{"id":2507,"date":"2009-09-05T05:11:46","date_gmt":"2009-09-05T04:11:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/frenchduck.com\/latest\/?p=2507"},"modified":"2025-03-15T15:20:03","modified_gmt":"2025-03-15T15:20:03","slug":"what-does-vichy-make-you-think-of","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/frenchduck.com\/latest\/what-does-vichy-make-you-think-of\/","title":{"rendered":"Vichy – What does Vichy make you think of?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Vichy <\/strong>(03 Allier, ARA<\/span><\/em>) celebrates its Napoleon III Festival<\/strong> (Vichy F\u00eate Napoleon III<\/em> )- 13 – 15 June 2025<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Le Lac d’Allier, Vichy<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Vichy has been tied to the Bonaparte family since 1799, when the mother of Napoleon I came to the spa town for a treatment. It was under this empire that the Parc des Sources was created.However, it was the nephew of Napoleon I, Louis-Napol\u00e9on Bonaparte, or Napoleon III, that truly transformed the city. He came to Vichy<\/strong> five times for treatments, and ordered the construction of a new park, roads, a dyke along the Allier River, a church and a city hall. Napoleon III also brought the railway to Vichy and inaugurated the Opera-Casino in 1865. These improvements in infrastructure helped him in his goal of making Vichy<\/strong> a world class spa destination, the \u201cQueen of the spa towns\u201d, to rival the great spas of Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

see www.allier-auvergne-tourisme.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To give homage to Napol\u00e9on III\u2019s efforts for the town, hundreds of participants dress in period costumes and take over the city of Vichy<\/strong>. The opening of the festival is at the Opera-Casino with a lyrical concert highlighting the songs and dances of the time period. For more info see https:\/\/www.vichy-destinations.fr\/<\/a>
The town of Vichy<\/strong> is truly honored during the festival with dramatized guided tours and horse drawn carriage rides, allowing visitors to discover the unique architecture of the spa town and its Imperial history.
Also on the programme are presentations of military relics and parlour dancing demonstrations in the Parc Thermal<\/strong>. Be sure not to miss one of the highlights of the weekend: the parade through the streets of Vichy<\/strong> with over 300 dancers and musicians.
For an unforgettable evening, there\u2019s dinner and dancing at the Op\u00e9ra-Casino, with a traditional meal prepared by local chefs (in traditional costumes of course!). The historical monument is the perfect setting for discovering the music and dances of the Second Empire.<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Some place names conjure up an image automatically \u2013 e.g. the Somme<\/strong> and World War One and Vichy<\/strong>, the ignominious seat of a disgraceful regime during the occupation of France by Hitler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet get behind those images \u2013 and, for example. the Somme<\/strong> is a delightful landscape of rolling hills, sandy beaches and a haven for wildlife!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly Vichy<\/strong> (03 Allier, ARA) is a pleasant and elegant spa town. It was apparently chosen by Marechal Petain as the seat of government because it had plenty of hotels which could be taken over for ministerial offices and accommodation for the bureaucrats. And because it was the site of the collaborationist Petain government in World War II the city was not bombed or otherwise damaged during the war – hence its architecture was preserved including many art deco<\/em> and art nouveau<\/em> treasures!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It seems remarkably isolated compared to other cities in the so-called \u201cfree zone\u201d \u2013 such as Lyon or Clermont Ferrand. And that situation, being off the major routes, makes it peaceful and relaxing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The town possesses many fine hotels \u2013 and the Hotel de Ville \u2013 of the late 19th<\/sup> Century \u2013 but nowadays there are plenty of modern buildings to house tourists or those who come for the beneficial effects of the Spa \u2013 Thermes \u2013 and the waterfront alongside the river\/lake (the Allier) offer more energetic pursuits.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Hotel
City Hall, Vichy<\/font><\/font><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

To reach Vichy<\/strong> from the north take the A77 autoroute to Nevers<\/strong> and Moulins<\/strong> and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n

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There is a train service direct from Paris Gare de Lyon<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B&Bs, self-catering apartments and Hotels<\/a> in Vichy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


The locals are called Vichyssoises – also the name given to a classic cold leek and potato soup – so-named by the creative chef who lived near Vichy. Also known for Vichy Water – an effervescent mineral water which has been bottled in the region for many years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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see our Top 30 vineyard B&Bs in France<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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find cheap flights and plane tickets<\/a><\/span> from Booking.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n

somewhere to stay, a ferry, a train or car hire?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Frenchvineyard<\/strong>.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n


stay on a French vineyard<\/mark><\/a><\/strong> – over 250 vineyards featured across France – hotels, B&B, self-catering \"\"<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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