Culture and Activities
Culture
Saint Pourçain: Saint Pourçain is an AOC ( “Appellation d'origine contrôlée”, or controlled designation of origin) for wine, and you can find the some of the oldest vineyards in France around the commune of Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule. The origin of the town goes back to the 5th century, when it was founded around a former monastery. The town’s interesting heritage can be discovered by starting your visit at the Place du Maréchal Foch, which is overshadowed by the silhouette of the clock tower. From there it is worth visiting are the Romanesque-Gothic style church, the beautiful Benedictine monastery, and the museum that is dedicated to the vineyards of Saint-Pourçain.
Vichy: has been famous since Roman times for its hot springs, which can supposedly ease numerous ailments. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the town was a popular meeting place for the upper echelons of European society. The thermal baths are located in the bath house, a building with a beautiful domed roof, which is reminiscent of a mosque.
The centre is filled with covered shopping streets and galleries. There are numerous hotels and great restaurants. Unsurprisingly, Vichy has several spas, and of course the water is also available in bottled form! More fun is to take your own empty bottles to the Source Célestin, where the healing water is available to the public through bronze faucets. The Source Célestin is located in the park along the river.
Vichy is certainly worth a visit!
Napoleon III heeft deze badplaats voor zijn vrouw Eugénie laten bouwen. Helaas bleken de bronnen niet heilzaam voor haar. Wel wordt elk voorjaar gedurende enkele dagen een groot feest georganiseerd in de prachtige kleding van die tijd. In de architectuur ziet men van deze periode heel veel terug. Deze stad is zeker een bezoek waard!
Markets and festivals: In the summer months most of the villages or towns in the region organizes their own festival or markets.For example La Fête Patronale in our village Monétay-sur-Loire. This is every year round 20 of august (saturday and sunday).
Suggested family outings:
Amusement park: When here with children, consider a day trip to Le PAL in Saint-Pourçain-sur-Besbre, (15 km). Le PAL is a combination of zoo and amusement park. The park was originally opened as a zoo in 1973 by founder André Charbonnier, and has grown since then. In the 25 years since opening the park has had over 280 000 visitors.
Take a day to discover the many exciting attractions of Le PAL: rollercoasters, a pirate ship, river descents, giant rafts, rides for the little ones and much more! Test the Alligator Bay, a journey through the Louisiana bayou, complete with water cannons, or the Twist, a 470m long rollercoaster with a highest point of 22m.
In the zoo you can get acquainted with the chimps, elephants (including the two that were born in the park), giraffes, lions, tigers, bears, zebras, meerkats, lemurs to name a few.... animals from all over the world live here. Throughout the day there are free shows, with seals and birds of prey stealing the show.
In short, Le PAL is absolutely worth a visit with the whole family!
Physical activities
Golf: is always a pleasant combination of sport, social activity and nature. Now try playing a few holes in the French countryside!
Hiking and cycling: France is walking country – it has such varied landscapes and an extensive walking network. The Allier is no exceptions, with beautiful landscapes and a wealth of animals and plants. To help discover all this beauty, there are hundreds of kilometres of walking and cycling routes.
Swim and play: The Allier is full of natural water sources. The nearest spot for swimming and sunbathing (with a lifeguard in the summer months) is the communal inland beach in Pierrefitte-sur-Loire.
