# A thermal baths weekend in Ourense, an hour from Santiago Open-air pools beside the Miño, a city for eating well and a train that drops you in the centre. An hour from Santiago, Lugo or Pontevedra, and it doesn't depend on the weather. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/galicia/ourense/itineraries/thermal-baths-weekend-ourense · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Dónde: Ourense Ourense is the thermal capital of Galicia: hot water comes out in the middle of the historic centre and along four kilometres of river. It is an hour and a quarter by car from Santiago, Lugo and Pontevedra, two from A Coruña and a little over three from León, so you can simply set off on Friday after work. This plan splits the weekend between baths, walks along the banks of the Miño and long tables of octopus and wine. It works best in autumn and winter, when the contrast between cold air and water at 38 degrees is the point of the trip, and it doesn't depend on the weather: in the rain, the bath is just as enjoyable. ## Which one to go to? There are two thermal areas. As Burgas, in the historic centre, and the Paseo Termal del Miño, a 4 km pedestrian path along the right bank of the river with up to eight thermal spaces. The free baths have changing rooms and lockers, but you need to bring your own padlock; the paid ones also have circuits and treatments. None of them can be booked: you get in on a first-come basis, with limited capacity and a maximum time of 90 to 120 minutes depending on the space. BathTypeAtmospherePrice As BurgasOpen-air urban poolCentral, among Roman remainsFree A ChavasqueiraOpen-air pools and Japanese-style paid bathsClosest to the centreFree or €5.40 Muíño da VeigaFour pools beside an old millQuiet, good sunsetsFree Outariz and Burga de CanedoFree pools and paid baths with two circuitsThe most completeFree or €6.95 ## Before you go: what is open The baths beside the Miño depend on the river level and the weather, and open and close according to the season. On 1 November 2026 the Termas de Outariz and the Termas de A Chavasqueira, both paid, were open, and the free area at Burga de Canedo partly open, from 10:00 to 19:00. The free pools at A Chavasqueira, Outariz and Muíño da Veiga and the As Burgas pool were closed. The Ourense tourism website publishes the current status: check it on the Thursday before you leave and adjust the plan. The paid baths have long hours: Outariz opens from 9:00 or 10:00 to 23:00, until one in the morning on Fridays and Saturdays, and closes on Tuesdays; A Chavasqueira opens from 9:00 to 23:30, until 1:30 on Fridays and Saturdays, and closes on Mondays. ## Getting between the baths The Paseo Termal is pedestrian: you can't enter by car. There is free parking near each stretch: Campo da Feira for A Chavasqueira and O Tinteiro, and Outariz-Reza, on the other side of the river, for Muíño da Veiga, Outariz and Burga de Canedo; you cross by a footbridge. The Muíño da Veiga car park on the N-120 is closed. By city bus, line 9 takes you to A Chavasqueira and line 5 to the Outariz-Reza car park, both from San Lázaro park. The tourist train that used to go to the baths is not running at the moment. If you arrive by train, A Chavasqueira is a kilometre from the station: walk to the Milenio bridge and go down to the river path. ## El plan ### Friday · 18:00 · Arrival and a walk round As Burgas The monumental fountains in the very centre, where the spring bubbles up at over 60 degrees, and the remains of the Roman baths alongside. If the pool is open, the water cools there to 38 or 40 degrees. ### Friday · 20:30 · Wine and tapas round the old town Narrow streets of bars around Plaza Mayor. Octopus, pig's ear and a Ribeiro. ### Saturday · 10:00 · On foot along the Paseo Termal by the Miño From the Milenio bridge, downstream along the pedestrian path: A Chavasqueira, the O Tinteiro fountain, Muíño da Veiga and, at the end, Outariz and Burga de Canedo. It is about 4 km, all flat. Wear your swimsuit underneath. ### Saturday · 12:30 · A long soak at the Termas de Outariz Two circuits, Celta and Zen, with pools at different temperatures. General admission costs €6.95 and covers two hours, changing room included. ### Saturday · 21:00 · A second bath, at night The paid baths open until one in the morning on Saturdays. With cold outside it is something else. To get back, a taxi. ### Sunday · 10:30 · Cathedral and Roman bridge The cathedral, begun in the 12th century, with the Pórtico del Paraíso and the Santo Cristo chapel. Then the Roman bridge, the first crossing over the Miño and the symbol of the city. ### Sunday · 13:00 · A farewell octopus And a train home in mid-afternoon. ## Un consejo más Bring a swimsuit, flip-flops, a large towel or bathrobe and a padlock for the lockers at the free baths. Shower before the bath and don't spend more than half an hour at a stretch in the hot water. ## Cuándo no ir Going on a Sunday afternoon: it is when the whole city goes. On Saturday first thing, or at night, there is room. