This small city on the Allier River has been known since the Roman era for its hot and cold springs, and reputed cures for rheumatism, arthritis and digestive complaints. The celebrated letter writer Madam de Sevigne and the daughters of Louis XV came here in the late 17th and 18th centuries - the former compared the showers to "a rehearsal for Purgatory". The visits of Napoleon III in the 1860's put Vichy on the map and made taking the waters fashionable.

The small town was spruced up and became a favorite among the French nobility and the world's wealthy middle classes. A summer day in downtown Vichy is not much different now from a hundred years ago. In the morning, wealthy Parisians emerge from their hotels to sip from the famous springs that supposedly restores youth. After lunching at posh cafes, they spend the afternoon strolling through the manicured parks. By evening they are dressed for the opera or for informal concerts in the gardens.

The haze of the past grandeur is intentional. Vichy moors itself in the days when its history recorded little other than the comings and goings of Napoleon III because more recent events are too painful to recall. From 1940-1944, sedate Vichy was the capital of France. Forced by the occupying German forces to leave Paris, the French government set up shop in this central spa town. Understandably, today's Vichy has chosen to preserve its memories of the Belle Epoque, rather than those dark days of the 20th century.

Vichy's fortunes changed for the better once again in the 1960's with the damming of the Allier, creating a huge lake in the center of town. Vichy soon became a thriving center for water sports and international events. Today the focal point of life in Vichy is the Parc des Sources in the center of town, with it turn of the century bandstand, Belle Epoque glass roofed shopping centers, and the Grand Casino and Opera House. Here there is gambling every afternoon and musical performances in the evenings, and an atmosphere of gaiety pervades. Also open to the public are the beautiful bronze taps of the Source Celestin, in a riverside park containing vestiges of a convent by the same name.

Vichy is a great jumping off point to many sites of interest within France. Within a relatively short distance of the city you will have the chance to visit renaissance and medieval castles, romanesque churches, beautiful villages, and the most beautiful oak forests in Europe. During the summers you may even decide to spend the weekend along the Mediterranean in places such as Nice, Cannes or any number of other beautiful seaside towns. Vichy lies 350 km south of Paris, 3 hours by the fast TGV trains several times each day. Lyons lies 160 km to the east and bus travel is frequent as well as air service from Paris. Clermont Ferrand is 48km and also offers domestic air service from Paris.

We are confident that you will find Vichy to be a wonderful place to begin your discovery of France.