Introduction
Spa is a French-speaking city in Belgium located in the Walloon Region in the province of Liège.
Known for its thermal waters, probably since Roman times, Spa began to take off in the sixteenth century when the reputation of the water led to a real business. The Baths of Spa has become a generic term for hydrotherapy in English and some other languages.
Spa became a noble meeting place; the Emperor Joseph II (after his visit in 1781) nicknamed the city the “Café de l’Europe.” It is in Spa that the first modern casino was born, la Redoubt, on the initiative of the co-mayors Gérard de Leau and Lambert Xhrouet. Amongst the personalities who stayed in Spa was Victor Hugo, Tsar Peter the Great, all the Belgian royal family, including the Queen Marie-Henriette, who died there in 1902, Casanova, Alexandre Dumas, Meyerbeer. Social life in Spa in the eighteenth century is widely presented in the film BarryLyndon by Stanley Kubrick.
The surroundings of Spa offer lovely walks through the Ardennes, also called “ l’Ardenne bleue” which has many lakes such as the Warfaaz Gileppe Lake. The region is also known for the famous Formula 1 racing circuit of Spa-Francorchamps.
The sources
Scattered all over Spa, different sources, more familiarly known as”Pouhons” are accessible to visitors. A comprehensive tour will show you the Peter the Great and Prince of Conde’s pouhons, the sources of Tonnelet, the Sauvenièr , of Groesbeek, and finally those of the Géronstère and Barisart.
Parks
Nature has taken place in the center of Spa. Two historic parks have been developed for your well-being.
The Baths
Balneology in Spa really developed in the 19th century. The creation of the first establishment was a revolution that led to a significant immediate development of spa. Before this facility was created, many Bobeline’s came to take the waters at different sources enjoying their healing. The new spa opened in 2004. A panoramic funicular connects the thermal baths of Spa to the city center.
More information : http://www.thermesdespa.com
The Casino
Spa has always been a place of relaxation and entertainment.
The Casino has, in addition to game rooms (American roulette, blackjack, slot machines, …), an important cultural space in which many shows, festivals, seminars and exhibitions take place.
More information : http://www.casinodespa.be
Shopping
The town of Spa has a very dynamic shopping center. For your convenience most stores are open on Sundays. The shopping guide is available at the Tourist Office.
More information : http://www.spa-commerce.be
Markets
The flea market of Spa is located in the beautiful surroundings of the Parc de Sept Heures, away from the Leopold Gallery located in the center of Spa, behind the Tourist Office (follow the arrows “Flea”).
It takes place every Sunday of the year from 8 to 13h (except exceptions). You will be delighted to find a nice mixture of antiques, flea market items as well as various collectibles. More than two thousand visitors attend the flea market every Sunday morning at Spa.
Why not you ?
Nature
Spa invites you to discover its natural resources through its scenic footpaths, winding streams, forests. Discover the nature, alone, with friends, in groups or accompanied by one of our nature guides.
More information : http://www.spatourisme.be
Festivals
Over the seasons, inevitable festivals succeed: the famous Heroes Spa Tribute Festival, Spa Francofolies, Royal Theater Festival and autumn musical Festival animate sublimely the entire city. On top of these festivals, also take place many other events such as concerts of harmony in the summer, Rétrofolies…
* The Francopholies de Spa brings 185,000 partiers over five days of celebration, ten stages all over the city for nearly 250 concerts in 18 editions; Francofolies of Spa has become the major musical event in Belgium.
The line up of the festival that combines stars with new artists devotes half of the program to the French-speaking Belgian scene. French songs, rock, pop, electro, hip-hop, slam …all styles of music meet in a friendly atmosphere for the enjoyment of a multi-generational audience eager to discover.