Caldea - Andorra's incredible thermal Spa Water Palace

No, it's not a glittering cathedral. That crystal spire you see piercing the skies of Escaldes is Andorra's hugely popular thermal spa water palace, Caldea.

The naturally-hot waters come out of the ground at 70ºC and are then cooled for your comfort. So why not pamper yourself with Caldea's extraordinary range of physical sensations? Try the Indo-Roman baths where you can laze in the 32ºC hot bath and then stimulate the circulation by plunging into the 14ºC tub next door. Or follow the 'river' outside and, at the far end, lie back on the underwater stone shelving and allow the thermal bubbles to massage you as you gaze through the gently rising steam at the mountain peaks beyond. Try it during a snowstorm - it's an amazing sensation!

Visit the eucalyptus-scented Turkish bath, test out the jet massages, the jacuzzis, the saunas, the infra-red loungers, the dark mystery of the 'Llum de Fusta'. There's even an ice house.

N.B. Entrance is not permitted to children under 5, and all other children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

Each of Andorra's seven parishes has it's multi-million dollar indoor sports centre. All offer swimming, squash, tennis and exercise rooms along with pitches for indoor team sports.

Most parishes have extra facilities as well. Canillo's sports centre also incorporates the Olympic-size National Ice Skating Rink and apart from the skating, they offer facilities for ice hockey and regularly organise go-kart racing on ice, which is exhilarating fun. In Ordino, their extra facility is a tenpin bowling alley. In Andorra la Vella there is the olympic swimming pool at Els Serradells and in Sant Julià there is the National Clay Pigeon Shooting range at La Rabassa.