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With is sprinkling of lakes and forests, Auvergne offers its visitors the largest group of volcanoes in Europe, Vulcania, the unique European Volcano Park, two Regional Nature Parks (the Auvergne Volcanoes and Livradois-Forez) more than 500 Romanesque churches, nearly 50 châteaux to visit along Historic Road of the Auvergne Châteaux and 10 spa towns which preserve the charms of the “Belle Époque” and are not to be missed.
All along the tourist routes through the l’Allier, Cantal, Haute-Loire and Puy-de-Dôme, départements, the wealth and variety of the landscapes are perfect for many sport and leisure activities: hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, hang gliding, canoeing-kayaking, swimming, cross-country and downhill skiing or snow shoeing in winter.
Auvergne also means delicious food and a fun, festive atmosphere in the friendly spirit of hospitality that is so typical of the Auvergnat people.
Culture and heritage
Auvergne has a particularly rich heritage of châteaux that are well worth visiting. Built in the Middle Ages, then under the Dukes of Bourbon d'Auvergne and their vassals, these sentinels set high up on volcanic promontories and these lovely residences nestled in the Bourbonnais bocage bear witness to a prestigious past.
The Historic Road of the Auvergne Châteaux offers you showcases of the historical, artistic and architectural heritage of the region, laid out in six tours: tours of the Bourbonnais area, the Limagnes area, the Volcanoes, the Livradois-Forez area, the Cantalien Mountains and the Haute-Loire.
Between lakes and volcanoes
Lakes and volcanoes share the West of Auvergne. Between the Chaîne des Dômes, the Monts Dore and the huge Massif Cantalien, it is an impressive yet idyllic environment that welcomes nature lovers.
The Auvergne Volcanoes Regional Nature Park, the largest in France, covers the five groups that form this unusual land: the “Chaîne des Puys” (or Monts Dômes), the “Massif du Sancy” (or Monts Dore), the “Plateau de l’Artense”, the “ Plateau du Cézallier” and the “Monts du Cantal”.
To the West of Clermont-Ferrand, the 80 dormant volcanoes of the Chaîne des Puys rise up over an area of some forty kilometres.
From the summit of the Puy de Dôme, the highest of them all (1,465 m), the chain reveals itself, majestic and mysterious.
Here, each volcano uses its charms to arouse your admiration. Some stand out by their bell shape, others display their shattered craters, a reminder of their fury.
Further South, the Massif du Sancy rises up, a tourist site not to be missed among the Wide Open Spaces of Auvergne. Le Sancy (1,886 m) is the highest point in central France.
The Guéry, Servières and Pavin Lakes surround it. The latter, nestled in the forest, is proud to be known as one of the most beautiful lakes in Auvergne.
Art and history lovers will also be delighted by the nearby towns, birthplace of Auvergnat Romanesque architecture. Be sure to visit Notre-Dame d’Orcival Basilica and the Château de Cordès and the Church of Saint-Nectaire.
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The Plateau de l’Artense and the Plateau du Cézallier are the start of a kingdom of wide horizons.
Le Cézallier and its mountain pastures welcome thousands of horned animals, which come for summer grazing.
Towering over these plateaux, the Monts du Cantal will take your breath away.
Auvergne’s forests and rivers
On the border between the Berry and Bourbonnais regions, the Forest of Tronçais is an invitation to fairyland.
In the Val de Cher and the Combrailles, a paradoxical mixture of laughter and melancholy rises from the undulating landscape.
The Domanial Forest of Tronçais, covering nearly 11,000 hectares (27,170 acres), has maintained its unique atmosphere of impressive majesty.
A refuge for fugitives and comforter of lonely hearts, it has inspired poets whose imaginations have filled it with a world of nymphs and fairies.
But this forest with centuries-old specimens has not always been a land of peace! As the former property of the Dukes of Bourbon (it was confiscated from them in 1527), it was the subject of such a free-for-all that, in 1670, three-quarters of its trees had been destroyed.
In the same period, Colbert decided to protect it with the avowed goal of providing the kingdom’s shipbuilders with high-quality wood.
Today, the forest, 7/10ths of which is made up of oak, beech and pine, provides raw materials for the production of barrels, notably for the great Bordeaux wines.
The forest may be industrious, but it also has a story to tell.
Here you will find the traces of the ancient Celtic, Gallo-Roman and Gothic populations. You will also come across ponds where you can enjoy a pleasant swim.
Heading further south in the region, accompanied by the murmuring River Cher, we come to the city of Montluçon, economic capital of the Bourbonnais region and centred around the Château of the Dukes of Bourbon.
It was build during the Hundred Years’ War by Louis II of Bourbon and his successors.
Overlooked by the Tour de l’Horloge (Clock Tower), the château is now home to the “Musée des Musiques Populaires” (Museum of Folk Music).
Heading to Les Combrailles, you will be surprised by these small mountains, wooded gullies, the infinite villages and the rivers and ponds.
The Sioule flows through here. It was a source of strength. It had to be used.
Man decided to build dams (visit the Besserve and Queuille dams).
One of the major attractions in this area is the Fades Viaduct overlooking the Sioule at a height of more than 140 metres. Designed by a disciple of Gustave Eiffel, it is the highest in Europe.
For the end of your visit, head off to the Gorges de Chouvigny for a unique sight: the Sioule has made its bed on a whim, running deep into the mysteries of the shadowy Combrailles.
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