Opéra de Vichy

Vichy has kept a Belle Époque town from its thermal past, and the Opera is its centrepiece. On Rue du Casino, attached to the Palais des Congrès, it hides a hall of more than 1,400 seats, the only Art Nouveau opera house in France.

The hall opened to the public in 1901 (the official inauguration followed in 1903), in a gold, ivory and yellow decor: ironwork by Émile Robert, paintings by Léon Rudnicki, sculptures by Pierre Seguin. Among the flowers and peacocks, look for the faces of Sarah Bernhardt, Réjane, Coquelin and Mounet-Sully. The hall, listed as a historic monument (Monument Historique), was restored in 1995, after the fire of 1986 and the town's purchase of the building in 1987. It is also here that the National Assembly voted full powers to Marshal Pétain, on 10 July 1940.

On the programme: theatre, dance, opera and concerts all year round, with a summer season (27 June to 23 August in 2026). Guided tours of the hall are scheduled on certain dates (€12.50, reduced €10, free for under-8s, 2026 prices). The box office is open Tuesday to Friday, and on Saturday morning: never on Sunday or Monday.

Our take, honestly: even without a ticket for a show, the visit is worth the detour for the hall alone. Few people realise it sits quietly in the heart of Vichy.