Walliser Alpentherme

Walliser Alpentherme in Leukerbad, the largest thermal village in the Alps at 1,411 metres in the Valais, draws on a remarkable concentration of geothermal energy: 65 springs emerging at up to 51°C supply over 3.9 million litres of sulphate mineral water daily to the village's numerous spa facilities. The Alpentherme's vast indoor and outdoor pools, fed by these abundant sulphate waters and overlooked by the towering walls of the Daubenhorn and Gemmi cliffs, represent thermal bathing at Alpine scale. Leukerbad has attracted visitors since Roman times and became internationally famous in the 19th century when Guy de Maupassant and Alexandre Dumas wrote about it. The winter experience — soaking in 36°C outdoor pools while snow falls on the surrounding Alpine peaks — is among the most memorable in European thermal tourism.