One of the major pluses of Santiago de Compostela is it being a hub for the surrounding area. You can easily catch the bus from just outside old town, or the train on the skirts of new town. From either of these stations, you can take a scenic and cheap day trip to the city of Ourense, which is just southeast of Santiago. The bus will only cost about 12 euro round-trip, and the train around 25, as it’s faster at only 40 minutes instead of just over an hour.
Ourense has a nice old town, and some really great bars and restaurants. As in Santiago, you can stop in just about anywhere and get good tapas. The old and new parts of the city are more spread out, so wear good walking shoes if you plan to explore.
The best thing about this city, though, is the hot springs, rain or shine. Along the river of Miño is a string of natural hot springs that the city has made accessible and regulates for cleanliness. As you walk along the river, you’ll come across groups of these hot springs. Each grouping has at least four pools with varying temperatures from scalding to frigid, so hop around until you find your perfect pool. All but one of the groupings is free to the public, and bathers are free to soak as long as they like. Just be sure to rinse off in the shower before entering, and refrain from taking photos of the other bathers. The hot springs that charge are fenced in, allowing for more privacy and supplement your soaking with drinks and games such as chess, but I’ve yet to meet anyone that prefers these over the public pools.
You can ask anyone to point you in the right direction from the Ourense bus and train station, and in a short walk, you’ll be on a riverside path. There will be plenty of signage to help you find the right direction. On the walk back, you can wait at a small bus-stop looking station along the walking path, where a little Disneyland-esque train pulls up two to three times an hour (there will be a posted seasonal schedule). For a mere 70 cents, this train will take you all the way back to town to if you fancy, but just make sure you don’t miss the last bus back unless you have accommodations for the night in Ourense.
Perfect for those on a budget, the city of Ourense and the hot springs are beautiful and worth at least a day trip. Depending on the time of year, some of the pools may be flooded from the river. Just check up on the web before heading out to ensure that at least one of them will be open.
