Our take
A geyser that starts up again roughly every 20 minutes, at the end of a short waymarked trail from the car park. Around it: a travertine crust, salty springs and the remains of a 19th-century spa resort, on the bank of the Allier.
A real geyser beside the Allier: about every 20 minutes, the Brissac spring shoots up in the middle of a former spa park.
A geyser in Auvergne, yes, you read that right. On the bank of the Allier, the Brissac spring shoots out of a pipe more than two metres high, roughly every 20 minutes, in a great rush of bubbles. Around it, other salty springs surface near the river.
Park in the car park opposite the Sainte-Marguerite bottling plant, then follow the geyser trail, a short waymarked path that runs alongside the river. On the way: the Tennis spring and its travertine crust, the Île spring, the remains of the 19th-century spa resort.
The site is Natura 2000-listed and managed by the Conservatoire d'espaces naturels d'Auvergne (the Auvergne natural spaces conservancy). Settle in facing the geyser and wait: the jet always starts up again in the end.
Why we love it
- The Brissac spring shooting up from the top of a pipe more than two metres high
- The travertine crust of the Tennis spring, where the water finds its way at random
- The Allier flowing right alongside, with its mineral springs on the bank
Top tip
If the geyser is asleep when you arrive, don't leave: go and see the Tennis spring and its travertine, then come back and take up position. The wait rarely goes beyond twenty minutes or so.
Before you go
- The moment the geyser starts up again after some twenty minutes of dead calm.
- The geyser trail is 0.6 km, about thirty minutes there and back, with no difficulty.
- The site covers 1.5 hectares: plan a short outing, not half a day.
- The site is open every day, all year round: from the car park opposite the plant, follow the waymarking for the geyser trail.
Practical info
- Address
- 63270 Saint-Maurice, France
63270 Saint-Maurice
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Around Sainte-Marguerite springs
Enough to build your day around this address.
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- 7.9 km
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