Néris-les-Bains: off the tourist trail in France
The small towns and pretty countryside in France’s center have all the history, churches, cheese, wine and bread you desire, but most aren’t on prominent lists of places to visit. And yet you can have a lovely time, with plenty to do for a long weekend before you move on to your next stop. Or stay even longer if you want to settle into the rhythm of a place. One of my favorite towns is Néris-les-Bains, not right smack in the middle of the country, but close enough. Néris is three or more hours from Paris depending on where you start. Another four plus hours and you can be in Montpellier, after a drive through some beautiful, desolate country and across my favorite bridge, the Millau Viaduct.
I probably wouldn’t have found Néris
I probably wouldn’t have found Néris if friends hadn’t moved there from Nevers a long time ago. The first time I visited, I arrived at night after we drove from Paris. I’ve loved it since that first morning when I opened my shutters and looked across the park and rooftops to the mairie on the hillside opposite. As a foreigner, I felt unique back then. Even now, it’s likely that not many foreigners visit Néris. The French are another matter. Néris-les-Bains is a spa town that attracts people from around France who come for “the cure” during the half-year cure season. And while Néris might not be a major destination, it’s well worth a stop. The town itself has attractions and the area around Néris is loaded with sights that will entice visitors looking for more than the usual “must-sees.” It’s a quiet place to relax, go to the spa, and immerse yourself in France off the beaten trail.
A fountain near the spa
Néris-les-Bains – a thermal town in France’s heartland
I find Néris pretty and unpretentious about its long history. For a start, the church in Néris-les-Bains is going on 1,000 years old. The little Romanesque church is across the street from the bakeries, charcuterie, butcher shop and wine store. A miniature of I.M. Pei’s Louvre pyramid covers Gallo-Roman graves by the parking lot next to the church. Down at the municipal swimming pool, there are Roman swimming pools alongside a pretty park. As the park continues across the street into the center, the Belle Époque theater and casino face small hotels, guest houses and shops. The park ends at the spa where people come for “the cure.” Néris is also in the midst of rolling farm country with walking trails, and day trips galore to places that will amaze, partly because you might not have heard of them. Get a list of all the Romanesque churches in the area and go for it! And driving south, you quickly start climbing until your ears pop, up through some grand wilderness scenery toward the Massif Central, France’s dramatic central mountainous plateau with its extinct volcanoes.
Spa architecture
There’s been a town here at Néris for over 2,000 years because of the hot springs. The water is 127 degrees Fahrenheit (about 53 Celsius) when it emerges from 15,000 feet down. Local Gauls settled around the hot springs a long time before the Romans showed up and built their baths. For a while, Néris was a prosperous Roman settlement. And while the town’s fortunes have cycled up and down over time, the town has never disappeared. Now it’s a pretty place of about 2,700.
Néris’ population grows during the April through October spa season when curistes come to the springs for therapies. There are spa options for recreation and relaxation along with the therapeutic treatments for rheumatology, neurology and anxiety conditions. Relax and pretend you live here. Sometimes I just sit in the park, and if it’s the cure season, a lot of curistes will say hello. They probably think I’m there for the cure, too. There are worse things to do on a pretty afternoon. But I have found plenty of other things to do, too.
Getting to Néris and staying there – the basics
If you’re driving from Paris to the Mediterranean down the middle, you might drive through Néris. And yes, you need a car to get here without taking a really long walk or an infrequent local bus. The train reaches only as far as Montluçon, 5 miles (8 km) downhill and the closest airport is a little over an hour away in Clermont-Ferrand. If you’re exploring France’s center or heading south, stop in Néris and enjoy the pretty countryside for a short stay, or use Néris as a base to see the lovely – and probably under-visited – sights in the area.
Language. You don’t have to speak much French but it helps loads if you brush up on any French you’ve forgotten, or take an online or audio course. I was advised that while French helps, you can make yourself understood without it, although speaking French is part of the fun. But if you don’t know French, there are people in Néris with English skills, such as at Les Nériades spa and the wine store (La Cave des Toqués). I haven’t stayed in a hotel but I expect hotels have English speakers, as they appear from TripAdvisor reviews to have occasional UK guests.
Belle Époque theater
If you need serious translation help, or want an English speaker to show you around, ask at the nice Tourist Office. A local English speaker may be available for a reasonable fee. On the subject of speaking French, I saw a short article in the Wall Street Journal about the power of “bonjour.” If you can say nothing else at least make a practice of greeting people. It’s the nice thing to do. (“From the Expat Blog: The Power of ‘Bonjour’”, Wall Street Journal, February 2, 2016.)
When not to go. Locals say don’t come in November. I’ve been there in November, but I was staying with friends. Reason not to go: the spa season has ended, and a lot of cafés and shops close. After a long season, the owners take a break.
Where to stay. There are plenty of places to stay – hotels, guest houses, cottages, apartments, camping. I understand that during the spa season the many local rental cottages and apartments align their rental cycles to coincide with the spa’s three-week treatment periods. Unless you’re hiding out, writing your novel or really do want to immerse yourself, I don’t know that I can suggest a three-week program for Néris. Check hotels for shorter-term stays – there are a few on TripAdvisor – Mona Lisa, Hotel du Parc des Rivalles, Hotel Le Centre et Proxima. Also look on the Néris Tourist Office website for lodging options (http://www.ot-neris-les-bains.fr/) or do a quick online search.
Going local. The airy, efficient Visitors Center has books and other materials plus information on local events. On my most recent trip I bought a new history of Néris and a book of hiking trails. (Both are in French.) The trails look easy enough to follow, although I wouldn’t head out on one of the more distant hikes without talking to a local, say, at your hotel. But for the casual to moderately adventurous hiker there are lots of opportunities in the environs of Néris, plus more challenging mountain and river hikes nearby.
Montluçon
Montluçon is an industrial town down the hill from Néris that at first glance might not impress. But in the medieval center of town you’ll find the restored remnant of a Bourbon castle, a terrific bookstore (Le Talon d’Achille), some medieval churches, and cozied up beside the medieval buildings, the new and thoroughly modern Montluçon Museum of Popular Music, or Mupop. There are good restaurants scattered in the old and modern streets, and Montluçon is a good place to shop for anything you might need for the rest of your trip. You can also get things that you forgot to bring, like a bathing suit for the spa.
For more about Néris, see my posts “Patrimony and architecture” and “Some things to do for a short stay.”
Trip date: Most recent October 2015
