Pius sat here.
Need a break from the chaos that is Rome?
Or maybe just interested in a cool day trip?
Do what the popes used to do: a trip to the terme, natural thermal baths!
Just an hour away, in Viterbo, Terme dei Papi (thermal baths of the popes!) offers a relaxing escape.
The Terme have a very large outdoor thermal pool, varying from cool, to hot, to super hot water. The warm vaporous waters are very good for you, and really enjoyable just for a lazy float (noodles provided!). Not to mention, in the winter months, it’s like one huge jacuzzi, going up to 58° Celsius/136 Fahrenheit!
Aside from relaxing in the pool, there is also a natural grotto, or as I described it after my 10 minute sweat-fest ‘a skin sauteing sauna.’
In addition to the basic pool and grotto visit, there is a huge list of spa treatments and actual medical visits. On my romantic trip to the Terme with my mommy, we tried the mud facial and body massage, which was very nice and relaxing. The mud from the area is also very special and good for your skin.
All in all, Terme dei Papi was a great day trip. The thermal pool is really great just for hanging around, and the natural grotto was a cool experience. Not to mention, you get to wear your bathing suit all day and walk around in a bathrobe (which you have to bring yourself)!
How to get there: Super easy! A coach bus leaves from Piazza Mancini every day at 8:30 AM and 2:30 PM. The bus then returns to Rome at 1:15 PM and 6 PM.
Cost: 8 euros each way. Entrance to thermal pool: 12 euros, 18 on weekends. Special price for pool + grotto entrance: 30 euros. All treatments come extra.
Extra info: Terme dei Papi has a great website in English. Check it out for further details.
3 comments
Those lucky people (myself included) who live nearby make this a weekly habit. There are also wild spas in the countryside-
Must be great to go often. There were a bunch of treatments that I would have liked to try, but they said if you don’t do them a few times in a row, they aren’t really effective…
[…] Apart from visiting the cities of Tuscia, the whole area itself is covered in natural hot spring baths. There are both private and public baths, all indicated by ‘terme‘ signs on the highways, and a particular smell wafting in the breeze. Being an area that was frequently visited by the popes, one famous bath house to visit is Terme dei Papi. […]