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Getting to Luxeuil-les-Bains, and whether you need a car

3 min read

Driving distances from Vesoul, Belfort and Épinal, arriving by train, and the real question: do you need a car during your cure?

Luxeuil-les-Bains sits in Haute-Saône, at the foot of the southern Vosges. It is not remote, but it is on no major route — worth planning your arrival.

By car

The usual way, and the simplest with three weeks of luggage.

From Distance Driving time
Vesoul 32 km about 35 min
Belfort 55 km about 50 min
Épinal 58 km about 50 min

From further afield you generally reach Vesoul via the A31 (Nancy–Dijon) or Belfort via the A36 (Mulhouse–Beaune), then finish on regional roads. That last stretch is not motorway: allow margin on your arrival time, especially late in the day or in bad weather.

Parking. Check that your accommodation has parking and that it is included. Over three weeks, paid town-centre parking adds up. Both our apartments have parking on site, included.

By train

Luxeuil-les-Bains has a station, but service is limited and journeys often combine train and regional coach. Depending on where you start, the fastest route frequently runs via a larger station:

  • Vesoul, the nearest;
  • Belfort–Montbéliard TGV, for arrivals from Paris, Lyon or the east;
  • Épinal, for arrivals from the north-east.

From there you still need to reach Luxeuil: regional coach, taxi, or someone collecting you.

Check live timetables before deciding. Regional connections change, and a journey that looks simple on paper can involve a two-hour wait. The SNCF site and the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté regional transport site carry current times.

Do you need a car once you are there?

It depends on one thing: where you are staying.

To reach your treatments: no, provided you are close to the baths. Our flats are 200 metres on foot from the entrance, on level ground. Driving that would make no sense, and parking twice a day near the establishment in high season even less.

If your accommodation is a kilometre or two away, the car becomes a daily constraint instead.

For shopping: useful, not essential. The centre of Luxeuil is walkable and has everyday shops. For a weekly stock-up, a car helps.

For Sundays: yes. Sunday is the day without treatment, and that is when a car earns its keep — the southern Vosges, the Plateau des Mille Étangs, the surrounding villages.

The common compromise: drive here, leave the car parked all week, use it on Sundays. Which is exactly why included parking is worth more than parking you have to find. Both our flats have theirs, on site and included in the price.

Before you arrive

  • Agree your arrival time and key handover by phone a few days ahead.
  • Think about the first meal. Arriving on a Sunday evening, everything will be shut — bring something for dinner.
  • Note your first appointment with the spa doctor, usually in the first days.

With us, keys are handed over in person, with a tour of the flat. Call us when you set off and we will be waiting — and if you have not sorted accommodation yet, see our two flats, 200 metres on foot from the baths.

Frequently asked questions

How do you get to Luxeuil-les-Bains?
By car for the great majority of guests: 32 km from Vesoul (35 min), 55 km from Belfort (50 min), 58 km from Épinal (50 min). Most people reach Vesoul via the A31 or Belfort via the A36, then finish on local roads.
Can you reach Luxeuil-les-Bains by train?
Luxeuil has a station, but the service is limited and connections often combine train and regional coach. Depending on where you start, the quickest route often runs via Vesoul, Belfort–Montbéliard TGV or Épinal, then a coach or taxi. Check the actual timetables before deciding.
Do you need a car during a cure in Luxeuil-les-Bains?
Not for the treatments, if your accommodation is near the baths — you walk. It helps for a big shop, and it genuinely earns its keep on Sundays, the one day without treatment. Many guests drive here, leave the car parked all week and use it at the weekend.
Is travel to a thermal cure reimbursed?
Means-tested only, at 55% of the second-class return rail fare, whatever means you actually used. Driving does not forfeit the reimbursement, but it does not increase it either.