Vernet-les-Bains is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.

It is a centre for visitors and holidaymakers. The village enjoys a sunny climate (with, on average, 300 days of sunshine each year) and is set in a sheltered valley in the foothills of the Canigou mountain - which rises to a height of 2,785 metres (over 9,000 feet). Tranquil and restful, Vernet-les-Bains has long been known for its hot water spring. There is a professional spa/therapy centre in the village.

The abbey of Saint-Martin-du-Canigou is located 3km away a short but steep walk from the nearby village of Casteil.

Close by is the Yellow train which runs 63 kilometres (39 mi) from Villefranche-de-Conflent up to Mont-Louis and Latour de Carol. The line has the highest station in France at 1,593 metres (5,226 ft) and is both a vital lifeline during winter conditions and a favourite tourist attraction.

Villefranche-de-Conflent is also on a regional train line that connects to Perpignan.

There are many beautiful walks from and close to Vernet-les-Bains. In particular it is an ideal base from which to climb to the summit of Canigou.

Rudyard Kipling, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1907, stayed in Vernet-les-Bains in 1910, 1911 and 1914. At that time, Kipling was well known in France, following the success of the French version of his classic work, The Jungle Book.

While he was in Vernet, Kipling wrote about Canigou. In a letter to the Club Alpin, he praised it as "a magician among mountains".

Kipling also wrote a light-hearted short story entitled Why Snow Falls at Vernet. It makes fun of the English habit of always talking about the weather.

Today, the central bridge over the River Cady in Vernet-les-Bains is named after Kipling. The bridge, and the town itself, is featured prominently in the Danish thriller film "ID:A" (2011).