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Vichy, a UNESCO-listed spa town

Published 28 October 2026

In July 2021, UNESCO added eleven European spa towns to the World Heritage List under the name « Great Spa Towns of Europe ». Vichy is the only French town in the group, alongside Bath, Spa, Baden-Baden and Karlovy Vary.

The listing recognises a whole ensemble: springs, buildings for treatments and leisure, and parks designed for spa guests to stroll in, from the 18th to the early 20th century.

The UNESCO walking route

1. The Parc des Sources. Created by decree of Napoleon I in 1812, it is lined with 700 metres of covered wrought-iron galleries. The town completed its restoration in June 2026, with a rose garden of more than 550 rose bushes.
2. The Hall des Sources. Built between 1898 and 1902, it brings together the drinking fountains of the Grande Grille, Chomel, Lucas, Mesdames, Parc, Hôpital and Célestins springs.
3. The Opera and the Palais des Congrès. The Opera, opened in 1901, is a rare Art Nouveau ensemble, decorated by Léon Rudnicki.
4. The Grand établissement thermal, with its dome and neo-Moorish decoration.
5. The Napoléon III parks and the chalets on boulevard des États-Unis, built for the emperor and his court, who came to take the waters between 1861 and 1866.
6. The Célestins spring, in its pavilion, which gave its name to the bottled water.

Allow half a day on foot, more with the guided tour of the Opera.

A spa town museum coming soon

In 2026 the town launched a project for a museum spread over several sites. The first, at the Hôpital spring, is due to open in 2027.

Stay in the heart of the listed area

Our apartments in the spa quarter are within the UNESCO area, a few minutes from the Parc des Sources. The Résidence Aristide Briand is even in a listed building, a stone's throw from the parks.