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00 Abano Terme
Stemma di Abano Terme

Veneto · Padova

Abano Terme

Europe's oldest thermal town on the Euganean Hills' eastern slope, where 80°C bromo-iodine springs have been drawing bathers since the eighth century BC.

Best time
All year
By car
15 min from Padua
By train
Station in the comune
Population
20,231

Known for

  • THERMAL SPRINGS

    Hyperthermal bromo-iodine-salt water at 80°C, the largest spa basin in Europe with continuous use since the eighth century BC.

  • APONUS

    Roman name for the springs, taken from a pre-Roman deity; Colle Montirone preserves traces of the imperial-era complex.

  • FANGO

    Mineral mud aged sixty days in the thermal basins before treatment, the technique that built the modern spa industry from the 1950s.

When to visit

Best · All year

  • J8°
  • F12°
  • M15°
  • A18°
  • M23°
  • J28°
  • J31°
  • A31°
  • S26°
  • O21°
  • N13°
  • D8°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.

The festa: San Lorenzo, 10 August

Why come

Abano Terme sits on the eastern slope of the Euganean Hills, ten kilometers southwest of Padova. The springs surface at 80°C, classified as hyperthermal bromo-iodine-salt water, and the Veneti were already worshipping them in the eighth century BC. The Romans built a temple to Aponus here and called the place Aquae Patavinae.

The Lombards destroyed the baths in the sixth century. They were rebuilt when Abano became an autonomous comune in the twelfth, enlarged again in the late fourteenth, and absorbed into the Republic of Venice from 1405 to 1797. The Colle Montirone archaeological site still holds traces of the Roman thermal complex, and the Duomo di San Lorenzo, rebuilt in 1780 over an older church, anchors the historic center.

The contemporary draw is fango-balneotherapy: mineral mud aged for sixty days in the source basins, then applied at body temperature. Most of the 250 hotels in Abano-Montegrotto are spa hotels.

The Sunday letter

Abano Terme is on our list. Its letter is still to come.

We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Abano Terme comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.

Read on

Abano Terme in our articles

How to get there

From Venice (TSF), about 58 minutes by car.

Bologna (BLQ) is about 1h 19m away.

By car from the centre of Padua 15 minutes or Verona 1 hour.

There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.

Coming from Venice, Verona or Bologna?

Coming by train into Padova? Abano Terme is about 16 minutes away by road.

Every town within reach of Venice airport.

Abano Terme, photo 1
Abano Terme, photo 2

What to see

  • Duomo di San Lorenzo

    Cathedral rebuilt in 1780 over a pre-existing church, with a campanile dating to the fourteenth century and a Baroque interior.

  • Colle Montirone

    Archaeological site on a small thermal hill, with traces of the Roman baths of Aponus and an obelisk erected in the eighteenth century.

  • Parco Termale Urbano

    Public thermal park threading the centro storico, with footpaths between hotels, gardens and the source pools.

  • Santuario della Madonna della Salute di Monteortone

    Fifteenth-century sanctuary in the frazione of Monteortone, built after a 1428 apparition recorded during the plague.

  • Colli Euganei

    Volcanic hills behind the town, a regional park of vineyards, olive groves and walking trails between Abano and Arquà Petrarca.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Abano Terme fits in a slow Italy circuit.

Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.

Plan your trip

We recommend

Where to eat and stay

Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.

  • AubergineRistorante

    Aubergine has a spot in the Michelin Guide to its name.

  • Abano Grand HotelHotel

    Abano Grand Hotel carries a place in the Michelin hotel guide.

Living here

  • Population 20,231
  • Commuter belti
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Train station in the comune
  • Nearest airport Venice, 58 min drive
  • Regional capital Venezia, 44 min drive

This is a thermal town: terme operate here.

Common questions

What is Abano Terme known for?
Europe's oldest thermal town on the Euganean Hills' eastern slope, where 80°C bromo-iodine springs have been drawing bathers since the eighth century BC.
Where is Abano Terme?
Abano Terme is a comune in the province of Padova, in Veneto, at 14 meters above sea level.
What is the nearest airport to Abano Terme?
Venice (TSF), about 58 minutes by car.
Can you get to Abano Terme without a car?
Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
How long is the drive from Padua to Abano Terme?
About 15 minutes by car.
When is the best time to visit Abano Terme?
Best All year. July is the warmest month, averaging 31 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 13 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Abano Terme?
The town keeps its patron saint's day: San Lorenzo, 10 August.
Which other towns are like Abano Terme?
Montecatini-Terme, Castel San Pietro Terme and San Giuliano Terme.
How many people live in Abano Terme?
20,231 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 14 m
  • Population: 20,231
  • Surface area: 21.41 km²

These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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