In the Allier
In the Allier
Château de Bussolles lies in the south-east of the French department Allier (in the Auvergne-Rhônes-Alpes region), almost in the heart of France. The department is named after the river Allier, which runs through the department. There is much to discover in this region, in the wider surroundings of the castle.
Visit the beautiful city of Vichy with the wonderful, old casino and the opera house that dates back to 1902. Vichy is famous for its spas and architecture and notorious for its position during the Second World War. But Napoleon Bonaparte enjoyed staying in Vichy many centuries before. The beauty of the city is its Art Deco heritage. We recommend the beautiful park Napoleon III with the delightful promenade on the Allier that leads you along both banks of the river. Also a must see: the beautiful gallery in the Parc des Sources with special shops. Vichy has many good restaurants, not expensive and really French. The center is ideal for high level shopping, there is a large public swimming pool, a horse racing track, you can go wild water canoeing and much more. Just half an hour from the castle.
A nice day out is a day trip to the Cascade de la Pisserote. This waterfall is located near Arfeuilles, south of the castle (about a 30 minutes drive). The walk from the parking lot at Le Verger takes about half an hour, but then you arrive at a beautiful waterfall. You can enjoy dabbling in the naturally formed ‘gour’, a small basin carved out of the rocks. Take your picnic stuff, as this is a wonderful place to be, especially in warm weather.
At Paray sous Brialles (+ 30 km from Château de Bussolles) is the beautiful, professional go-kart track Circuit Jean Brun. This circuit is only accessible to licensees. Well worth a visit but check the website to see if there are any competitions.
Le Pal is an amusement park near Saint-Pourçain-sur-Besbre. The park opened its doors as early as 1973 and has many attractions with names like The Yukon Wings, The Twist and The Beaver River. In addition, there is a zoo, a playground and you can regularly watch special shows. You drive there in about 45 minutes.
... and so much more
The Allier offers much more beautiful, fun, interesting things to see and discover. Hiking, beautiful cycling routes, lively markets with local products, two beautiful golf courses at Vichy, you can taste wines in Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule (one of the oldest wine regions in France!), a water sports area (including canoeing, pedalos) near Mayet de Montagne and Saint-Clément, wakeboarding at Paray sous Briailles and volcano enthusiasts indulge in the Vulcania amusement and adventure park, northeast of Clermont-Ferrand, a beautiful city in itself. Beautiful cities and places to visit: Beaune, Dijon, Moulins, Charroux, Apremont-sur-Allier, too many to mention.
