Vichy
Vichy, station thermale Reine des Villes d'eaux, 25 000 habitants à 251 m d'altitude dans l'Allier, classée UNESCO en 2021 au titre des Grandes Villes d'Eaux d'Europe. Sur les bords de l'Allier, le lac créé en 1963 fait office de plan d'eau urbain.
- Inhabitants
- 25,000
- Altitude
- 251 m
- Postcode
- 03200
- Places
- 44
This page isn't translated yet: here's the French version in the meantime.
About Vichy
Vichy, station thermale Reine des Villes d'eaux, 25 000 habitants à 251 m d'altitude dans l'Allier, classée UNESCO en 2021 au titre des Grandes Villes d'Eaux d'Europe. Sur les bords de l'Allier, le lac créé en 1963 fait office de plan d'eau urbain.
Cité thermale dès le Premier Empire (Napoléon III en a fait sa résidence d'été), Vichy a aussi été capitale de l'État français entre 1940 et 1944. Architecture Second Empire intacte : Opéra Art nouveau, Hall des Sources, parcs centenaires plantés sous Napoléon III.
À voir : Parc des Sources + Parc Napoléon III + Source des Célestins (libre, eau gratuite), Opéra de Vichy (1903), Hall des Sources, Maison Albert Londres, Pastillerie de Vichy (depuis 1825). Cures thermales aux Célestins ou Aïga Resort à Châtel-Guyon. Côté table : Les Caudalies et les brasseries Belle Époque.
En pratique : gare 3h depuis Paris (Bercy). Centre piéton, parking Cusset facile. Lac d'Allier pour aviron, paddle, voie verte 30 km.
What stays with us
- Reine des Villes d'eaux, UNESCO 2021
- 25 000 habitants à 251 m
- Architecture Second Empire intacte
- Eau des Célestins gratuite à la source
Why we love it
L'unique ville française classée UNESCO comme grande ville d'eaux. Architecture Belle Époque intacte, parcs dessinés sous Napoléon III, eau thermale en libre service. Pas seulement pour les curistes.
The local's tip
Eau gratuite à la Source des Célestins (apportez votre bouteille). Lac d'Allier en aviron ou paddle l'après-midi. Grand Marché de Vichy (les halles) ouvert du mardi au dimanche, de 7h à 13h, avec les producteurs locaux et bio le samedi. Spectacle à l'Opéra le week-end, programme sur opera-vichy.com.
- Eau gratuite à la Source des Célestins
- Lac d'Allier pour aviron et paddle
- Voie verte 30 km Vichy-Saint-Yorre
- Grand Marché (les halles) du mardi au dimanche, 7h-13h
Gallery
Vichy in pictures
Photos from Google Maps. Credit: Google and contributors.
Places
Things to do in Vichy
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Les Caudalies
4.8Vichy
A gastronomic and bistronomic restaurant in Vichy: updated French cooking by chef Emmanuel Basset, in a Napoléon III salon, Lucie Basset's wine cellar.
1869 reviews
Parc Napoléon III
4.6Vichy
Vichy's historic thermal park. UNESCO 2021, 13 hectares on the banks of the Allier, Belle Époque kiosks.
3464 reviews
Spa Suite Vichy
4.9Vichy
Private spa in Vichy: a suite with a whirlpool bath, sauna and sensory shower, just for the two of you.
284 reviews
Opéra de Vichy
4.7Vichy
France's only Art Nouveau opera house: more than 1,400 seats, opened in 1901, gold and ivory under the dome.
1429 reviews
Le P'tit Montmartre
4.8Vichy
Bistronomy on place d'Allier in Vichy: a menu in chapters, plates presented with originality and a terrace.
890 reviews
Saint-Blaise Church, Vichy
4.6Vichy
An Art Deco nave lined with mosaics and a golden ceiling under the dome, in the heart of Vichy's spa quarter. Free to visit, to be arranged with the parish.
1161 reviews
La Table d'Antoine
4.6Vichy
A fine-dining restaurant in Vichy, where chef Sébastien Méhaux works fresh local produce with seaweed and Japanese condiments.
1099 reviews
Célestins spring
4.5Vichy
Vichy water at its source. Neoclassical pavilion from 1908, within Vichy's UNESCO-listed area (2021), free water fountain.
1928 reviews
L'Hippocampe
4.7Vichy
Fish and seafood on boulevard de Russie in Vichy, with a Breton chef and his daughter at the stove. Booking recommended.
678 reviews
Palais des Congrès de Vichy
4.6Vichy
Napoleon III's former casino turned Vichy's main stage: an auditorium of almost 500 seats, side by side with the Opera.
1018 reviews
Fa Bio Li
4.6Vichy
Homemade cooking and bistronomy in Vichy, with ravioli on the menu and Fin Gras du Mézenc beef.
1015 reviews
Cocoon Coffee Vichy
4.7Vichy
A coffee shop on rue du Maréchal Lyautey, in Vichy: coffee, matcha, chai, homemade cookies, Wi-Fi and a terrace.
445 reviews
Venus Barista Coffee Pub
4.6Vichy
Coffee shop by day, Irish pub by night in Vichy: coffee roasted by Vichy Café, nitro cold brew on tap, Guinness and cocktails from 18:00.
739 reviews
Le Florencia
4.7Vichy
Pizzeria on avenue de Gramont in Vichy: homemade dough left to ferment for at least 72 hours, artisan pasta and homemade desserts.
657 reviews
Bistrot le Victoria
4.8Vichy
Modern bistrot on avenue Victoria in Vichy: charcuterie and Auvergne cheese board, terrace in season, lunch service only.
