The Queen of the Waters

In Vichy, park in the large (free) car park at the Stade Municipal Louis Darragon.
Please note! This hike is not fully signposted.

(S/E) Leave the car park heading west towards Lac d'Allier and take the promenade along the lake on the left. Pass a stream, the Sichon, then the Yacht Club and the Rotonde restaurant. Continue along the Quai d'Allier, noting some beautiful houses on the left.

At the Bungalow restaurant, in front of one of the entrances to Parc Napoléon III, leave the lakefront and turn left onto Avenue Walter Stucki. At the crossroads, continue straight on Boulevard des États-Unis, passing behind the Centre Thermal des Dômes.

(1) Turn right onto Avenue Thermale. Opposite the Hall des Sources, a large glass building, turn right to arrive in front of the main entrance to the Centre Thermal des Dômes. Free entry to the hall. Continue straight ahead, cross Boulevard des États-Unis and enter Parc Napoléon III opposite. Take the path on the left, which passes behind the Chalets Napoléon. After the last chalet, exit the park on the left to return to Boulevard des États-Unis and follow it to the left to pass in front of the chalets.

(2) Turn right onto Rue Petit, then immediately right onto Rue Alquié, lined with beautiful houses of various styles. Cross Rue de Belgique, turn left onto Boulevard de Russie, then immediately right onto Rue d'Italie. Cross Boulevard des États-Unis and enter Parc Napoléon III again opposite. Follow any path on the left.

(3) Cross a busy road (D2209, Avenue Aristide Briant) at the entrance to Pont de Bellerive and continue into Parc Kennedy on the other side. Turn slightly left towards the pond to find the bust of Madame de Sévigné, then continue at your leisure through the park, along the banks of the Allier or along the paths lined with remarkable trees.

You will come to a small street/cycle path that crosses the park, from Boulevard du Président Kennedy towards the Allier, and turn left onto a parallel path. You will arrive at Boulevard du Président Kennedy with the University Centre in front of you and the entrance to Parc des Célestins on your left. Enter the park and head left to find the Source des Célestins pavilion. Admission and tasting are free.

(4) Exit the pavilion and go around it on the right, on a path that goes uphill, and continue through the park. Soon, on your right, you will see an esplanade. Head in that direction. This is the terrace of the former Source Lardy pavilion, which now houses the university library. Go down a few steps on the right as you enter the university grounds, then turn right into the courtyard of this pavilion, which has been renovated to its original state. Leave the courtyard and continue straight on Rue Lardy until you reach Rue du Maréchal Lyautey.

Follow it to the left. At Place de la Victoire, turn left between the Pharmacie des Célestins and a patisserie to head towards the Church of Saint-Blaise-et-Notre-Dame-des-Malades. Shortly afterwards, you will find Rue de Besse on your right, with Albert Londre's house on the corner. Continue towards the church, go around it on the left and enter through the old chapel. Inside, after visiting the chapel, turn right and walk through the stunning modern church.

(5) Exit at the end of the church and continue opposite Rue Hubert Colombier, lined with beautiful houses of various styles. Arrive at Rue Maréchal Foch and follow it to the left for a few metres to find the Petit Casino (now the Valéry Larbau Cultural Centre) on your left. The exterior of this building is unassuming, but if it is open, you must go inside to see the Art Deco stained glass windows on the upper floor. On leaving, continue left along Rue Maréchal Foch until you reach Place Victor Hugo. Turn left into the Parc Thermal and immediately turn left again to take the covered walkway lined with shops at the Fer à Cheval, which surrounds the bandstand. On the other side of the Fer à Cheval, cross the street and pass to the left of the Casino.

(6) Turn left to pass in front of the façade of the Opera-Palais des Congrès (guided tours available, see Practical Information). You will come to Rue du Parc and take the covered walkway on the right that goes around the Parc Thermal. Turn left onto Rue Prunelle for a short return trip to the pretty Maison du Castel, at the corner of Rue du Pontillard. Return to the park and continue on the left.

Shortly afterwards, at the Tourist Office on your left, turn right and slightly back to cross the park and come out on the other side on Rue du Président Wilson. Follow it a little to the right, then take Passage Ciboin opposite to come out in front of the Église Saint-Louis (visits possible). Turn left onto Rue Georges Clemenceau.

(7) Turn left onto Rue du Président Roosevelt, which leads to Rue du Président Wilson. Follow this road to the right, then take Passage de l'Amirauté to return to Rue Georges Clemenceau. Follow this road to the left until you reach the crossroads with Rue de Paris on the right and Rue Lucas on the left.

