Three weekends at the spas: day by day, with the costs

A weekend at the spas works with realistic timing: two hours in the water, a long lunch, one place to see, a single transfer a day. The three itineraries below start on a Friday evening and finish on the Sunday. Each has its own character: the hill country of Tuscany with free and paid springs, the mountains of Bormio with its Roman pools, the Bay of Naples with the remains of ancient baths. Admission prices and ferry fares are those of the 2026 price lists published by the operators; where the 2027 list is not out, we say so. For the rules in the pools there is the page on treatments and health; for free springs, the one on free hot springs.

Weekend 1: Val d'Orcia, from Saturnia to Montalcino

The route crosses the south of the Maremma and the Val d'Orcia: three different waters, from the free waterfalls of Saturnia to the free pools of San Casciano and on to the village of Bagno Vignoni. You need a car and a bit of patience with the provincial roads.

Friday evening, Saturnia. Sleep near Manciano or in Saturnia. The Club delle Terme di Saturnia has an evening entry, the "Notturno Club", on Fridays from 20:30 to 23:30; the Club costs from 90 euros (price list on the Day Spa site) and includes the spring pool. If you don't want to spend that much, dinner in the village is enough for the evening.

Saturday morning, Cascate del Mulino. The sulphurous water comes out at 37.5 °C and the natural pools are free and open all year round, according to the Tuscan tourist board; the address is Strada Vicinale Molino del Bagno 9/a, 58014 Saturnia. There are no changing rooms or facilities: bring flip-flops and a dry change of clothes, and arrive early to find a spot. If you want more comfort, the Parco Termale of the Terme di Saturnia has five outdoor pools: entry from 30 euros, open every day from 9:30 to 19:00 until 1 November 2026 and from 9:30 to 17:30 from 2 November 2026 to 31 March 2027. The Parco does not include the wellness kit: you need a white towel and bathrobe, or you can hire them. No food or drink from outside. At weekends and on bridge holidays online booking is recommended.

Saturday afternoon, San Casciano dei Bagni. From Saturnia it is a long drive. At San Casciano dei Bagni the springs average 42 °C and there are 42 of them in all, with a daily flow of 5.5 million litres, the third largest in Europe according to Wikipedia. The free pools are in Via del Giardino, at the foot of the village: coming down the road from the village you first find the covered wash-house, and the three stone pools are about 200 metres further on, on foot only. For a paid entry there is the Fonteverde centre, on the provincial road 41, with spring water at 42 °C and treatments paid for by the Italian national health service. The Bioaquam thermal circuit with pool, waterfall and 22 hydromassage jets costs 59 euros from Monday to Friday and 70 on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays; the Benessere Termale, with an Etruscan circuit, steam bath and sauna, 78 and 95 euros. Children are free up to 12 only for hotel stays, not for the day spa.

Sunday, Bagno Vignoni, Pienza, Montalcino. Bagno Vignoni has a large pool in place of the square, fed by a spring at about 49 °C: you cannot bathe in the historic pool, but you can find thermal water in the village's hotels (the Hotel La Posta, five stars, opens its three pools with thermal water at 28 and 38 °C even to people who are not staying there: 55 euros for the day from 9:30 to 18:00, 40 euros for half a day, towel and bathrobe included; entry from age 14, and on Thursdays one pool is closed for maintenance. The room price list is not published on the site). The municipality has announced a public spa, but has no opening date yet. Then Pienza for the pecorino cheese and the Renaissance centre, and Montalcino for the Brunello, before heading back.

Getting there and where to sleep. By car from Florence or Rome (A1, exit Chiusi-Chianciano or Valdichiana, then provincial roads). Without a car it is difficult: getting between one spring and the next requires your own transport. Stay in an agriturismo (farm stay) in the Saturnia area the first night and at San Quirico or Bagno Vignoni the second.

1. Saturnia, Cascate del Mulino: spring at 37.5 °C, free, all year round
2. San Casciano dei Bagni, free pools: Via del Giardino, on foot only
3. Bagno Vignoni, Piazza delle Sorgenti: historic pool at about 49 °C, no bathing
4. Pienza: Renaissance centre
5. Montalcino: Brunello

Weekend 2: Alta Valtellina, Bormio and Livigno

Bormio has three spa complexes: Bagni Vecchi, Bagni Nuovi and the Terme di Bormio. Here the route is short and works well even without a car.

Friday, arrival in Bormio. From Milan Central Station the Trenord regional trains reach Tirano, then the scheduled bus climbs to Bormio (timetables and tickets on the operators' sites). Leave your luggage at the hotel and go to the Bagni Vecchi, in Valdidentro: open from 10:00 to 22:00 Monday to Friday and from 9:00 to 22:00 on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays (closed from 9 to 13 November 2026). The pools are Roman, medieval and of the Archduchess, with the natural steam grotto of the San Martino spring. Entry is by compulsory booking, and is not allowed for children under 14 or for pregnant women; the ticket includes towels, bathrobe and slippers and the Aperiterme. The 5-hour entry starts from 58 euros, the unlimited one from 72, the evening one from 17:00 from 54 and "under the stars" from 19:30 from 44; prices vary with date and availability.