207 reviews
Restaurant Alexandrie
4.7Vichy
Koshari, foul medames, Middle Eastern desserts: Vichy's Egyptian restaurant, tea room included. Terrace in season.
424 reviews
Café des Sources
4.9Vichy
Restaurant and tearoom in central Vichy: fresh cooking and a short menu at lunchtime, home-made pastries in the afternoon (in 2026).
149 reviews
Parc des Sources
4.4Vichy
The thermal heart of Vichy, UNESCO-listed: bandstand, horse chestnut trees, and the Hall des Sources, where you can taste Célestins water for free.
3450 reviews
Babatchê
4.8Vichy
Healthy world fusion cooking in Vichy: build-your-own bowls, Thai curry, alloco and a vegetarian bowl.
309 reviews
L'opportun
4.5Vichy
A young Norman chef's market-cuisine restaurant, right in Vichy. Short blackboard menu at lunchtime, seasonal produce, affordable prices.
952 reviews
S.T.E.A.M. Escape Game Vichy
4.7Vichy
Escape game in Vichy. Three themed rooms, 60 minutes on the clock per mission, to play with family or friends from age 10.
306 reviews
L’imposteur
4.8Vichy
A speakeasy-inspired cocktail bar on place de la Source de l'Hôpital in Vichy, with a cocktail menu that never stops changing.
125 reviews
Restaurant L'Aloyau
4.7Vichy
A matured-meat restaurant in Vichy: rib of beef aged for 30 to 60 days, chips cut on site, a short wine list.
237 reviews
Villa de l'Inde
4.5Vichy
Indian restaurant in Vichy. Tandoori cooked in a traditional oven, fresh naans, a full vegetarian menu.
552 reviews
Le Pavillon d'Enghien
4.5Vichy
Charming 3★ hotel 50 m from the Thermes Callou Vichy, inner garden, summer pool.
469 reviews
Grand Marché de Vichy
4.2Vichy
Vichy's market hall: more than a hundred traders, craftspeople and producers under one roof. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 07:00 to 13:00.
2471 reviews
Hall des Sources
4.2Vichy
Taste Vichy's 5 mineral springs for free under the great cast-iron hall of 1903. Each has its own taste and virtues: compare them.
1536 reviews
Lac d'Allier
4.6Vichy
Vichy's lake: rowing, sailing, paddleboarding and a 6 km loop round the lake on foot or by bike. Supervised swimming at the Célestins beach from 1 July to 31 August in 2026.
113 reviews
KECK'S Café Nature Shop
4.5Vichy
A café and delicatessen in a half-timbered house in Vieux Vichy, modelled on the general store. A relaxed stop, neither a chain nor snooty.
210 reviews
Bouillon des Artistes
4.3Vichy
Bistrot in the Casino district of Vichy: the great French classics made in-house, Auvergne cheeses, lunch and dinner service.
726 reviews
Chalets de l'Empereur
4.7Vichy
The chalets built for Napoleon III and his court, on the Boulevard des États-Unis in Vichy. Listed as historic monuments, to look at from the pavement.
38 reviews
Célestins Spa Thermal & Hôtel
4.1Vichy
The five-star spa hotel in Vichy's thermal district. Rooms with park views, and a thermal spa linked to the rooms by a covered walkway.
2656 reviews
Le Gaulois
4.3Vichy
Café-bar a short walk from Vichy station, open Tuesday to Saturday, with a covered, shaded inner terrace.
671 reviews
Célestins beach
4.3Vichy
A supervised sand beach in the heart of Vichy, on the edge of the Lac d'Allier. Free swimming all summer, guinguette (open-air café) atmosphere.
872 reviews
Club de l'Aviron de Vichy
4.5Vichy
Rowing club on the Lac d'Allier, founded in 1892. Taster sessions for beginners, leisure rowing hire, flat water with no current.
124 reviews
Le Mirage
4.2Vichy
A mini-golf with a bar attached, on the Route Thermale in Vichy, open late: a round with the family in the afternoon, a drink with friends in the evening.
846 reviews
Bar Le Bazar Vichy
4.4Vichy
Vichy's cocktail bar on Rue de Banville: house cocktail menu, draught beers and a DJ some evenings.
218 reviews
Maison Albert Londres
4.5Vichy
Albert Londres's birthplace in Vichy: manuscripts, first editions, and the prize that has borne his name since 1933.
69 reviews
Vichy Aventure
4.4Vichy
Paintball, rafting and canoe-kayak on the Allier, at the Pont de l'Europe in Vichy.
90 reviews
Musée des arts d'Afrique et d'Asie
4.3Vichy
African masks and Asian Buddhas, brought together since 1923 in a pocket-sized museum in Vichy.
165 reviews
Musée Surréaliste Boucheix
4.3Vichy
The museum of an Auvergne Surrealist painter: François Boucheix shows his canvases and bronzes in Vichy, in the former Alhambra music hall.
36 reviews
Aletti Palace Hôtel
4.0Vichy
A 4-star Belle Époque hotel opposite the Vichy Opera: a hundred rooms, La Véranda restaurant, Ascot bar and a swimming pool.
617 reviews
Bar Le Drop
4.3Vichy
Vichy's neighbourhood bar, small and intimate. Honest draught beers, sharing boards and friendly regulars.
55 reviews
Thermes Les Dômes Vichy
3.6Vichy
Under its great dome of flambé-glazed stoneware, Vichy's Belle Époque spa: cures for rheumatology and digestive disorders.
507 reviews
Location