In France’s central region of Auvergne, some 200 volcanoes have shaped the landscape into rolling hills, meadows, lakes and waterfalls. Though dormant, volcanic energy still pulses through the region, and mineral-rich springs have created one of Europe’s most distinctive — though overlooked — wellness destinations.
France's tradition of thermalism dates back to Roman times, but its tradition of hydrotherapy, known as les cures thermales, is not simply about soaking to relax. While many countries around the world swear by the curative properties of their hot springs, France sets itself apart by integrating them into its healthcare system. French doctors can prescribe spa stays in one of the country’s one hundred and thirteen thermal spas, which means that those suffering from a series of ailments can take the waters as state-funded guests for three week-long stints. In 2024, over 470,000 French people undertook thermal cures in France, targeting a series of chronic rheumatological, dermatological, or respiratory conditions.
The Spa Route of the Massif Central runs through 17 spa towns spread across four regions in central France, constituting an important part of France’s tourism industry, particularly in the rural and mountainous regions of France’s interior. In Auvergne, a rich tradition of thermalism took off in the 19th century, when spas became not only places of medical treatment, but centres of social life, attracting artists, aristocrats, writers and political figures.
Yet despite its famous travellers, breathtaking countryside and renowned gastronomy, this corner of central France remains largely under the radar. “Auvergne is more of a secret than a province,” journalist Alexandre Vialatte famously wrote of his native region. “It’s when you’ve found it that you seek it the most.” These are the loveliest spa towns across Auvergne, France's lesser-known wellness region.
Vichy
The hot springs of Vichy were first harnessed by the Romans, who established the Aquae Calidae (hot waters) in the first century B.C. But it wasn’t until much later, during the Second Empire, that Vichy rose to prominence under Emperor Napoleon III, who transformed the town into a luxurious spa destination with grand hotels, parks and a casino. “I like Vichy more than anywhere else because it’s all my creation”, he declared in 1864. The town continues to celebrate its founding history with a dedicated festival every month of May, in which locals parade down the streets in period costumes.
The town’s architectural jewel is the Hall des Sources, also known as the Trinkhalle – a pavilion located on the source of the Chomel and Grande Grille springs. Open, airy and bright, the hall was constructed between 1898 and 1902 by Gustave Simon, following plans by Charles Le Cœur, who drew inspiration from European spa towns such as Marienbad after studying German and Austro-Hungarian thermal architecture.
The hall features a metal structure enhanced by ironworker Émile Robert, who designed elegant Art Nouveau-style railings and reproduced the thistle motif from the promenade gallery. In 1928, the central space was opened up by removing the gargling fountains and the skylight was raised and fitted with diamond-shaped panes to limit the greenhouse effect.
Today, visitors continue to come for treatments of digestive and rheumatological ailments and stay at the town’s many hotels, such as the five-room townhouse Maison Decoret or the Célestins Thermal Spa & Hotel, the first in France to offer a “digital detox” stay. It was in fact Vichy’s ample hotel capacity that led to the darkest chapter in the town’s history, when Marshal Pétain declared it the capital of the French State in July 1940 and installed himself on the third floor of the Hôtel du Parc.
Mont-Dore
“How beautiful the Mont-Dore baths are! How is it that people hardly know they exist? They are a true monument.” Over a century after they were written, the words of Armantine Lucile Aurore Dupin de Francueil — best known by her pen name George Sand — still resonate. The French novelist visited in August 1888, a time when water cures were becoming increasingly popular among the French bourgeoisie and Mont-Dore’s guests included literary and political luminaries such as Marcel Proust, Honoré de Balzac and Georges Clémenceau.
In 1887, Guy de Maupassant made the nearby town of Châtel-Guyon the setting for his novel Mont Oriol or A Romance of Auvergne, reflecting the literary fascination with Auvergne’s spa towns during the 19th century.
