Vichy's gare SNCF is about a ten-minute walk from the centre, on the eastern edge of the city centre at the end of rue de Paris. The gare routière sits on the corner of rue Doumier and rue Jardet, by the central place Charles-de-Gaulle, and there's a public transport information line on 04.70.30.17.30. The building that used to house the wartime Vichy government at 19 rue du Parc is now home to the tourist office (April–June & Sept Mon–Sat 9am–12.30pm & 1.30–7pm, Sun 9.30am–12.30pm & 3–7pm; July & Aug 9am–7.30pm, Sun 9.30am–12.30pm & 3–7pm; Oct–March Mon–Sat 9am–noon & 2–6pm, Sun 2.30–5.30pm; tel 04.70.98.71.94, www.ville-vichy.fr).There are so many hotels that finding a place to stay is not difficult. There are several around the station, but more pleasant are the friendly, grand neo-Baroque Midland, 4 rue de l'Intendance, in a quiet street off rue de Paris (tel 04.70.97.48.48, [email protected]; €40–55; closed mid-Oct to mid-April; good restaurant with menus €11–23), and the Hôtel Londres, 7 bd de Russie, behind the casino (tel 04.70.98.28.27, fax 04.70.98.29.37; under €30; closed Nov to Feb), which was the secret meeting place for Jean Moulin and fellow Resistance fighters in 1941. There's a municipal campsite, La Graviere, at the Centre Omnisports (tel 04.70.59.21.00; closed Oct to late-May). For eating, apart from the hotel-restaurants listed above, the simplest solution is to head for the area around the junction of rue Clemenceau and rue de Paris, where there are several brasseries and cafés. For something rather more elegant, the beautiful 1920s-style Brasserie du Casino, 4 rue du Casino (tel 04.70.98.23.06; closed July & Aug Wed & Thurs lunch, Sept–June Tues & Wed & all mid-Oct to mid-Nov; €14–23), is an interesting experience: dressing smartly is advisable, and you should book ahead if you're there during the opera season.
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