When to go to the Cévennes?
→ The detailed month-by-month page, with real weather records
Best time: May to June and September to October
At a glance
Why go to the Cévennes?
The Cévennes are the most secretive mountains in southern France. No ski resort, no landscaped lake, no major site with queues: schist valleys where you can count the hamlets on your fingers, clear rivers with pools all to yourself, and ridges where you walk for hours without meeting a soul. The National Park, created in 1970, is the only one in France to protect an inhabited territory, and the agro-pastoral landscape of the Causses and the Cévennes has been Unesco-listed since 2011.
Add a sky designated an International Dark Sky Reserve since 2018 and you have a destination for those who want to breathe rather than consume. It is country for walkers, for cyclists who love mountain passes, for families who prefer a river to a swimming pool and for history buffs: the Camisard war, the clandestine assemblies of the Désert and Stevenson's journey have left traces everywhere. Food lovers will find chestnuts in every form, pélardon cheese and mountain charcuterie.
Those looking for Michelin-starred restaurants, shopping or nightlife will be disappointed: here, the evening is spent on a gîte terrace gazing at the Milky Way.
Map of the Cévennes: what is where?
The map shows the 6 places covered in this guide, to picture the distances and plan your route.
- Florac
- Mont Aigoual
- Saint-Jean-du-Gard
- Le Pont-de-Montvert
- Anduze
- Le Vigan
How much does a trip to the Cévennes cost?
| Style | Per day | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Backpacker | €50 to €70 per day camping or in a walkers' hostel, markets and picnics, free hikes, a paid visit from time to time. | |
| Comfort | €100 to €140 per day in a family-run hotel or B&B, a restaurant in the evening, the steam train, the Bambouseraie, Bramabiau and e-bike hire. | |
| Premium | from €200 per day with a boutique hotel or château hotel, the acclaimed restaurants of Florac and Meyrueis, a guide for a day of canyoning or a guided hike. The Cévennes remain one of the cheapest destinations in France for a nature holiday. |
Is the Cévennes safe?
The main risk is the weather. The Cévennes storm episodes from September to November turn streams into torrents within a few hours: never camp in a dry riverbed, do not cross a flooded ford and listen to Météo-France alerts. In summer, the heat in the low valleys exceeds 35°C and wildfires sometimes force the closure of hill areas: check before setting off on a walk. At altitude, fog can come down on Mont Lozère or the Aigoual in ten minutes, so take a map and something warm to wear. Ticks are present in the chestnut groves and meadows, so check yourself in the evening. River swimming is in unsupervised pools, so take care with children and after storms. The roads are safe but narrow, and the mobile signal disappears in many valleys.
What to see and do in the Cévennes
- Mont Aigoual
- Corniche des Cévennes
- Cévennes steam train
- Bambouseraie en Cévennes
- Musée du Désert
- Abîme de Bramabiau
- Mont Lozère and the summit of Finiels
- Stevenson Trail
Florac
The little capital of the Cévennes National Park, whose headquarters occupy the restored château, Florac nestles at the foot of the Causse Méjean, where the Tarnon joins the Tarn. The town is crossed by the Source du Pêcher, a resurgence that gushes from the rock in the middle of the street and feeds canals lined with plane trees. The Thursday morning market brings together producers from across the massif, with pélardons, honeys, chestnuts and charcuterie. It is the most practical base for exploring: the Corniche des Cévennes starts here, Mont Lozère is 30 minutes away and the Gorges du Tarn begin at Ispagnac, 10 kilometres away. The Stevenson Trail stops here, which gives the town a population of walkers from May to October.
Mont Aigoual
The highest point in the Gard, at 1,565 metres, is topped by a weather observatory built between 1887 and 1894 to monitor the storms that sweep up from the Mediterranean. The site holds national records for wind and rainfall, and gusts are the norm even in fine weather. When the air is clear, the view takes in the sea, Mont Ventoux, the Alps and the Pyrenees, making it one of the widest panoramas in France. The Aigoual is also a reforested mountain: from 1875, foresters replanted more than 15,000 hectares on slopes devastated by overgrazing, and today's beech woods are their work. The 4,000 Steps trail, from Valleraugue, is the benchmark athletic ascent.
