A guide to Vichy, France

Vichy is one of Europe's great spa towns, so proclaimed by UNESCO. Travelers have long come to this city in the center of France seeking the curative effects of its natural mineral springs.

Though the springs were known to the ancient Romans, the first thermal establishment and promenades were built for Louis XV’s eight daughters (born between 1727 and 1737), enabling them to cool off after the warm baths and take therapeutic walks. In 1812, Napoleon I added more promenades as well as fountains in the Parc des Sources, which links the water sources and the baths and forms the town’s backbone. His nephew Napoleon III later contributed an urban development plan with a railway station, a new street layout and a casino.

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At its height in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Vichy had up to 250 hotels that could welcome more than 100,000 guests a year. Today, Vichy continues to polish its heritage for visitors who come for the waters, shows at the spectacular art nouveau opera house, gourmet meals and sporty activities along the majestic Allier, one of Western Europe’s few remaining wild rivers.

Plan your trip to Vichy with this guide to the spas, the sights, transportation and costs.

When should I go to Vichy?

May to October are the nicest months to visit Vichy. Bring or rent sumptuous crinolines, parasols and top hats if you come in mid-June for the annual Napoleon III festivities, when the town slides back to the heyday of imperial gaiety. From September to May you can enjoy a wide variety of shows at the sumptuous art deco opera house and shop – even on Sundays because, since 1906, this is one of the very few towns in France where stores are permitted to open on that day.

How much time should I spend in Vichy?

If you’re coming to visit the town, you’ll see most of the sights in 2 days. You can book up to 5 days of health and beauty treatments and intersperse these with cultural activities. If you come for a thermal cure prescribed by a doctor, the minimum stay is 21 days.

The Vichy cure is prescribed to treat such conditions as metabolic diseases, high cholesterol, digestive disorders and food allergies, arthritis, fibromyalgia, gout and inflammatory rheumatism. Vichy's medically prescribed spa treatments always last three weeks and include drinking the thermal waters, having mud poultices applied, taking thermal steam baths and showers, and receiving underwater massages from a physiotherapist. The patient is seen three times by a doctor and has a multidisciplinary team at hand, including nutritionists and psychologists.

Is it easy to get in and around Vichy?

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Vichy lies 360km south of Paris. Come by train because you really don’t need a car in the town, which fans out from the train station to the Allier River 1km away. Everything is walkable. There are nine trains a day from Paris (average travel time 3.5 hours) and 10 a day from Lyon (2 hours), which is 160km southeast of Vichy. The journey costs €22–70 from Paris and €18–35 from Lyon.

If you do come by car, park it in the underground La Poste garage (€8 for 24 hours).

Top things to do in Vichy

Taste Vichy water at the Hall des Sources

First go to the Hall des Sources, designed by Lucien Woog and Charles Lecoeur, at the northern end of the Parc des Sources, where you can freely taste water (or fill your bottle) from five of the nine sources. I’ve tasted all five: Chomel – whose minerals are used to make the famous Vichy-État lozenges – is good for indigestion; Grande Grille, which needs to be drunk in homeopathic doses, can have surprising effects on the digestive system; Hôpital is very sulfurous; Célestins is the saltiest of all (actually bicarbonate of soda); and Lucas, well, let’s say I prefer tap water.

Promenade in Parc des Sources

The 280m-long eastern and western edges of the Parc des Sources are lined with a covered wrought iron walkway built around 1901 by Émile Robert to allow people to promenade while protected from sun and rain. Imitate them to reach the southern end of the park, where you’ll find the Grand Casino and Opera.

Tour Vichy's iconic Grand Casino

The Grand Casino is Vichy’s iconic building. Inaugurated on July 2, 1865, it was designed by Charles Badger in a classical style, its facade decorated by caryatids representing the four seasons. It had a theater, game rooms, a men’s reading room, a women’s conversation room and a vast ballroom. But it quickly became too small, so in 1903 an art nouveau theater was added, the old one transformed into a huge game room. After WWII, the casino fell into disrepair; in 1988, the town bought the building to turn it into a conference center. The art deco ornamentation inside has been renovated so it’s worth booking a tour to see it.

Find the source of Célestins water

A little over 400m south of the casino, have a look at the Célestins source, now protected behind marble and glass under an elegant, elliptical 18th-century-style pavilion designed by architect Lucien Woog. The water from this source is the one that’s bottled and sold the world over. Get there via the rue Hubert Colombier, which was once a private road; its extraordinary mix of neo-Flemish, art nouveau and neo-gothic buildings were built between 1895 and 1905 and now house short-term rentals.

See the colors within Notre Dame des Malades

South of the Célestins source, Notre Dame des Malades church (aka St-Blaise) was built between 1925 and 1956. Don’t be put off by the austere reinforced concrete exterior. Inside you’ll find an explosion of colors, from the slender lapis lazuli columns to the strong reds, blues and greens of the stained glass windows and the shimmering gold of the mosaics.

Head back north between the park and the river to admire the flamboyant early-20th-century homes on the boulevard des États-Unis, the rue de Belgique and the boulevard de Russie.

My favorite thing to do in Vichy

I really enjoy visiting the art nouveau Opéra de Vichy, which opened in March 1903 and has a yellow, ivory and white color scheme. With seating for 1400 people, it is the biggest premodern opera house in France outside Paris. I love the two white peacocks painted over the proscenium arch and the jewel-studded heads painted on the ceiling between the arches. I recommend taking a guided tour on which you’ll also learn about Vichy’s role in WWII.

How much money do I need to visit Vichy?

You won't spend much if you’re just visiting the town, but expect to part with considerable sums if you want some wellness and beauty treatments. There are about 20 hotels in the vicinity of the Parc des Sources. At the top of the range is the Maison Decoret but perfectly comfortable is Le Patio. For a real 19th-century vibe, try the pavilion at the Chalet Impérial Clermont-Tonnerre (one of Napoleon III's chalets).

• Coffee: €2

• Beer: €3.50

• Night at a hotel: €85–234

• Half-day treatment at Thermes les Dômes: from €89

• Three-course meal at Michelin-recommended Les Caudalies: €26–32

Where should I go for a spa treatment?

The Thermes des Dômes and Célestins Spa Thermal offer Vichy mineral water wellness and beauty treatments. The Thermes Callou, where medically prescribed treatments are given, also has a 5-day mini cure, no prescription needed.

Can my thermal cure be paid for by my health insurance provider?

If you are a resident of an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland or the UK and the health insurance system in your country of residence covers thermal cures, then your health insurance provider may cover you, on the condition that a thermal cure cannot be undertaken in your own country within a reasonable delay given your health. Contact your health insurance provider for personalized instructions.