Saturday, Livigno. By scheduled bus or by car you climb to Livigno over the Foscagno pass (2,291 metres); the village stands at 1,816 metres and is a duty-free zone, so many products cost less. You go there to ski or to walk, and return to Bormio for the evening.

Sunday, second session and journey home. If on Friday you only went in the evening, return to the Bagni Vecchi on Sunday for the historic part in daylight, or go to the Bagni Nuovi, open on Saturdays and Sundays from 9:30 to 22:00 (11:00-22:00 on weekdays), at the same prices. Check the time of the last bus to Tirano before fixing your afternoon entry.

Where to sleep. In the village to be close to the lifts; in a hotel at the Bagni Vecchi for direct access. QC Terme tickets are bought on the booking site.

1. Tirano, station: arrival of the train from Milan
2. Bormio: centre and Bagni Nuovi
3. Valdidentro, Bagni Vecchi: Roman pools, steam grotto
4. Livigno: 1,816 m, duty-free zone

Weekend 3: Naples, the Campi Flegrei and Ischia

The third itinerary combines ancient baths (Baia) and modern ones (Ischia), with a single crossing by sea. It works from April to October, when the thermal parks are open.

Friday, Naples. You arrive in Naples and sleep in the centre or in Pozzuoli, the port from which the ferry to Ischia leaves.

Saturday, Baia and Pozzuoli. The Archaeological Park of the Terme di Baia, in Via Sella di Baia at Bacoli, is closed on Mondays; from Tuesday to Sunday booking is required, with limited entry (50 people every 30 minutes, maximum stay 120 minutes). Full ticket 5 euros, reduced 2 euros; the CircuitoFlegreo is valid for 3 consecutive days for 4 sites and costs 10 euros. In the afternoon, ferry to Ischia from Pozzuoli (about an hour) or from Naples.

Sunday, Ischia. The Giardini Poseidon are in the bay of Citara at Forio: in 2026 they opened from 18 April to 31 October, every day; full ticket 50 euros (13:00-19:00: 45 euros), evening 8 euros (walk only, no pools); under 3 free, between 4 and 11 half price, and children under 12 are not allowed in the thermal pools but have an area with sea-water pools. A 5 euro deposit on the wristband, returned on exit. Negombo, at Lacco Ameno, opens its 2027 season on 23 April 2027; Terme Castiglione has not yet published its 2027 dates.

Getting around. Caremar (2026 price list): Naples-Ischia hydrofoil 21.60 euros each way, Naples-Ischia ferry 14.80 and Pozzuoli-Ischia 11.20; children up to 4 travel free (2 on hydrofoils), reduced fare up to 12; advance purchase up to the day before +12% (minimum 1 euro), online purchase +1 euro. Medmar links Pozzuoli to Ischia and Casamicciola, but publishes fares only at booking. On the island there are the EAV buses: the company has announced that from 1 October 2026 its fares remain unchanged; the island's amounts are not on the site.

1. Naples, Molo Beverello: hydrofoils to Ischia
2. Pozzuoli, port: ferries to Ischia
3. Bacoli, Archaeological Park of Baia: closed on Mondays, 5 euros
4. Ischia Porto: arrival of ferries and hydrofoils
5. Forio, Giardini Poseidon: 18 Apr-31 Oct 2026, 50 euros
6. Lacco Ameno, Negombo: opens on 23 April 2027

What it costs: entry fees and ferries

The figures are per person and come from the operators' 2026 price lists ("from" prices, which vary with date and availability). Accommodation and meals are left out: they depend on the property and the date, and La Posta does not publish room prices on its site. Transport to Milan, Naples or Siena is not included.

For the Campi Flegrei, the 10 euro CircuitoFlegreo is valid for 3 days and 4 sites.

Val d'Orcia, budget30 euros

Val d'Orcia, mid-range100 euros

Val d'Orcia, comfort180 euros

Valtellina, budget58 euros

Valtellina, mid-range130 euros

Valtellina, comfort188 euros

Ischia, budget27 euros

Ischia, mid-range77 euros

Ischia, comfort98 euros

When to go

The climate, in indicative figures: in Val d'Orcia in January minimum temperatures drop below zero and in August maximums exceed 30 degrees; in Bormio in winter the cold is full-on and the outdoor pools are the reason to go; on Ischia the winter is mild.

For the busiest weekends, book at least two weeks ahead; hotels with a thermal pool fill up first in April, May and October.