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How long does it take from Santiago, Lugo or Pontevedra? About 75 minutes by car from any of the three. From Santiago there is also a direct train to Ourense station, a kilometre from A Chavasqueira. From A Coruña, about two hours. ### Are the baths free? The open-air pools on the Miño and the As Burgas pool are, when they are open. The Termas de Outariz cost €6.95 for two hours and those at A Chavasqueira €5.40. ### Do I need to book? You can't. All the baths work on a first-come basis, with limited capacity. Only the massages and treatments at the paid ones are booked. ### Can I go with children? To the free ones, only from age 10. To the paid ones at Outariz and A Chavasqueira, from age 5, and from 5 to 8 you must show proof of age. Under-14s always go with an adult, and with children the bath shouldn't last more than 10 or 15 minutes. ### What if it rains? All the better: fewer people and the contrast with the hot water is part of the fun. If the river rises, some pools close: then, the paid baths. ### Can I bring a dog? To the baths, no. Along the Miño path and its green areas, yes. ## Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Hotel Zarampallo**, desde 70 € / night: From a 1941 tavern to a one-star hotel The Zarampallo is on the corner of Rúa Hermanos Villar and Rúa San Miguel, in the heart of Ourense's historic centre, in a renovated stone building. It is a family business with a history going back to 1941: it began as a tavern, became a tapas house and then a restaurant, and after some fifty years became a hotel. Today it has one-star status. The paintings on the walls are by Ana B. Lorenzo, the founder's daughter. Fifteen rooms, all facing the street There are fifteen and all face outwards: eleven doubles with two beds, three double-bed rooms and one single. Each has its own bathroom with a large shower with a screen, hairdryer and toiletries; flat-screen television, telephone, heating and a fan. Some have a balcony with plants. The bed linen is changed daily, wifi is free throughout the hotel and on the first floor there is a shared lounge with a computer for guests. If you are travelling with children, ask for a cot or extra bed when you book. The 2026 rates, VAT included: €70 for the double, whether a double bed or two beds, and €50 for the single or the double for single use. The website says nothing about breakfast. Check-in is at 15:00 and check-out at 12:00. The hotel closes from 16 to 30 January. The hotel admits pets: ask about the conditions before booking. Reaching a pedestrian street by car Hermanos Villar is pedestrianised, but it has bollards with a bell: you ring and they let you through to the hotel. To leave the car, the hotel has a car park about 150 metres away and a discount for its guests at the Concordia car park, at Calle Concordia, 12 and 14. From the Ourense-Empalme station you can walk to the centre. Os Viños on the doorstep Rúa San Miguel is one of the streets of the wine district, where most of the city's tapas bars and restaurants are: you leave the hotel and start the tapas route through Os Viños. The Praza Maior is two minutes away and the hot springs of As Burgas next to it. For a starred meal, Nova is a short walk away, on Rúa Valle Inclán. The tourist train to the hot springs, which used to leave from the Praza Maior, is out of service with no return date. - **Exe Auriense**: Seven kilometres from the Roman bridge At the entrance to Ourense, on Rúa da Rábeda and next to the San Cibrao das Viñas technology park, the Exe Auriense is far from the old town and right by the road. It is about 7 km to the centre, according to the hotel, and about 4 to the Expourense fairground. There is a bus stop in front of the door, but the hotel is designed for those travelling by car: you park for free, head out to the Ribeira Sacra or the hot springs without crossing the city and come back to sleep without looking for a space. To go out for tapas in the old town at night you will need a taxi or a bus. A timetable for each service It has 134 rooms, with check-in at 15:00 and check-out at 12:00. The outdoor car park is free. Pets are not admitted. The hotel publishes the hours of each service, and it is worth keeping them to hand: Breakfast: €12 per person; from 7:00 to 10:00 on weekdays and from 8:00 to 11:00 on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Cafeteria: Sunday to Thursday, from 19:00 to 23:00. À la carte dinner: from 20:00 to 22:30, with limited places and advance booking. Room service: from 20:00 to 22:30. Gym: from 8:00 to 22:00. Outdoor pool: summer only; it is currently closed for the season. Note that the cafeteria does not open on Friday or Saturday evenings, so if you arrive late at a weekend, have dinner in the city first. To book, the Eurostars central line answers 24 hours a day on 913 342 196; the hotel, on 988 234 900. Heading out to the hot water and the Sil The practical thing about sleeping here is the road. The pools at Outariz, beside the Miño, and the Laias Caldaria spa, down the Miño, are a short drive away, as is the pier for the catamaran through the Sil canyon, at Santo Estevo. The thermal bath weekend in Ourense brings together several of those stops.