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Guided coach tour (coach not provided by Tourist Office) |  |
Panoramic
tour of Vichy, starting from the Tourist Office and taking in
the Parc des Sources, the Palais des Congrès Opéra, the Chalets
and
Parcs Napoléon III, the Centre des Célestins, the Centres Thermaux
des
Dômes and Callou, the Lac d'Allier, the Rotonde du Lac, the Pont de
l'Europe, the migrating fish observatory, the man-made canoeing course,
the Centre Omnisports Pierre Coulon, the Youth Centre, the open-air
theatre, the Palais du Lac, the race-course, the golf club, the intermittent
Bellerive spring, the Pont de Bellerive, the Pavillon Sévigné,
the Chastel
Franc, the Parc Kennedy, and the Source des Célestins.
You will also catch a glimpse of Old Vichy, the Church of St-Blaise, the
municipal library, the Centre Culturel Valéry Larbaud, Cavilam, the
Parc
des Sources, the Source de l'Hôpital, the bandstand, the Hall des Sources,
etc.
|
Second Empire guided tour on foot "Vichy's Golden Age" | |
Napoléon
III and Vichy
On arriving in Vichy, the emperor said: "I shall endeavour to make my
presence here useful". His five stays (1861-1866) in the resort changed
the image of the town : he put in place a veritable charter of town-
planning : outline plans for boulevards, the building of a casino, parks,
a town hall, a church and several examples of domestic architecture
including the magnificent chalets by the Allier.
Many of these are still objects of admiration for today's visitors. At the
start of the 20th century, the town's spa buildings were modernised and
Vichy entered upon one of the most shining periods in its history.
Vichy's Golden Age was now affirmed.
This tour in brief : the Parc and Hall des Sources, the exterior of the Palais
des Congrès Opéra, Villa Strauss, the Church of St-Louis, parks
and
chalets, the Galeries Napoléon III, the bay-windowed houses, the Grand
Etablissement Thermal etc...
|
Guided
tour on foot on Vichy, "Capital of the french state 40-44" |
|
22
June 1940 : the armistice signed at Rethondes put the seal on France's
ilitary defeat and signalled the end of the German military offensive.
The French government had left Paris on 10 June 1940, and the great exile
began : moving from the Touraine to Bordeaux and then on to Clermont-
Ferrand, it ended in early July 1940 in Vichy.
The large number of hotels and the existence of a modern telephone
exchange were deciding factors in the government's decision to choose
Europe's leading spa town as its home. Hotels and villas were requisitioned
and were to house the ministries and civil servants of the French State
until August 1944 : Vichy had become a capital city. The Grand Casino,
the Petit Casino, the Pavillon Sévigné and the Hôtel du
Parc are just some
of the places whose history was marked by these events, and through
them we can rediscover these troubled times in the history of France. It
was a period of intense agitation in Vichy, and from the splendour of
diplomatic life to the most appalling privation, everyone and everything
was caught up in the teeming Vichy of those years.
Group
rates : 5 € per person, minimum of 93 € on weekdays.
Group rates : 6 € per person, minimum of 112 € on Sundays
and
public holidays.
Starts from : Vichy Tourist Office - 19, Rue du Parc.
Duration of tour : approx 1hr 30.
Bookings only : 15 days ahead.
|
Guided tour on foot of "Old Vichy" | |
Old
Vichy has certainly played an essential part in the story of the resort.
it is the historic cradle of today's Vichy, and its buildings retrace the
major
events in the town's story. Passing through its streets you can trace the
town's medieval past and admire one of the key monuments among Vichy's
spa buildings: the Source des Célestins. Old Vichy is also where you
can
find nowadays the town's main cultural sites, and this heterogeneousness
is the very essence of this little-known part of the town.
The itinerary includes : a tour of the Church of St-Blaise and the adjoining
streets, traces of the medieval town, the Source and Parc des Célestins,
the Pavillon Sévigné, the Place de la Source de l'Hôpital
and also the
various
edifices of a cultural nature.
