Vichy
Awarded UNESCO World Heritage status
Queen of the region’s thermal spa resorts, Vichy is a place where the cult of well-being has long reigned. One historic, refined quarter follows another, but each has its own distinctive atmosphere. The quarter dominated by the thermal springs has been popular for centuries, but was transformed in the 19th, with wrought-iron walkways, English-style smart terraced houses along Rue Alquié, eclectic, splendid façades along Rue de Belgique, plus, elsewhere, colonial-style villas built in Napoleon III’s time, a bandstand and the Art Nouveau theatre-cum-casino. Both the Romantic-style parks in town and the banks of the Allier offer splendid choices for relaxing in the sun, meeting up for a drink, or even heading out for a jog. Vichy means all this, and much more!
