Vernet-les-Bains is France's first Village Arboretum. More than 2,000 trees from 320 different species have been catalogued there. They are not located in a single park, but are spread across private gardens and public parks.
Those considering Vernet-les-Bains as a holiday destination may want to rent a holiday apartment.
Culture and history
The Casino de Vernet-les-Bains was built between 1880 and 1884 and is one of the few surviving remnants of the spa complex dating from the late 19th century. It was listed as a historic monument by a decree dated 21 March 2017.
The Hôtel du Portugal is also one of the few surviving remnants of Vernet-les-Bains' former heyday as a spa town. A thermal water spring beneath the ground floor of the Hôtel du Portugal now supplies the Lavoir de Vernet-les-Bains in Rue des Lavandières.
The Monument de l'Entente Cordiale commemorates the diplomatic agreement signed by France and Great Britain in 1904. The Église Saint-Saturnin, a former castle chapel, became the parish church after a flood in the 18th century.
The Musée d'Histoire Naturelle de Vernet-les-Bains displays more than 7,400 fossilised animal remains, including numerous ammonites and trilobites. It also presents more than 2,500 minerals from over forty French départements.
Hiking
The Ronde du Canigó GR®P begins and ends at the tourist office in Vernet-les-Bains. It is an eight-day circular hike covering 157.1 kilometres and classified as very difficult. This route is part of the 1,000-kilometre network of GR® and GR®P hiking trails in the Pyrénées-Orientales département.
The Crêtes et Balcons hike is an 11-kilometre circular route starting in Vernet-les-Bains. It follows paths and wide tracks through the forests of Conflent, where Laricio pines mingle with beech and chestnut trees.
Spa treatments
Les Thermes de Vernet-les-Bains offer thermal treatments in the fields of rheumatology and respiratory diseases, as well as ear, nose and throat disorders.