Take the latter, then turn left onto Rue Montaret to reach Rue du Président Wilson. Turn right, then left onto Rue Lucas at the corner of the Hall des Sources. The free entrance is on this side (the other entrances are reserved for spa guests). Tasting available.

(8) At the exit, go straight ahead onto Avenue Thermale.

(1) Cross Avenue Victoria and continue straight ahead on Avenue Thermale until you reach Place de la République. Cross the square and turn left onto Rue de Vingré. At the end of the street, turn right to cross the Sichon and you will find the car park of the Stade Municipal Louis Darragon (S/E) just on the other side.

This short urban walk is very easy.

Location of public toilets here: Go to "Ville propre" (Clean City) then "Toilettes publiques" (Public Toilets) to see the map.

Visit to the Opera House: you can either attend a performance or take a guided tour organised by the Tourist Office (for a fee). In both cases, contact the Tourist Office (Rue du Parc, between Rue Prunelle and Rue Petit, not far from the Opera House) as the Opera House ticket office is also located there.

Discover more hikes in this area with a description or the Visorando app here

Some photos here

Some information fromthe Vichy Tourist Office.

Between (S/E) and (1)

The Allier. An important trade route, the Allier saw the emergence of a very active corporation of boatmen in^{the 15th} century. The river was dammed in^{the 19th} century to create the Napoleon III park. Its original bed reached the houses of old Vichy and became threatening during its frequent floods. In 1960, the Allier was once again tamed with the creation of a lake.

Between (1) and (2)

The Grand Établissement Thermal. Built between 1899 and 1903, this former^first-class thermal establishment, which was enlarged in the 1930s, surprises visitors with its neo-Moorish style. The wing of the building overlooking Boulevard des États-Unis is now the Centre thermal des Dômes. A stone's throw away, the Callou thermal baths also offer traditional spa treatments.

Napoleon III Park. This 13-hectare English-style park was created in 1861 by order of Napoleon III on the site of a secondary branch of the Allier River. The work was carried out by engineer Jean-François Radoult de Lafosse and the planting was done by Moulins horticulturist Joseph Marie. The park has around 450 trees and 65 species from different continents.

The Napoleon III chalets. These colonial, English or Swiss-inspired chalets, which served as private residences for Napoleon III and the imperial entourage during their stays in Vichy, were built from 1862 onwards by architect Jean Lefaure on the edge of the new park.
No. 109: the Emperor's chalet, where Napoleon III stayed from 7 July to 5 August 1863.
No. 107: Emperor's Chalet. Napoleon III stayed here in 1864 and 1866. An "N" and an imperial crown are visible in the ironwork on the front door.

Between (2) and (3)

Rue Alquié. A row of English-style houses built from 1863 onwards by the architect Jean Lefaure to house the officers of the imperial guard who accompanied Napoleon III during his stays in Vichy.
Rue de Belgique. This street illustrates the proliferation of villas in the spa town between the end of^{the 19th} century and the first half of^{the 20th} century, in a variety of styles and cultural references.
Boulevard de Russie. This boulevard is lined with villas built between the 19th and the first half of the 20th century, reflecting the architectural eclecticism of the period.

Between (3) and (4)

Madame de Sévigné. A famous spa-goer, the Marquise made two spa visits to Vichy, in 1676 and 1677, to treat rheumatism in her hands and knees. In her letters to Madame de Grignan, the Marquise de Sévigné speaks of Vichy in these terms: "It is certain that the waters here are miraculous "; "So I took the waters this morning, my dearest. Ah! How nasty they are (...). We go to the fountain at six o'clock. Everyone is there. We drink, and we make a very ugly face, because, imagine, they are boiling hot and have a very unpleasant taste of saltpetre."

The Source des Célestins. The natural source of the most famous of Vichy's waters and the only one to be bottled. The spring takes its name from a^15th-century monastery built on the rock, of which only a section of wall remains today. The water gushes from the cracks in an aragonite rock. The neo-Louis XVI style pavilion was built in 1908. Free tasting.

Between (4) and (5)

The Lardy Thermal Baths. This former third-class brick bathhouse, built in 1937 by the architect Letrosne, is a reminder of the strict hierarchy of thermal baths at the beginning of the century. It was built near the Lardy spring, which was said at the time to "produce the same effects as champagne, particularly in women". The building now houses a university centre.

The old quarter of Vichy. This neighbourhood was built on the Célestins rock (263 m), where the population gathered in the Middle Ages, abandoning the baths district. Behind the church stood the castle of the Dukes of Bourbon. A strategic point for controlling the passage of the Allier River, the city was ruined by the Wars of Religion, and Henry IV subsequently ordered its dismantling.

