Escaldes-Engordany/Andorra
Caldea
A glass spire of thermal water in the Pyrenees, fed by the hot springs of Escaldes.
FrankAndProust
- Bathing
- Indoor / Outdoor
- Established
- 1994
Caldea rises above Escaldes-Engordany as an 80-metre glass spire, the largest thermal complex in southern Europe. Inside, sulphurous water from the town's springs fills a vast central lagoon, grottoes, jet beds and outdoor terraces looking up at the Pyrenean ridgelines.
Balnevia view
Why visit
It is a piece of unabashed 1990s architecture built around genuinely ancient spring water — and the only thermal destination of its scale in Andorra.
Recommendations
Hotels nearby
Explore places to stay near Caldea.
The water
Thermal water
- Source
- Escaldes thermal springs
- Mineralisation
- Sulphurous sodium-rich mineral water
- Character
- Spring water arriving at roughly 70°C is cooled for the central lagoon and grottoes.
History
Escaldes takes its name from the hot water that has surfaced here for centuries, used by wash-houses and small baths long before tourism. Caldea, designed by the architect Jean-Michel Ruols, opened in 1994 and was later joined by the adults-only Inúu centre next door, drawing on the same source.
Practical information
Very busy at weekends and in ski season; timed entry and a locker are included in the ticket. Sections are age-restricted, and swim caps are required in some areas.
Getting there
A short walk from central Andorra la Vella, roughly three hours by road from Barcelona or Toulouse.
Location
Related places
More thermal baths in Andorra
Grindavík/Iceland
Blue Lagoon
Milky, silica-rich geothermal water set in a black lava field on the Reykjanes peninsula.
Längenfeld/Austria
Aqua Dome Tirol Therme
Sulphur-rich alpine water in bowl-shaped pools under the Ötztal peaks.
Hamat Gader/Israel
Hamat Gader
Roman thermal baths and open pools in the Yarmouk valley, water to about 50°C.