Bourbon-l'Archambault is a spa town which was built by Louis Bourbon in 1300 and was the original seat of the House of Bourbon. It was named after both the Celtic god of springs, Borvo, and the first Bourbon family, the Archambauds. Since antiquity, it is has been known for the virtues of its thermal waters. In 1681, Louise Marie Anne de Bourbon, the third daughter of Louis XIV and his mistress Françoise-Athénaïs, Marquise de Montespan, died there at the age of seven. Over three decades later, Mme de Montespan herself died in Bourbon-l'Archambault at the end of her luxurious exile. Charles Delorme – who was the doctor of Henry IV, Louis XIII, and Louis XIV – treated the great people of the court in this town, such as Mrs de Sévigné, Scarron, Boileau, and also Mrs de Montespan. Prince Maurice de Talleyrand regularly came here from 1801 to 1832 to treat his osteoarthritis and said that "his body's vigour and his spirit's sprightliness were thanks to the water of Bourbon." Camille Saint-Saëns and Paul Doumer were some famous guests who also enjoyed the soothing qualities of the waters of Bourbon l'Archambault and its favourable climate for rest and relaxation as so many have done since.

In the middle of the undulating, verdant Bocage Bourbonnais (typical landscape of the area), and half-way between Moulins and the renowned forest of Tronçais this is the northenmost of thermal spas of the Auvergne. A characterful town with a prestigious past, Bourbon-Archambault continues to provide quality thermal facilities. With a covered walkway between he Grand Hotel Montespan-Talleyrand *** and the thermal station, Bourbon-Archambault is one of the few stations of Auvergne where curists can access their baths and treatment rooms directly fron their hotel bedrooms.