The House of Albert Londres. This corner house with two turrets, built in brick around 1860 in a neo-medieval style, is the birthplace of the poet, journalist and reporter Albert Londres (1884-1932).

The Church of Saint-Blaise and Notre-Dame-Des-Malades. The former^15th-century chapel of Saint-Blaise was a place of fervent Marian worship due to the many miracles that took place there. The small chapel, which underwent extensive renovation in^{the 19th} century, is located at the rear of the modern church, with which it is connected.
Given the fervour of the faith and the influx of spa visitors to Vichy, the original chapel had to be enlarged: an Art Deco church, dedicated to Notre-Dame-des-Malades, was built between 1925 and 1937 by the architects Chanet and Liogier. The interior décor is rich in varied techniques (paintings, mosaics and stained glass windows) which contrast with the austerity of the building's exterior. The Mauméjan brothers created the stained glass windows with biblical themes that surround the nave (Nativity, Crucifixion, Mysteries of the Rosary, etc.).

Between (5) and (6)

Rue Hubert Colombier. A street lined with houses of all styles (Art Nouveau, Eclectic, Neoclassical, Neo-Gothic, etc.) that connects the spa district to old Vichy. Hubert Colombier, president of the Cusset court and owner of the Banque de Vichy, had this group of rental villas built by the architect Percilly between 1897 and 1900. Formerly private, a concierge's office occupied the half-timbered house at No. 20, built by the architect Vianne.

The Petit Casino. A place of entertainment built by architects Chanet and Liogier in 1929 and converted into a cultural centre in 1965. The former theatre and foyer have been preserved. The staircase is decorated with stained glass windows by Francis Chigot, master glassmaker from Limoges, symbolising Tragedy, Music and Comedy. The Valery Larbaud Cultural Centre now hosts a programme of contemporary music.

The Bandstand and the Horseshoe. This bandstand was built by architect Charles Lecœur in 1902. Emile Robert created the thistles and wrought iron musical staves on the balustrades. It hosts free open-air concerts from May to September. The seven bandstands in Vichy at the beginning of the century testify to the importance of music in the "Queen of Spa Towns". A shopping arcade, shaped like a horseshoe, surrounds the bandstand and extends the covered gallery around the Source de l'Hôpital.

Between (6) and (7)

The Palais des Congrès-Opéra. A jewel in the city's architectural heritage, the Palais des Congrès-Opéra consists of the former Grand Casino (which became the Palais des Congrès in 1995) and the Opera House, both modernised by Jean Guilhem de Castelbajac. The original building (Casino-Theatre), designed by architect Charles Badger in 1865 at the request of Napoleon III, combined a ballroom, a theatre, and gaming and entertainment rooms. But Vichy's reputation was such that in 1900, architect Charles Lecœur was commissioned to extend the building to the west, resulting in the new Art Nouveau theatre with 1,486 seats. The Opera House is the only Art Nouveau theatre in France decorated in gold and ivory colours.

The Church of Saint Louis. Among the spa rituals were religious services, which punctuated the spa guests' stay. In 1865, Napoleon III undertook the construction of a new place of worship, dedicated to Saint Louis, in the centre of the spa resort. The building was designed by architect Jean Lefaure in a neo-medieval style that combines references to Auvergne Romanesque art (general layout of the church, mosaics on the façade pediment), elements borrowed from the Burgundian Romanesque style (pilasters, fluting on the transept) and, finally, Gothic features (rose window on the façade). The stained glass windows in the choir, created by master glassmaker Antoine Lusson, depict the imperial family as saints: Saint Eugénie, Saint Hortense and Saint Napoleon appear on either side of Christ. In 1914, Alphonse Osbert created a mural to adorn the choir's roundabout on the theme of the glory of Saint Louis.
The church is directly connected to the Parc des Sources by the Giboin covered passageway, whose metal architecture was designed in 1887 by architect Antoine Percilly.

Between (7) and (8)

Passages and pedestrian streets. A lively district with cafés and brasseries, the 4 Chemins and pedestrian streets offer large terraces that are ideal for a break after a shopping trip in the shops, which are open every Sunday and public holiday throughout the year.

The Hall des Sources and the covered gallery. Built in 1903, the Hall des Sources currently houses the refreshment bars of the five springs used for drinking cures: Célestins, Lucas, Hôpital, Chomel and Grande Grille. Inspired by the "trinkalle" of German and Austro-Hungarian spas, this glass and cast iron structure is designed to blend in with the Parc des Sources. On either side of the park, a 700-metre-long covered gallery leads to the Palais des Congrès - Opéra.