Tours in French
5 € per person, minimum of 93 € per tour on weekdays
6 € per person, minimum of 112 € per tour on Sundays and public
holidays.
Tours in other languages
6 € per person, minimum of 112 € per tour on weekdays
7 € per person, minimum of 130 € per tour on Sundays and public
holidays.
Starts from : Tourist Office - 19, Rue du Parc
Duration of tour : approx. 1hr 30
Bookings only : 15 jours ahead
|
Guided tour "Opera House Convention Center" | |
The Opera-House,
room of 820 seats, was built on order of Napoleon III by the Architect Charles
Badger and was inaugurated on July 2 nd 1865. It is the most elegant place
and a masterpiece of the architectural and musical patrimony of the town.
This casino-Théatre of Vichy which is literally the french expression
at that time, soon becomes the first building of entertainement in Vichy in
1900 ; 2000 people each day want to attend the different performances at the
Napoleon III theatre in Vichy which soon becomes too small.
The extending of the Casino-Theatre has been made possible by a vast project
of modernization of the town.
The old building remains inserted in the new construction. The superficy is
more doubled and each room is used for different purposes in redistributed
areas.
The big room of Opera, work of Charles Lecoeur, Lucien Woog and Jules Simon,
inaugurated in 1903 can be used for all lyric and choregraphic performances.
It can seat more than 1400 people, this room is at that time, the biggest
provincial theatre room. Perfect example of "Art nouveau", it shows
in an harmony of gold and ivory, a marvellous decoration of masks, lyres,
faces and flowers from the french painter stage designer, Leon Rudnicki.
1995, construction of the Convention Centre and renovation of the ancient
listed parts :
- installations of the Casino-Théatre from Napoleon III (transformed
in a gambling room in 1900).
- restoration in the original style of theatre and of the patrimony rooms
with discreet insertions of technical functions.
- installation of the basements of the theatre
- creation of
modern areas : convention rooms, restaurants, bar, kitchens, communications
areas
- this new Convention Centre has been created by a team of architects conducted
by Jean Guilhem de Castelbajac, Frédéric Namur et Guy Degranchamps
and namely the stained glass artist such as Bernard Pictet and the sculptor
Michael Prentice.
ONLY
FROM MONDAY TO FRIDAY
Tours in French
5 € per person, minimum of 93 € per tour on weekdays
Tours in other languages
6 € per person, minimum of 112 € per tour on weekdays
Starts from : Tourist Office - 19, Rue du Parc
Duration of tour : approx. 1hr 30
Bookings only : 15 jours ahead
|
Guided tour on foot of "Vichy Hôtels" | |
Since the 17th century, most of people coming to Vichy are seeking the therapeutic
values of the mineral waters.
All these people must find accomodation according to their budget, either
in the local families or in local inns.
One has to wait the end of the 18th century to find a hotel in Vichy.
Since then it was the beginning of the big thermal activity. In the 1930's,
there are about 250 hotels in Vichy from all categories.
A guided tour around main hotels will make you discover an amazing period
which is nevertheless not so remote.
Tours in French
5 € per person, minimum of 93 € per tour on weekdays
6 € per person, minimum of 112 € per tour on Sundays and public
holidays
Tours in others languages
6 € per person, minimum of 112 € per tour on weekdays
7 € per person, minimum of 130 € per tour on Sundays and public
holidays
Starts from : Tourist Office - 19, Rue du Parc
Duration of tour : approx. 1hr 30
Bookings only : 15 jours ahead
- Main headings -
|
Road | Rail | Air
| Nature | Architecture
| Culture | The town
|
Around Vichy |
Water
therapy | Opera | Golf
| Discovery | Racing|
Works council | Sports
& Leisure | Health & Beauty | Water
cures | Events | Group tours | Tours
for individuals | Bookings |Convention
centre | Opera | Hotels
| Furnished lets | Tourist
apartments | Campsites | Restaurants
& shopping |