Promenade détente et historique face au Chalet de l’Empereur
Admirer le parc napoléon III richement fleuri et verdoyant : un bain de jouvence !
Isidor nous emmène à l’ancien Casino-théâtre de Napoléon III, aujourd’hui Palais des Congrès
Idéale pour les groupes : la wagonnette 10 places : confort et aisance assurés
La célèbre pastille de Vichy dans le Parc des Sources admirée par Isidor et Galopin
Promenade détente et historique face au Chalet de l’Empereur
Visit Vichy
iscover Vichy at the pace of a horse-drawn carriage.
Françoise, a professional carriage driver and art historian, offers guided tours on various themes and in several languages.
Departures
Du mercredi au dimanche et jours fériés
à 14h, 15h, 16h, 17h et 18h, sauf si la température est supérieure à 30°, les promenades en calèche seront le matin à partir de 10 heures. Ceci est pour le bien être des chevaux.
Rendez-vous devant l'Office du Tourisme, rue du Parc.
Prices
35 minutes tour
Adults : 15 € Children aged 5 to 10 : 7 €
Groups of 10 or more : 13,50 € per person
1-hour tour
Adults : 25 € Children aged 5 to 10 : 12 €
Groups of 10 or more : 22,50 € per person
30-minute private tour with 6-seater carriage
Adults : 90 €
1 hour-private tour with 6-seater carriage
Adults : 130 €
Possible privatization.
Payment : cash, credit card, cheques, holiday vouchers.
Languages
French and English
Spanish and German (by reservation)
Information and booking
Call Françoise on +33 6 62 58 61 31
Tours and themes
t the start, Françoise opted for a 30-minute guided walk to explore the history of Vichy from the Romans to the present day. The architectural and decorative heritage completes the tour, illustrating the different eras that have marked the town's history.
You'll find out more about the history of the Queen of the spa towns, as well as the art of living, treating yourself, entertaining yourself and dressing when people came to take the waters.
This tour is a great way to get a general idea of the town, both historically and in terms of its current economic development.
The basic tour takes you from the Hall des Sources to the spa centres, the banks of the Allier and the Parc Napoléon III before returning to the Dômes spa centre.
The research and preparation for this first visit have enabled Françoise to get to grips with the history of Vichy and have given her the desire to go further, to offer longer visits and other themes.
Au plaisir des enfants devant le Grand Etablissement Thermal de Vichy
Balade avec Isidor
Réception des clients devant leur hôtel
Françoise vous attend au départ de la balade
Départ rue Eisenhower devant l’ancien Grand Etablissement Thermal : les explications commencent !
Ursula en shooting photo sous la galerie couverte du parc des Sources
Au plaisir des enfants devant le Grand Etablissement Thermal de Vichy
Elegance and prestige
or Françoise, the stroll is like a jigsaw puzzle that comes together during the visit. Places and eras blend together to reveal the history and heritage of the spa town.
In her eyes, it's important to promote the town of Vichy; the horse-drawn carriage business should be a brand image for a town whose ‘upmarket’ image is clearly expressed by the town council. In his view, the prestige of the horse-drawn carriage, the beauty of the horses, the dress code of the coachwoman, the somewhat sustained language of the comments and the maximum wealth of information all come into play.
After three years in business, she came up with the idea of offering themed walks, similar to the guided tours offered by the Tourist Office, which delve into topics such as thermal baths, the Second Empire and the 40/44 period.
Inspired by these important themes in Vichy's history, Françoise has devised, with the approval of the the Town Hall), tours tailored to the subjects in question.
A quality label for Calèches de la Rive
he association France Energie Animale was set up in 2020 by around thirty professional users of animal energy (individual companies, local authorities, equipment manufacturers and saddlery-harness makers).
The idea was to promote and develop the animal energy on a national level and to bring together a network of certified professionals, given that animal energy can be used for a wide range of tasks, such as market gardening, skidding, wine-growing, passenger transport and waste collection on a local level.
Certification is based on respect for animal welfare and the regulations in force concerning the activity carried out by the professional.
The process, based on the compliance with around 80 criteria and rewarded by a quality label, implies an on-site assessment by a certifier and the subsequent approval by a committee.
Calèches de la Rive was assessed in 2022 on :
- Regulations: keeping of the breeding register (health monitoring and places where horses are kept), transport register (places and dates of each outing are noted), management of effluents (manure), regular veterinary monitoring, pharmacy (horses and humans) on the farm and in the horse-drawn carriage, accommodation suitable for equidae, etc.
- Safety: quality harnessing, carriages in good condition, appropriate horse handling using a recognised method (Achenbach), adequate numbers of desensitised horses, information on safety rules for the public, etc.
- Animal welfare: high quality feed, a relationship based on trust, expression of natural behaviour respected, work rhythm adapted to the age and condition of the horses, regular maintenance (vet, equine dentist, osteopath, farrier, knowledge of harness settings on the horse, respect for work and break times with a schedule, etc.).
The ‘quality passenger transport’ label is awarded for three years. Les Calèches de la Rive will therefore be reassessed in 2025.