Saint-Jean-du-Gard
The terminus of the steam train and the Stevenson Trail, Saint-Jean-du-Gard is the liveliest town in the lower Cévennes, with an old bridge over the Gardon, a main street of shops and a Tuesday market that spills onto the squares. The Maison Rouge, a former 19th-century silk mill, houses the museum of the Cévennes valleys and tells the story of two centuries of silk farming, when every farm raised silkworms in its magnanerie. The Gardon offers pebble beaches and pools a few minutes from the centre. It is also the starting point of the Corniche des Cévennes towards Florac and of the Vallée Borgne road towards the Aigoual.
Le Pont-de-Montvert
This granite village on the young Tarn, at the foot of Mont Lozère, saw the start of the Camisard war: it was here, in July 1702, that the Abbé du Chayla, charged with converting the Protestants, was killed by insurgents. The medieval toll bridge and its clock tower span a river that leaps from rock to rock, and people swim in its icy pools from June. The village is the gateway to hikes on Mont Lozère and a stop on the Stevenson Trail. The former Maison du Mont Lozère and the neighbouring hamlets, such as L'Hôpital and Finiels, show off a granite architecture with lauze stone roofs found nowhere else in the Cévennes.
Anduze
The "gateway to the Cévennes" guards the spot where the Gardon passes through a gap between two cliffs, the Rocher de Saint-Julien and the Rocher de Peyremale. The old town, with its clock tower, its covered market hall and its pagoda fountain with glazed tiles dating from 1649, can be seen in an hour. Anduze is best known for its vases: Anduze pottery, the flame-glazed jars with garlands that have decorated orangeries since the 17th century, is still made by a handful of workshops you can visit. The steam train station is at the entrance to the town, the Bambouseraie three kilometres away, and the Thursday market is one of the finest in the Gard.
Le Vigan
A sub-prefecture of the Gard set against the southern slope of the Aigoual, Le Vigan lives between the AOP Cévennes sweet onion, grown on the terraces of the Arre valley, and the Reinette du Vigan apple. The old Romanesque bridge over the Arre, the Cévennes museum housed in a former silk mill and the plane trees of Place du Quai make it a pleasant market town, with a well-stocked Saturday market. It is the natural base for the Aigoual via the D 986 and for Bramabiau, 40 minutes away, as well as for swimming in the Hérault at Saint-Laurent-le-Minier. The light is already Mediterranean, with mulberry and olive trees taking over from the chestnuts.
How many days, and which itinerary?
Four days are enough for a tour of the Gard valleys with the train, the Bambouseraie, the Musée du Désert and the Corniche as far as Florac. A week lets you add the Aigoual, Bramabiau and Mont Lozère, and above all settle into the pace of a region that does not reveal itself in a hurry. Walkers on the Stevenson Trail allow three to four days for the Cévennes section alone.
🗺️ Day-by-day itinerary · 📓 Free printable Cévennes guide (PDF) · 🌍 All of France
Weekend (2 days)
Day 1, arrive in Anduze in the late morning, steam train to Saint-Jean-du-Gard with a stop at the Bambouseraie, back in the late afternoon, a swim in the Gardon and a night in Saint-Jean-du-Gard. Day 2, the Musée du Désert at Le Mas Soubeyran in the morning, then the Corniche des Cévennes to Florac with a picnic at the Col des Faïsses, returning via the Tarnon valley and Saint-Jean.
4 to 5 days
Day 1, Anduze, the Bambouseraie and the potteries. Day 2, the steam train, Saint-Jean-du-Gard and the Maison Rouge, the Musée du Désert. Day 3, the Corniche des Cévennes to Florac, the Thursday market if possible, settling in for two nights. Day 4, Mont Lozère via Le Pont-de-Montvert, the summit of Finiels and the Rûnes waterfall. Day 5, down towards Meyrueis, the Abîme de Bramabiau and up the Aigoual late in the day before heading down to Le Vigan.
One week
Days 1 and 2 in the lower Cévennes from Anduze or Saint-Jean-du-Gard (train, Bambouseraie, Musée du Désert, swimming). Day 3, the Corniche des Cévennes and Florac. Day 4, Mont Lozère and Le Pont-de-Montvert. Day 5, one stage of the Stevenson Trail on foot between Florac and Saint-Germain-de-Calberte, with a shuttle or taxi back. Day 6, Meyrueis, Bramabiau and the Aigoual. Day 7, Le Vigan, the Arre valley and a swim in the Hérault before heading back to Nîmes or Montpellier.
Getting there and getting around
From Paris, the TGV takes 3 hours to Nîmes; from there, it is an hour's drive to Anduze and Saint-Jean-du-Gard, and 1h45 to Florac. Alès, 45 minutes from Anduze, is served by TER trains from Nîmes.
