After our scenic train journey from Turin to Aix les Bains we were pleased to arrive in the pretty French lakeside town – ‘home’ for the next 2 nights and once the chosen resort for the rich and famous. Read on to find our about our afternoon in Aix les Bains.
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A ten minute stroll from the station brought us to our hotel, the Grand Hotel du Parc, so it wasn’t long before we were checking-in and checking-out our rooms. Once that was done and we had freshened up it was time to search out a restaurant for lunch.
Another short walk brought us to the Place du Revard where we found the brasserie, Le Campa. An aperitif, followed by a well-cooked bavette and a tasty dessert, was the perfect start to our time in Aix-les-Bains. By the time we left we all felt reinvigorated and ready to start our exploration of this renowned spa town.
The town’s heyday was during the Belle Epoque, during which time it revived its Roman role as a spa, offering the health benefits of its hot springs/ thermal baths to those suffering from such ailments as rheumatism and arthritis (even over-indulgence in food!!). Today, although still France’s number two spa town, the importance of such activities has diminished but has left behind a legacy of elegant architecture dating back to the period and several beautiful parks. Classified as a Ville Fleurie (town of flowers) Aix is one of only a few that can claim to have the ‘4 flowers’ award and to have won national prizes for its flowers. Certainly, the Parc Floral des Thermes deserved such an accolade, well-tended, with original flower displays, a Moroccan-style fountain and winding pathways with more than adequate seating. A real oasis of calm in the heart of the town, a place to relax and enjoy the moment.
From ‘Le Campa’ we made our way through the Parc Floral des Thermes and on to the rue Georges 1er, where we found steps to take us up the hill to the frontage of the Thermes Chevalley from where we thought we might get a good view to the lake, Lac du Bourget, across the rooftops of the town. We were to be disappointed as any potential sighting of the lake was blocked by the Colline de Tresserve, a 5 km long hill, that forms the final (southernmost) link of the Jura mountains.
Looking at the map we made up our minds to take a better look at the Grand Cercle Casino and the Jardin Japoanais beside it, before walking out to see the lake. After a 2.5km trek in the late afternoon sunshine that took us around the Colline de Tresserve (2.5 km) we finally made it to the lakeside at Petit Port.
When the time came to return to the town, we opted for to travel back by bus. The No. 1 delivered us back to the Place du Revard, via Square Alfred Boucher and the tree-lined rue de Genève, seemingly the main thoroughfare through the town itself, which allowed us to much more of the town itself, including the grand, main entrance of the Casino.
Our laid back evening first consisted of a wander through the Parc Floral des Thermes, where people were out enjoying the relative cool of the evening; promenading, enjoying a drink or a meal (or both) in La Rotonde, a classy restaurant as you enter the park, or gracefully dancing in the surroundings of the Théâtre de Verdure. Once through the park we stopped off for a drink of our own in a local bar which was just what we needed after a long day travelling and exploring!
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I hope you enjoyed my blog post on an afternoon in Aix les Bains. I wish we had had a little more time to explore this beautiful lakeside town properly – but I’m sure there will be a next time! Love V x
