10 Reasons to Visit Enghien-les-Bains

At only 15 minutes by train from Paris Nord Station, this charming and unusual city is an ideal place to stay when you visit the capital, and it hosts the only spa resort and casino in the Paris region

1. Close to Paris
Only 15 minutes away from Paris by train (Gare du Nord), Enghien-les-Bains is an ideal place to easily reach the main tourist sites of the capital. It is also an easy 30-minute journey from Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport, and 14km from the Champs-Elysées.

2. Centuries of beauty

Built around a lake, Enghien-les-Bains became famous during the 18th century for its sulphur thermal baths. With a significant cultural heritage, the city inspired many artists, politicians and intellectuals during the Belle Époque. Nowadays the lake is an attractive place for inhabitants and visitors to relax and soak up the atmosphere, and a popular place for sailing.

3. Casino glamour
The town is home to the greatest Casino in France. From the outside, the Casino boasts a Belle-Époque style façade, a shell of glass, with a terrace extending towards the lake. It offers the widest selection of games in France: slot machines, table games, electronic games and poker. Also its theatre is reminiscent of Paris’s most legendary theatres, in an Italian-style layout, with a programme of comedy and music.

4. Barrière resort and Thermal Baths
Facing the Casino and the lake, the Barrière Resort offers high quality accommodation with the 4-star Grand Hotel and the Spark, a wellbeing area dedicated to relaxation, beauty, energy and serenity. The contemporary thermal baths offer a complete medical centre for the treatment of ENT complaints and adult airways.

5. Gastronomy
Enghien-les-Bains offers a wide variety of sophisticated restaurants. In the Barrière Resort, Le 85 Restaurant serves a simple and healthy yet gourmet cuisine, while Fouquet’s, a pavilion on the lake, offers a bistronomic menu designed in collaboration with world-famous, three-Michelin-star chef, Pierre Gagnaire.

6. An oasis of peace
At just 1.77km2 (0.68 sq mi) in size, Enghien-les-Bains is practically a village. Secure and calm, the city offers a relaxing holiday setting. On the edge of the Montmorency forest, the town benefits from a green lung, with its lake and its parks.

7. Eclectic arts scene
Besides the Casino Theatre, Enghien-les-Bains has a vivid cultural life – as befits the birthplace (in 1875) of the legendary singer/dance Mistinguett. At the crossroads of arts and sciences, the Centre des arts is a place dedicated to digital arts, live performances and exhibitions. It also pilots a programme of artistic residencies in contemporary creation: dance, music and visual arts. And just 2km from the city centre, the Enghien-Soisy racecourse is a must-see.

8. Shopping
Whatever your taste – fashion, food, restaurants, brasseries– the town benefits from a wide range of shops, with around 300 stores, plus a local food market held three times a week.

9. Year-round appeal
In the spring and summer time, the city comes alive with concerts, especially on the floating stage, which is the biggest on a lake in Europe. This is where the much-loved Barrière Enghien Jazz Festival is held. During the Christmas season, Enghien-les-Bains lights up, with monumental screenings projected on to the town’s buildings, as well as the Christmas Village, complete with a little cottage and ice-skating rink, a Christmas market and activities for children.

10. Nearby attractions
The city is also surrounded by the most beautiful heritage sites in Val-d’Oise, the Valley of Impressionists: the village of Auvers-sur-Oise, Royaumont Abbey, and the Château d’Écouen, which hosts the National Museum of Renaissance. It is also near Claude Monet’s house in Giverny, as well the famous Château de Chantilly.

For more information, visit enghienlesbains.fr