With the Puy de Sancy volcano towering over them, the Thermes du Mont-Dore are known for their silica-rich waters, which emerge at temperatures of up to 44ºC. But as Sand remarked, the baths are worth visiting for their architecture alone, built in 1817 by architect Louis-Charles François in a striking neo-Byzantine style.
“Entering under these dark porticoes, wandering beneath these silent vaults, it seemed to me that I was truly entering the baths that were built under Caesar on this very spot,” Sand wrote. Behind an austere lava stone façade lie dazzling interiors decorated with paintings, mosaics and polychrome frescoes. In 1989, several elements, including two grand staircases, were listed as historical monuments.
Royat
Overlooking the city of Clermont-Ferrand below, Royat-Chamalières is an elegant spa town on the Tiretaine river, flowing down the granite plateau and cascading down in waterfalls. The Romans discovered the health benefits of the springs and named the place Rubeacum, meaning “red waters” in reference to the red pozzolana volcanic ash. Its waters are particularly effective in treating cardiovascular and rheumatic conditions.
After the source was rediscovered in 1844, doctors and tourists descended on the town and transformed it into a temple of hydrotherapy, with Napoleon III himself coming to open the new thermal baths in 1856, and the most famous of the town’s springs was renamed after his wife, Empress Eugénie. A wave of celebrities and foreign royalty followed: Belgian King Léopold II and King Edward VII of England, as well as writers and artists Camille Corot, Georges Sand, Colette and Sarah Bernhardt. Tourists arrived all the way from Scotland seeking cures in Royat’s waters, promoting it abroad with the publication of travelogues and tourist guides.
Today, the Royat-Chamalières is the only thermal spa in town, offering treatments such as mud baths and featuring a counter-current walking corridor popular with those suffering from arthritis. The main pavilion, designed by architect Agis Ledru, reflects elegant Belle Époque architecture with grand facades, stained-glass windows, and ornate interiors. Its main hall, built out of arkose, a honey-coloured sandstone, features statues evoking the town’s Gallo-Roman past.
Guests can bathe in the town’s history at the Hôtel Royal Saint Mart, which has been run by the same family since 1853 and is surrounded by vast manicured gardens. A short drive away in Durtol, chef Xavier Beaudiment serves up quintessential Auvergne dishes at Hotel Restaurant Le Pré.
Bourbon-l’Archambault
Aside from being famous for its thermal waters, Bourbon-l’Archambault is the proud birthplace of the Bourbon dynasty. The royal name is believed to have derived from Borvo, the Celtic god of healing springs. Though the Romans were the first to dip their toes in the bubbling 53ºC waters, its thermal baths entered their golden age in the 17th century when Charles Delorme, physician to King Louis XIV and originally from the nearby town of Moulins, popularised the town among Versailles society.
Under Louis XIV and Louis XV, members of the royal court made frequent visits, elevating Bourbon-l’Archimbault’s reputation and transforming it into a fashionable destination. The town got another boost when the Prince of Talleyrand, then minister of foreign affairs, came to treat his clubfoot, returning to take the waters almost every year from 1801 to 1832.
The Grand Hotel Montespan-Talleyrand in the heart of town bears his name alongside that of Madame de Montespan, a favourite of Louis XIV who sought treatment in the waters from 1676. For those seeking a more secluded retreat, the Château d’Origny-Neuvy, just outside Moulins, offers just five guest rooms in a sprawling renovated domaine built in 1875.
Bourbon l’Archimbault’s current thermal establishment, completed in 1885, was designed by the same architect behind Vichy’s — Charles Le Coeur — and stands as a masterpiece of Belle Époque design, with carved wooden ceilings and frescoes by the celebrated ceramist Léon Parvillée. Aside from treating the usual rheumatological conditions, Bourbon l’Archimbault’s sulphurous waters are effective in treating endometriosis and other gynaecological ailments. Its signature therapy is the hydromassage bath, prescribed for its invigorating and restorative effects.