The Hot Springs route of La Rioja

A relaxing experience in a natural setting

The valleys of the rivers Cidacos and Alhama are a place for switching off and feeling better. All you need to do is sink into their thermal waters, lift your gaze to the mountains, and let yourself drift away. Whether winter or spring, it’s a pleasure you can enjoy any time.

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Arnedillo spa Grávalos spa

The valleys of the rivers Cidacos and Alhama are south-east of La Rioja. This area is rich in hot springs and thermal waters, and is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. With three spas and several outdoor swimming pools within a 50 kilometre radius, we are in the “hot springs route of La Rioja”, a sensational natural well-being experience.

Arnedillo, home of hot springs

The trip begins in the village of Arnedillo, where the thermal waters have been known since Roman times. From the village there is a 600 metre walk along the bank of the river Cidacos to the hot springs, the spa and the public baths. These outdoor pools fed by the hot springs are free to use. The water temperature ranges from 38º to 48º C, getting gradually hotter as you move through the pools. Some people also bathe in the river for the relaxing and toning effects of the alternating hot and cold. It’s an amazing feeling to immerse yourself in the hot water in winter, with a beautiful mountain landscape in the background.

Opposite the municipal pools is Arnedillo spa, which also has outdoor thermal pools. This centre has always been a pioneer in developing treatments and facilities which make the most of these extraordinary waters. Here there are many ways to relax: enjoying the hydrotherapy programmes, a spa mud treatment or a soak in the outdoor hot springs are just a few options.

Hot spring triangle

The municipalities of Grávalos and Cervera del Río Alhama are home to the other two spas, forming with Arnedillo the spa triangle of La Rioja. Grávalos spa, 33 kilometres from Arnedillo, was built in the nineteenth century in natural surroundings of unusual beauty. After a careful remodelling project, it reopened as a modern spa complex with cutting edge installations. It offers various health and well-being programmes, such as the Roman-Irish circuit where you can relax in the active pool while gazing out of the enormous windows at a beautiful landscape of vineyards and hundred-year-old olive trees.