Néris-les-Bains: some things to do for a short stay
One thing I like about staying in the French spa town Néris-les-Bains is the “total immersion.” You go about your daily business along with people who live there or who are there for the cure.
Stock up before you leave town
Go to the grocery store. The homeopathic pharmacy (I’m a frequent visitor – they have all kinds of other products along with the meds). Breathe deeply while standing on line at the bakery – the aromas are delicious and very low calorie. The bread, pastries and cakes are delicious, too. Stop by the wine store (La Cave des Toqués) and have a chat with Marie that will segue from English to French and back (and don’t forget to buy some wine). Take walks in the countryside. Walk around town and see the architecture. Go to Mass at the ancient St. George’s church if you’re of a mind to. Take day trips to see heritage sights in France’s center.
Start your stay at the tourist office. The last time I went, the staff were pleasant but no one working that morning spoke English. However, I got on fine. Visit the tourist office website here.
Sign in Néris
Around town in Néris-les-Bains
In the center of town, there’s a theater, casino, a pretty little park, and Les Thermes and Les Nériades spas. I’ve been to both spas, and recommend a visit to Les Nériades which opened in 2014. Les Nériades is oriented to the general visitor rather than the curiste. Also in town there are tennis courts and a covered municipal swimming pool. I’ve never gone to the casino (which seems usually to be open) or used the pool and tennis courts. I walk by them a lot – that’s about it. I tend not to be in Néris during theater season, but you can also go to Montluçon for theater (it will help if your French is pretty good).
The rail bed trail – walking and biking. For just a few years, a train brought people up to a grand train station for the town’s spas. Arched viaducts carried the tracks across deep valleys. The train service didn’t last, but now the rail bed has been transformed into a pedestrian and biking trail – about 4 miles (6.4 km) downhill to the edge of Montluçon. I’ve walked the trail on sunny days, rainy days, warm and cool days. From the viaducts there’s a view of Montluçon in one direction and farmland in the other. Depending on which field a farmer has opened for grazing, you might meet Charolais cattle close up across the fence, or see them as white specks on a hillside. The trail is part of the national trail system and is marked accordingly. It’s an easy walk.
This cat speaks French
The lake walk and town perimeter
Another easy walk is along the trail around the local (artificial) lake and through the adjacent park. I’ve also walked around parts of the Néris perimeter. You can’t get really lost if you orient by the church tower. At worst, you have to retrace your steps, and that’s not at all bad. Another walk I like is going straight through town and out the other side. Walk away from the Visitor Center, then past Les Nériades spa and walk uphill for another view of town and the church. The countryside is so close on this walk that you’re soon out of town at a small farm where you can stop at the fence and say hello to the black and white cows.
Lunching in Néris. During the spa season you can get a nice lunch at several small cafés and restaurants. I’ve enjoyed lunch at both La Brasserie and La Compté. There’s also Bistro Chic near the casino, but I haven’t been there. Check the Néris Tourism website or TripAdvisor for other recommendations and note opening hours which vary and don’t always coincide with your expectations. If you’re self-catering, there’s a small grocery store in Néris that meets almost all needs. You can also buy bread, cheese, meat, charcuterie and wine at the shops on the main street, which is one of the pleasures of being there. Montluçon has a lot of dining options and larger grocery stores if you’re down that way.
Countryside from the rail bed trail
Going to the Spa
I have visited the spa in Néris. After all, that’s why the town’s there. I suggest Les Nériades which opened in 2014 and offers several massages and treatments along with a natural spring water pool, a Hamman and sauna. After an emergency run to Decathalon in Montluçon to buy a swim suit, I signed up for a gommage peel and a California massage. Plus 90 minutes in the pool.
Les Nériades’ pool is not large, but pool sessions are timed so you won’t be crowded. The water was warm but I’d have liked it to be hotter. I expected to feel like a lobster in a pot. The 90 minutes in the pool went rather speedily. There are zones to try – the giant Jacuzzi, bubbly massage platforms, a shallow pool with underwater sound, and beyond some plastic verticals, an outdoor area that must be nice on the right day, and would have been nicer on a cold day if the pool water had been hotter.
There is a Hamman and a sauna – I skipped the sauna and went straight for the black-tile Hamman’s hot eucalyptus-scented steam. The first couple of breaths were stifling, but once I could breathe again, it was sort of intoxicating to be immersed in vaporized eucalyptus.
Les Nériades spa
Feeling very cleansed, I awaited my massage in a pleasant room that viewed the pool. Some guests relaxed and sipped flavored water. I practiced all the things I expected to say to the masseuse, like I was going to take a French exam. Both gommage and massage went well in spite of my linguistic limitations. Les Nériades sells a variety of spa products if you want to take your treatment home with you. Make an appointment as soon as you get to town, or before you arrive. There is at least one (maybe more) reception staff who have pretty good English if that’s an issue.
Day trips. Here’s a list of ideas (without web links) for short and long day trips from Néris. It’s not comprehensive – there are plenty of others, too. Pick up a tourist map and choose a direction.
Don’t neglect nearby Montluçon’s old town and the Mupop music museum. Also Château de Meillant, Château de Culan, Tronçais Forest, Gorges de la Sioule (try kayaking here), Vulcania theme park (yep, volcanoes, and especially good for kids), Château de Boussac. Drive to Clermont-Ferrand and see the cathedral made from black lava stone (a sunny day is a good idea for viewing a big, black, Gothic building). A favorite: drive to Moulins, have a nice lunch and if you see nothing else, go to the Moulins cathedral and check when the triptych painted by the Master of Moulins (Jean Hay) in the late 1400s is open for viewing. Unbelievable. Add to this a nice long visit to the National Center for Theatrical Costumes and Scenography just across the river. On the way back to Néris, stop at Souvigny and visit the priory church and gardens. This large church was built from the 10th to 15th centuries, and if it were in a more visited part of France, it would be on everyone’s “must see” list.
Trip date: Most recent October 2015