Termas de Villavieja

Termas de Villavieja in Castellón province on the Valencian coast is a historic thermal resort town on the Mijares river whose chloride-sodium springs have been channelled into bathing facilities since Moorish times — the name Villa Vieja (Old Town) preserves a memory of the Arabic settlement that first formalised the use of these sulphur-tinged warm waters. The mineral springs emerge at temperatures of around 36°C in a landscape of orange groves, almond orchards and the arid sierra of the Maestrazgo foothills. The Villavieja spa establishments have welcomed generations of Valencian families coming to bathe and relax, maintaining a traditional Spanish balneario character now increasingly rare in the age of luxury wellness hotels. The broader Castellón interior — with its rugged Maestrazgo mountain landscapes, medieval Templar castles and the remarkable cliff-face village of Mirambel — provides a richly atmospheric regional backdrop.