What to do in Europe when You're Sick of Historical Monuments – Visit a Centre Thermal - Les Bains de Saillon

So you're touring Europe and you love it, but you're getting to the point where historical monuments are starting to run together, your feet hurt, and you'd like a little down time – what to do? Visit a Centre Thermal – the hot baths! There are thermal bath and spa resorts across Europe where you can get a feel for (pun intended) another European tradition...the cure thermale. Day visits to baths vary in price, but most are very affordable (around CHF 30.00 – apx. $37.00) and if you're staying in the hotel connected to the baths your entry is often included in the price of the room. If you want to add massages and other treatments those are extra.

A cure thermale and its restorative healing qualities are a proven medical therapy and are even covered by France's national insurance and most insurance in Switzerland, provided your doctor has prescribed one for your particular condition (they're very good for arthritis). Medically prescribed cures normally last 18 to 21 days and as you can imagine are popular with seniors. But not just seniors, baths are popular with all age groups.

I'm a big spa resort fan. Last year we visited Leukerbad in the Swiss Alps and this year we went to the  Bains de Saillon, also in Switzerland, also in the Alps, but at a lower altitude surrounded by vineyards. We didn't have a prescription for a cure, so we only stayed a few days, but thoroughly enjoyed it (and as an added bonus it helped my husband's bad knee).

This being Europe of course you're going to have some historical monuments, too; they're kinda hard to avoid since about every town you visit is hundreds if not a thousand plus years old and Saillon is no exception. Saillon was built around 1000 AD with it's landmark Bayart Tower dating back to 1260. Its historic medieval center is a short walk away from the Centre Thermal and definitely worth a visit when you've taken some baths, rested up, and your feet have quit hurting. In fact, Saillon was voted one of Switzerland's most beautiful villages in 2015.

Saillon is easily accessible by train with several other visit worthy towns in the area.