical Spa style, about 500 metres from the centre, the baths, the casino, the shops and the restaurants. Inside it keeps its tiled floors and a lounge with a fireplace and armchairs. Who it is for For those who come by car or by bike: it has large free parking and a bicycle store, and 300 metres away the new RAVeL, the greenway for walking or cycling, begins. The woods and the Fagnes are very close, and the Spa-Francorchamps circuit is about ten minutes by car. - **Hôtel L'Ecrin d'Ô** (Small hotel, desde 145 € / night): L'Ecrin d'Ô is a small seven-room hotel in a former Austrian chalet on the southern hillside of Spa, 1.2 km from the centre and 8 km from the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. It opened in February 2016 and is run by its owners, Aurora and Thierry. The house The ground floor has a 68 m² lounge with a library and the breakfast room, which opens onto a large terrace; beneath the entrance walkway there is a waterfall. The buffet breakfast is served from 8:00 to 10:00 and at weekends can be brought up to your room. There is a self-service minibar open 24 hours, board games and walking maps. On its website, rooms start at €145 a night and the Ô'Deluxe at €165. Rules and arrival Adults and children over 12 only. Reception from 8:00 to 20:00; check-in from 15:00 to 20:00 and check-out from 8:00 to 11:00. Free parking and wifi. - **Le Grand Maur, rooms** (Small hotel): Le Grand Maur is a restaurant with rooms in Spa. You sleep upstairs and dine downstairs on seasonal cooking with local produce, Tuesday to Saturday. On its website they offer packages that combine the night with dinner, and sometimes with activities, such as a package to discover the thermal town. Worth knowing The restaurant is closed on Sunday and Monday, so if you want to dine in, choose a night from Tuesday to Saturday. Check the rooms and prices on its website. ### Servicios - **Thermes de Spa car park**: €2 for up to five hours and €3 beyond; exit 8 of the E42 or 45 of the E25 ## By plane: Fly to Brussels and take a thermal getaway to Spa For Spa, fly to Brussels-Zaventem (BRU) or to Charleroi (CRL), with direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and other Spanish cities. From Zaventem it is about an hour and a half by hire car along the E40; by train, about two hours from Brussels with a change at Pepinster. Liège has an airport, but with hardly any passenger flights from Spain. ### Dónde dormir if you're flying - **La Villa Blanche** (Small hotel): La Villa Blanche is a family hotel in a villa in the typical Spa style, about 500 metres from the centre, the baths, the casino, the shops and the restaurants. Inside it keeps its tiled floors and a lounge with a fireplace and armchairs. Who it is for For those who come by car or by bike: it has large free parking and a bicycle store, and 300 metres away the new RAVeL, the greenway for walking or cycling, begins. The woods and the Fagnes are very close, and the Spa-Francorchamps circuit is about ten minutes by car. - **Hôtel L'Ecrin d'Ô** (Small hotel, desde 145 € / night): L'Ecrin d'Ô is a small seven-room hotel in a former Austrian chalet on the southern hillside of Spa, 1.2 km from the centre and 8 km from the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. It opened in February 2016 and is run by its owners, Aurora and Thierry. The house The ground floor has a 68 m² lounge with a library and the breakfast room, which opens onto a large terrace; beneath the entrance walkway there is a waterfall. The buffet breakfast is served from 8:00 to 10:00 and at weekends can be brought up to your room. There is a self-service minibar open 24 hours, board games and walking maps. On its website, rooms start at €145 a night and the Ô'Deluxe at €165. Rules and arrival Adults and children over 12 only. Reception from 8:00 to 20:00; check-in from 15:00 to 20:00 and check-out from 8:00 to 11:00. Free parking and wifi. - **Le Grand Maur, rooms** (Small hotel): Le Grand Maur is a restaurant with rooms in Spa. You sleep upstairs and dine downstairs on seasonal cooking with local produce, Tuesday to Saturday. On its website they offer packages that combine the night with dinner, and sometimes with activities, such as a package to discover the thermal town. Worth knowing The restaurant is closed on Sunday and Monday, so if you want to dine in, choose a night from Tuesday to Saturday. Check the rooms and prices on its website. ### Servicios - **Train to Spa**: SNCB train to Spa changing at Pepinster; from Brussels, about two hours ## With teenagers: Spa with teenagers Spa works for older teenagers: the baths admit ages 15 and over, and a quarter of an hour away is one of the most famous Formula 1 circuits in the world, with behind-the-scenes tours. ### What works best The Spa-Francorchamps circuit tour, with the paddock and the Race Control room The Thermes de Spa, from age 15 The Pouhon Pierre-le-Grand, to try the iron-rich water Walks to the forest springs, such as the Sauvenière ### Where to stay L'Ecrin d'Ô accepts over-12s ### Where to eat The wood-fired meats of La Source de la Géronstère ### Worth knowing Under 15s are not admitted to the baths Circuit tours run only on fixed dates from March to November ### Qué hacer with teenagers - The Thermes de Spa: baths, saunas and views over the town - Pouhon Pierre-le-Grand, the spring in the centre - The Sauvenière spring and the Orléans walk - Guided tour of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit ## Consejos ### Go on a weekday The baths are cheaper from Monday to Friday, and the late entry, from 17:30, costs €31. ### Book the baths Without a booking you may be left outside on busy days. ### Bring two towels And short swimming trunks: long ones are not allowed. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How much do the Spa baths cost? €35 for three hours on weekdays and €37 at weekends and on public holidays, in 2026. ### Can children go to the Thermes de Spa? No, the minimum age is 15. ### How do I get from Brussels to Spa? By car, about an hour and a half on the E40 and E42; by train, about two hours with a change at Pepinster. ### What is there to see in Spa in a day? The baths, the Pouhon Pierre-le-Grand, the Museum of the Water Town and a spring in the forest, such as the Sauvenière. ### Can you visit the Spa-Francorchamps circuit? Yes, with a guided tour on set dates from March to November, for €16 for adults.