Photo : Stéphane Balanger / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Vichy
Vichy, sub-prefecture of the Allier, has about 25,000 inhabitants and stretches along the banks of the Allier, at the gates of the Bourbonnais. Its thermal springs have been known since Antiquity, but the town developed mainly in the nineteenth century. Between 1861 and 1870, Napoleon III stayed there regularly and supported its development into an elegant resort, whose urban planning and Belle Époque buildings still bear his mark. The Vichy pastille, created in 1825, has remained one of its specialities.
You discover the Parc des Sources, the Dômes thermal centre and many eclectic villas. From 1940 to 1944, Vichy was also the seat of the government of the French State of Marshal Pétain, a significant episode of its history. In 2021, the town was inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage with eleven other spa towns, under "The Great Spa Towns of Europe". Parks and pedestrian zones make the centre pleasant to explore on foot.
