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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 44 degrees Celsius, or 111.2 degrees Fahrenheit. 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.
