Sources Thermales de Tende

Tende, Alpes-Maritimes, France

Location: Tende, Alpes-Maritimes, France
Water type: bicarbonate
Temperature: 9 °C
pH: 8

Water profile

Thermicity

Invigorating

9 °C

LowHigh

Stimulating — wakes the body and boosts circulation.

Mineralisation

Restorative

LowHigh

Loaded with major ions — the essential minerals (Ca, Mg).

Buoyancy

Standard buoyancy

LowHigh

Soft water — natural, classic buoyancy.

BicarbonatesSodiumCalcium

Sources Thermales de Tende in the Alpes-Maritimes department of France offers bicarbonate mineral spring bathing in the formerly Italian Alpine town of Tende—ceded to France only in 1947 and still culturally Italian in many respects, with Italian-language street signs, a distinctly Ligurian architectural character, and road connections to Cuneo and the Italian Riviera that make Tende one of France's most genuinely transnational mountain communities. The bicarbonate mineral character of the spring reflects the complex geological history of this frontier landscape where the Alps' geological formations span the Franco-Italian border without regard for the political boundaries that have shifted across these mountains across centuries of European territorial history. The short road and rail tunnel connection to Cuneo makes Tende a natural base for transborder thermal and cultural exploration, combining the French National Parks heritage of the Mercantour with the Italian alpine and Ligurian cultural wealth immediately across the border.

Insider tip — The thermal sources near Tende lie at the head of the Roya valley close to the Italian border, where bicarbonate waters seep at 9°C from the schist and gneiss of the Mercantour's southern flank. Tende itself is a striking vertical village of dark stone houses stacked on a steep ridge below a ruined castle, accessible via one of France's most dramatic mountain road tunnels. The Vallée des Merveilles above the village preserves thousands of Bronze Age rock engravings in an alpine wilderness above 2,000 m. The springs feed the local Roya torrent that rushes through a deep limestone gorge downstream.

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