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What French Health Insurance covers, where to stay as a couple and how to fill your days during the cure.
In 2027, the thermal baths of Saint-Honoré-les-Bains, in the Morvan (Nièvre, Burgundy), welcome spa guests from 7 April to 16 October for respiratory, ENT and rheumatology treatments. Camping des Bains, rated 3 stars by Atout France, is 250 m from the baths and is open from 3 April to 17 October 2027. It accommodates the spa guest and their companion in an air-conditioned mobile home, gîte, apartment, chalet or on a pitch, and its cure packages are designed for two people: the companion is included.
A covered spa cure means 18 days of treatment for one person. Yet people very often come as a pair: a spouse, a sister, a long-standing friend. This guide is for that person: what Health Insurance provides for them, where to stay together, and how to enjoy the days while the other is having treatment.
What Health Insurance provides for the companion
Let’s start with the question we are asked most often on the phone. French Health Insurance (Assurance Maladie) can contribute to the spa guest’s accommodation, depending on income; the companion’s accommodation is at their own expense, as ameli.fr explains. At Camping des Bains, the companion is already included in the cure package.
Their transport can also be reimbursed, in one specific case. The spa guest must be unable to travel alone, because they are under 16 or because of their state of health, and their own travel costs must already be covered. The companion is then reimbursed at the same rate.
For everything else (treatment package, the spa guest’s accommodation, income ceiling), see our article on spa cure reimbursement. Ameli updates its amounts every year: check the 2027 figures before doing your sums.
Where to stay as a couple for three weeks
Three weeks is no longer a weekend. You need a proper bedroom, somewhere to sit when it rains, a kitchen you use every day. At Camping des Bains you can choose between air-conditioned mobile homes, gîtes, apartments, a chalet, or a pitch if you come with your motorhome or caravan. All the options are on our accommodation page.
Good news for the person coming with you: our cure packages are priced for two people. Coming as a couple therefore costs no more, with one single exception, the tourist tax, which is added for them as for you: €0.61 per night for each person aged 18 or over.
The baths are 250 m away. The spa guest walks there, without taking the car and without depending on the other. It seems a detail on day one. After a week, it is all you notice.
On site you have Wi-Fi, a launderette and free parking. Pets are welcome, so there is no need to board the dog for almost a month. Arrival is from 4 pm, departure before 10 am, and reception is open from 9 am to 1 pm and from 4 pm to 8 pm.
| For the companion | What you need to know |
|---|---|
| Accommodation | Not covered by Health Insurance |
| Transport | Reimbursed only if the spa guest cannot travel alone and their own transport is covered |
| Stay at Camping des Bains | Included in the cure package for two people, plus tourist tax: €0.61 per night per person aged 18 or over |
| Thermal baths in 2027 | From 7 April to 16 October, closed on Sundays |
The days of the one not having treatment
While the spa guest is at the baths, the person with them has time on their hands. Some use it to do nothing at all, and that is just fine: a coffee on the terrace of the restaurant-bar, a book, a load of washing put on without any rush.
Others need to get moving. The Canal du Nivernais is 8 km away, with towpaths for a walk or a bike ride. The trails of the Morvan Regional Natural Park start all around Saint-Honoré-les-Bains, for an hour or for half a day. Luzy, 23 km away, makes a nice little outing.
For more ideas, the Rives du Morvan tourist office in Saint-Honoré-les-Bains can be reached on +33 3 86 30 43 10. And at the baths, the Chaîne Thermale du Soleil also offers a Spa Thermal and health workshops alongside the cure: ask the baths’ reception what is open to the person accompanying you.
A tip: don’t fill every slot. Over three weeks, alternate an outing, some time at the campsite and a few stretches with nothing planned. That is also how you both go home rested.
Outings together, when you feel up to it
After the treatments, you meet up again. The treatments call for a little rest, especially the first week: save the big outings for the days when you feel at your best.
Half an hour’s drive away, Mont Beuvray and the Bibracte museum tell the story of a Gallic town perched on its summit. Château-Chinon is 27 km away, also half an hour by car. Lac des Settons, just over 50 km away, deserves a whole day.
The thermal baths of Saint-Honoré-les-Bains are closed on Sundays. That is your day together, the one you keep for the longest outings. Between May and September the campsite pool is open, and in July and August there is entertainment at the campsite.
If the spa guest is still working, there is an evening cure: from 21 June to 10 July 2027 the baths welcome spa guests from 5.15 pm, leaving your days free for both of you.
Meals, without spending your days on them
Three weeks is also a chance to let someone else do the cooking from time to time. The campsite’s restaurant-bar offers half board at €35 and full board at €45, per day and per person. You don’t have to choose once and for all: a few meals at the restaurant, the rest in your rental, everyone finds their own rhythm.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the companion stay during the cure?
Can the companion’s transport be reimbursed?
Does the companion pay a supplement at Camping des Bains?
When are the thermal baths of Saint-Honoré-les-Bains open in 2027?
Where can a couple stay near the thermal baths of Saint-Honoré-les-Bains?
Book your 2027 cure for two
Your treatment dates are set with the thermal baths. Once you know yours, book your stay on our 2027 cure page or call us on +33 6 36 36 42 73: we will help you choose the accommodation that suits two.
