Edipsos Springs (Loutra Aidipsou)

What to expect

Loutra Aidipsou, usually called Edipsos in English, is the largest spa town in Greece. It sits on the northwest tip of Evia, facing the North Evia Gulf, with Mount Telethrio behind it. Around 80 hot springs rise in the area, spread from the town itself to Gialtra and Ilia along the coast. The water is sulphurous and has left mineral crusts over the old Roman bath remains known as Sulla’s Cave, next to the seafront.

For a casual visitor, the draw is simple: you can soak for free. Hot water emerges on the town beach below the primary school and the town hall and runs over the rocks into the sea. People sit in the shallow pools that form among the stones, moving closer to the inflow for heat or farther out to cool down. Locals and visitors use it all year, and on summer evenings it is busy. There are no changing rooms or showers at the shore, so arrive with a swimsuit on.

The paid side of town is the big hotels and the state hydrotherapy centre. Thermae Sylla, a five-star spa hotel on Posidonos Street right by the free springs, says its spa uses natural thermal water from the site for mud baths, pool therapy, hydromassage pools and a grotto experience. Other hotels in town, such as Mitho Hotel Spa, also advertise spa facilities. The ETAD hydrotherapy centre (still often called the EOT baths) has individual baths, indoor pools and an outdoor thermal pool when it is fully open.

We did not find a published temperature for any of these pools. Expect the free seafront pools to be warm rather than scalding once the spring water mixes with the sea, and hotter right at the inflow.

Getting there

Loutra Aidipsou is about 107 km (66 miles) northwest of Chalkida by road, but almost nobody drives that way from Athens. The usual route is:

• From Athens: Drive north on the A1 national road to Arkitsa, then take the car ferry across the gulf to Loutra Aidipsou. The crossing is short and runs often in the daytime.
• By bus: Buses from Athens go to the Arkitsa ferry pier. Buy the ferry ticket separately at the pier.
• From the north: Another ferry links Glyfa on the mainland with Agiokampos on Evia, a short drive from Edipsos.

The free springs are on the seafront in the middle of town, just below the primary school and the town hall, next to the Thermae Sylla hotel.

When to go

• The free seafront springs work all year. Mild winter days are pleasant, because the hot water feels best when the air is cool, and the town is quieter.
• The hydrotherapy centre is seasonal. In 2024 ETAD ran it from 15 June to 31 October, open daily from 08:30 to 16:30 with some days extended to 18:30, with a doctor on duty. In 2023 it ran only to 30 September. In a question to Parliament on 3 July 2026, the Evia MP Katerina Kazani said the 2026 season had again started late and that the full facilities would not be restored this year. Her December 2025 question listed the individual tubs, whirlpool baths, indoor tanks and physiotherapy unit as parts that had stayed out of use.
• July and August are the busiest months, with Greek families and weekenders from Athens.

Prices and booking

• Seafront springs: free, no booking.
• ETAD hydrotherapy centre: ETAD did not publish a 2026 price list that we could find. In 2024 it offered reduced tickets for local residents, groups of more than 15, people with disabilities and a companion, the unemployed, students, soldiers and large families. Ask at the door.
• Hotel spas: Thermae Sylla publishes an à la carte treatment list for 2026 and takes bookings online; some treatments come in courses (its full body mud treatment runs 75 minutes, in a minimum of 12 sessions). Spa use by day visitors is not explained on the site, so ask the hotel directly (+30 22260 60100).

Swimsuits are the norm everywhere in town, on the beach and in the pools.

History

Ancient Aidipsos was famous for its baths. Plutarch described it as a gathering place, and the Roman general Sulla is said to have come here for treatment, which is where Sulla’s Cave and the Thermae Sylla hotel get their names. In 1839 the springs were sold to residents of Aidipsos, Gialtra and Lichada. Early bathers lived in temporary shelters until the first permanent hut went up in 1875, and a real settlement grew from about 1900 along with the hotels and private hydrotherapy houses. In April 1941 German aircraft bombed the town; its hotels then served as hospitals for wounded soldiers. After the war it drew famous guests, Churchill and Onassis among them.

The old Agioi Anargyroi hydrotherapy building near the church of the same name is now a listed monument in poor condition. A February 2026 question in Parliament said emergency works to protect it still had not been carried out.

Where to stay nearby

Loutra Aidipsou itself is the place to stay. The seafront and the streets behind it are full of hotels, from Thermae Sylla to smaller family hotels and apartments. If thermal water in your room or pool matters to you, ask the hotel before you book. Istiaia, the municipal seat about 28 km (17 miles) east, has more everyday services. On the mainland side, the spa town of Kamena Vourla and its free pools at Koniaviti and Kallyntika are a ferry ride and short drive away.

Safety notes

• Hot inflow: The water where the springs come out can be much hotter than the pool around it. Find the inflow and keep clear of it.
• Slippery rocks: Mineral deposits and algae make the seafront rocks slick. Wear water shoes.
• Untreated water: The seafront pools are natural and nobody manages them. Keep your head above water and do not drink it.
• Medical conditions: Hot mineral water raises your heart rate. If you have heart or blood pressure problems, or are pregnant, ask a doctor first; the hydrotherapy centre has one on duty during opening hours.
• Earthquakes: The North Evia Gulf is seismically active. Know how to get out of your hotel.

Nearby stops worth adding

The fishing village of Ilia, along the coast, has its own spring that runs into the sea. Gialtra, across the bay, is the other village in the spring zone. The car ferry back to Arkitsa makes it easy to add the springs at Kamena Vourla on the way home.