Explore

A good base for the Allier and the Auvergne.

You will want a car, and you will be glad of it. The Domaine sits in quiet countryside with Vichy about thirty minutes away, and a great deal worth seeing in between.

VichyAbout thirty minutes away. A UNESCO-listed spa town — one of the Great Spa Towns of Europe — with thermal baths, a belle-époque opera house, long parks and the river.
MarketsThe weekly markets of the Allier, for the cheese, the bread and the rest of the week’s cooking.
VillagesThe Bourbonnais is full of them — old stone, quiet squares and a boulangerie worth the detour.
Walking & cyclingPaths from the gate, and quiet lanes beyond it for anyone who has brought a bike.
Food & wineProducers, vineyards and the small places locals eat at. We will point you at the good ones.
Days outChâteaux, gorges, forests and the volcanoes of the Auvergne, all within a comfortable drive.

Inside the Hall des Sources in Vichy: a glazed roof on slender white iron columns, green vaulted ceiling panels and the tiled Celestins drinking fountain below. — The Hall des Sources, the streets of the spa town, and the lake.Hall des Sources: photograph by Calips, cropped, CC BY-SA 3.0.

A sunlit street in Vichy: belle-époque facades with iron balconies, awnings over the shopfronts, a corner turret and people walking in the shade of the plane trees. — The Hall des Sources, the streets of the spa town, and the lake.Hall des Sources: photograph by Calips, cropped, CC BY-SA 3.0.

We are still driving these roads ourselves, so rather than publish journey times we have not checked, we will add proper distances, timings and our own recommendations as we verify them. If there is somewhere you are curious about, ask us.