Why is Arties known for food?

Village · Medieval

Arties

Updated 2026Checked on footNaut Aran, Val d'Aran

Arties sits where the Garona and Valarties rivers meet, a village of stone houses, Romanesque churches and a reputation for two things: its natural thermal springs and some of the best eating in the valley.

The slate rooftops of Arties beneath the snow-covered Pyrenees — Arties · MedievalPhoto: Alberto-g-rovi / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Period

Medieval

Location

≈7 km down-valley from Baqueira

Entry

Village free; thermal pool charges a small entry

Hours

Village open; baths and restaurants keep their own hours

Time Needed

1–2 hours, or an evening

Hours and prices last checked 2026 — they change, so confirm on the day.

History

How it came to be

An old Aranese settlement with the Romanesque church of Santa Maria and the ruined tower of the Portolà family; its hot springs have drawn bathers for generations and now feed a public thermal pool.

What You’ll See

On a visit

The thermal baths, the church of Santa Maria, the riverside setting, and the village's restaurants — Arties is a favourite for a long lunch or dinner off the slopes.

How to Visit

On the C-28 between Vielha and Salardú; ski buses stop here.

Best Time

Evening, for the thermal baths and dinner

Getting There

Location

≈7 km down-valley from Baqueira · Naut Aran, Val d'Aran

Directions

Open in Google Maps

Good to Know

Arties has a cluster of well-regarded restaurants and is a favourite for an off-slope lunch or dinner in the Val d'Aran, alongside its riverside setting and natural thermal springs.

Nearby Landmarks

All 7 landmarks →

Medieval

Salardú

Salardú is the handsome medieval capital of the Naut Aran (Upper Aran), a cluster of grey-stone houses and slate roofs around one of the finest Romanesque churches in the Pyrenees — and the most characterful of the villages within easy reach of the Baqueira lifts.

Medieval

Bagergue

Bagergue is the highest permanently-inhabited village in the Val d'Aran, a tiny huddle of stone and slate on a shelf above Salardú — repeatedly named among the most beautiful villages in Spain.

Opened 1964

Baqueira Beret Ski Area

Baqueira Beret is one of Spain's largest ski resorts and its most prestigious — 169 km of pistes strung across three linked sectors (Baqueira, Beret and Bonaigua) high in the Val d'Aran, on the northern, Atlantic-facing side of the Pyrenees where the snow falls deepest and lasts longest.