Montpellier is the other gateway, 1h15 from Le Vigan. Once there, a car is all but compulsory: liO coaches link Alès with Saint-Jean-du-Gard and Florac a few times a day, but the high-altitude sites and the hamlets can only be reached by car, by bike or on foot.
The roads are winding: allow an average of 40 km/h, and double the time your app predicts when you are stuck behind a camper van. Cycling is superb on the Corniche and Mont Lozère for trained legs; e-bikes can be hired in Florac and Saint-Jean-du-Gard.
Where to stay in the Cévennes?
Budget: the campsites along the Gardon at Saint-Jean-du-Gard, Mialet and Anduze offer shaded pitches at €20 to €35 and chalets at around €70 to €100 in summer. The walkers' hostels on the Stevenson Trail, in Florac, Cassagnas or Saint-Germain-de-Calberte, charge €20 to €30 a night in a dormitory with dinner at €18 or €20, and also welcome non-walkers.
Comfort: the family-run hotels of Florac, Saint-Jean-du-Gard and Meyrueis, often run by the same family for three generations, cost €80 to €120 for a double, with good cooking on half board. B&Bs in the farmhouses of the Vallée Française and the Vallée Borgne, with a terrace overlooking the chestnut trees and a pool, are in the same range and often more memorable.
Treat yourself: sleep in a granite hamlet on Mont Lozère or in an isolated schist farmhouse at the end of a dirt track, with the Milky Way for a ceiling, since the Park's sky is protected from light pollution. Near Meyrueis, a 12th-century château turned hotel with grounds and a pool puts the region at €150 a night, which is still the top of the local range.
Our places to stay, stop by stop, at three budgets →
What to eat in the Cévennes?
Chestnuts are the basis of everything: as a spread, as flour for "bajanat", in soup, in jam and in beer. Pélardon AOP, a small goat's cheese that is dry yet tender, is sold at every market for €2 or €3 each, and the AOP Cévennes sweet onion, grown on the terraces of the Arre valley, is so sweet it is eaten raw.
Mountain charcuterie, saucisse de couenne and Lozère dry-cured ham, trout from the mountain streams and chestnut honey complete the table. Markets not to miss: Florac on Thursdays, Anduze on Thursdays, Saint-Jean-du-Gard on Tuesdays, Le Vigan on Saturdays.
In village inns, the regional set menu costs around €20 to €28; the walkers' hostels serve a family-style dinner for €18 or €20 including wine. The wines come from the Cévennes gardoises IGP, light and affordable at €6 to €10 a bottle from the producers of the Gardon valley.
Entry requirements
Schengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
Rules change: check your own government's travel advice before you go.
Frequently asked questions about the Cévennes
When should you go to the Cévennes?
May-June and September-October are the best times: mild temperatures, rivers still full, chestnut groves in flower in spring and autumn colours later on. July and August are hot in the valleys but pleasant at altitude, with all activities open. Autumn brings the Cévennes storm episodes, violent rains that can spoil a few days, and winter closes most sites.
Where can you swim in the Cévennes?
In the rivers: the Gardon at Saint-Jean-du-Gard, Mialet and Anduze, the Tarn at Le Pont-de-Montvert and Florac, the Hérault at Saint-Laurent-le-Minier, and the Chassezac further north. Pools are plentiful, unsupervised and sometimes icy at altitude. Ask at the tourist offices, which publish maps of swimming spots, and avoid the day after a storm.
Can you visit the Cévennes without a car?
It is possible but restrictive. TER trains and liO coaches serve Alès, Anduze, Saint-Jean-du-Gard and Florac, and the Stevenson Trail can be walked with luggage transfers. For the Aigoual, Bramabiau, Mont Lozère and the hamlets, you need a car, a bike or a taxi. E-bikes can be hired in Florac and Saint-Jean-du-Gard.
How many days do you need for the Cévennes?
Four days for the Gard valleys and the Corniche, a week to add the Aigoual and Mont Lozère. Distances are short but the roads slow: plan no more than two sites a day. Walkers on the Stevenson Trail allow three to four days for the Cévennes section from Florac.
Are the Cévennes suitable for children?
Yes, as long as they enjoy nature. The steam train, the Bambouseraie, Bramabiau and river swimming appeal from the age of 4 or 5, and the easy walks on Mont Lozère can be done as a family. The campsites along the Gardon have pools for heatwave days. Bring closed shoes for the rivers and games for the car journeys.
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