Terme di Premia

What to expect

Terme di Premia is a modern public thermal pool complex in Cadarese, a hamlet of Premia, at about 810 m (2,660 ft) in the Valle Antigorio. This is one of the Ossola valleys, in the far north of Piedmont, on the road that climbs to the Val Formazza and the Swiss border. It is a family day spa, not a medical resort, and it is built around one thing that most spas in this corner of Italy lack: water that comes out of the ground hot.

The spring is a hyperthermal sulphate-calcium water. The operator’s pages give its temperature as 108°F42°C on one page and 111°F44°C underground on another, and Italian Wikipedia gives 109°F42.5°C. Either way it is hot enough to fill the pools without extra heating, and the operator says it adds none. The pools run at 90-97°F32-36°C. Because the heat comes only from the spring, the outdoor pools can lose a degree or two in cold wind or rain.

There are eight pools: five indoors and three outside in a large lawn with views of the mountains. Indoors you get a children’s pool, a gym pool, a hydromassage pool, a vascular walking pool and a pool that leads through to the outside. Jets for the neck and feet and hydromassage loungers are spread through them. The spa area, sold separately, has three saunas (Finnish at 176-194°F80-90°C, a hay sauna and a bio-sauna), three steam rooms at 104-113°F40-45°C and a relaxation room with a salt wall. A bar serves cold food: salads, toasted sandwiches and snacks.

The water

The hot water was found by accident, during surveys for a hydroelectric project in the valley, according to Italian Wikipedia, and the spa opened on August 1, 2008. The idea of warm water here is older: a 1556 papal bull mentions a “stream of hot water” as a parish boundary. In 1998 the health ministry authorised the water for inhalations and mud and bath therapy, and in 1999 the Piedmont regional government gave the concession to the municipality of Premia.

The operator gives a fixed residue of 1,410 mg/l, and the water is hard, with high calcium sulphate content. It markets it for inhalations, joint and skin treatments, and runs a small treatment area alongside the pools.

Getting there

Premia is about 21 km (13 miles) north of Domodossola as the crow flies. Domodossola is the main town of the Ossola, on the Simplon railway between Milan and Switzerland. From Domodossola, take the SS659 north up the Valle Antigorio, past Crodo and Baceno, to Cadarese. The spa is beside the main road at Frazione Cadarese 46, and there is parking on site.

Milan is about 110 km (70 miles) away as the crow flies; head for Domodossola and then up the valley. Beyond Premia the road continues to the Val Formazza.

When to go

The pools open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and close on Tuesdays, except in July and August when they open every day. The whole complex closes every May for maintenance.

From June to August all the pools, indoors and out, are open, and there are free umbrellas and loungers on the lawn. On very busy days there are not enough loungers for everyone. The rest of the year, the indoor pools and the first outdoor pool stay open, and the other outdoor pools open at weekends when the weather allows.

High season (weekends, holidays, Christmas and all of July and August) is busier and dearer. A weekday in autumn or winter is cheaper, quieter, and the outdoor pool steams nicely in the cold.

Prices and booking

Prices in force from June 5, 2026, high season then low season:

• 1 hour: adults €13 / €9, children 3-13 €9 / €7.
• 3 hours: adults €24 / €17, children €13 / €10.
• Day ticket: adults €37 / €27, children €27 / €17.
• Family tickets (high season only): 3 hours from €58 for two adults and a child; day tickets from €90.
• Open ticket (pools and saunas): €37 / €28 for 3 hours, €55 / €42 for the day, towel included.
• Massages: from €40 for 25 minutes; a 50-minute full massage is €70.

Under-3s are free. Hourly tickets have 20 minutes of grace on the way out; beyond that you pay €10 extra (€5 for children). With a day ticket you cannot leave and come back.

Booking is only possible online through the operator’s site, and it is not compulsory. But it is the only way to guarantee entry, and day tickets are limited each day. At weekends and on holidays, book.

Bring a swimsuit, a swim cap (compulsory for everyone in the pools) and flip-flops. A towel costs €3 to rent and a bathrobe €6. Packed lunches are not allowed inside.

Rules and etiquette

• Swim caps are compulsory in the pool area for adults and children alike.
• Swimsuits are required in the sauna area too.
• Children of any age may use the pools with an adult, but not the indoor hydromassage pool or the vascular pool. The sauna area is adults only, with teens from 14 allowed with an adult.
• No outside food. Use the bar.

Where to stay nearby

The spa has no rooms. Premia, Baceno and Crodo, each within about 8 km (5 miles), have small hotels, B&Bs and holiday flats. Domodossola, down the valley, has the most choice and the railway station. In summer the upper Val Formazza has mountain huts and hotels for hikers.

Safety notes

• Heat: at 97°F36°C the warmest pools are comfortable but long soaks still tire you. Drink water and take breaks, especially before or after the saunas.
• Winter roads: the SS659 climbs into the Alps. Carry chains or use winter tyres from November to April.

Nearby stops worth adding

The Orridi di Uriezzo, in the municipality of Premia, are narrow rock gorges you can walk through when they are dry. Italian Wikipedia describes three: the southern one, more than 20 m deep and about 150 m long, is the most dramatic, the north-eastern one is about 100 m long and 10 m deep, and the western one has two sections. Further up the valley lies the Val Formazza, with its walking routes and mountain huts.