Néris-les-Bains,
one of the Most Beautiful Detours in France
Les Plus Beaux Détours de France (The Most Beautiful Detours in France) are just over a hundred small towns in France where it's good to live and good to stop for a few hours or a few days.
Accommodation, restaurants and shops provide everything you need for a relaxing break.
There's also a wealth of heritage sites and events to discover, some of which are close to home but little-known.
You can find Néris-les-Bains on the Plus Beaux Détours website, as well as Lapalisse in the Allier department.
Pavillon du Lac
Casino
Fountain in bloom
Situated in the south-west of the Allier, at the crossroads of several départements and close to the Auvergne volcanoes, Néris-les-Bains combines well-being, nature and a gentle way of life.
Known since ancient times, the benefits of the thermal waters of Néris-les-Bains are renowned today for treating rheumatological and neurological ailments.
The town has preserved many traces of its history: Roman pools and remains of the theatre-amphitheatre; medieval church and Merovingian necropolis; thermal baths, theatre, casino and villas from the Belle Epoque, the golden age of fashionable spas.
Don't miss the Gallo-Roman museum, with its fine collection of local remains that bear witness to the city's wealth in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD; and the Pavillon du Lac, a former railway station and magnificent art-deco building that now hosts weddings, exhibitions and conferences.
The parks, planted with flowers and trees, and the lake invite you to take a stroll. The many signposted footpaths are ideal for hiking.
The 'Les Nériades' spa is ideal for discovering the benefits of thermal water and relaxing. The town has a tennis complex, a 60-hectare golf course and a casino.
Belle Epoque festival
Concert on the Esplanade
Musical Days
Lumières sur le Bourbonnais
The resort comes alive throughout the spa season. Plays, concerts, gourmet and craft markets, exhibitions and fairs are scheduled from April to November. The Belle-Epoque festival on 14 July takes the resort back to the 19th century, and the Nérisienne on the 1st Sunday in October brings men and women together in the fight against breast cancer.
Potato pâté and pompe aux grattons are culinary specialities of the Bourbonnais region. Nérius, a delicious dessert made with almonds and praline, was created in Néris-les-Bains.
Viaduct
At the Cournauron lake
Gallo-Roman Museum
