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Travel guide
Auvergne
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: May to September
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Welcome
Auvergne, in a few days
In the middle of France, some 80 dormant volcanoes line up along the Chaîne des Puys, a UNESCO World Heritage site. You ride a rack railway to the top of the Puy de Dôme, look down into the deep blue of Lac Pavin, then taste Salers cheese in the mountain huts of the Cantal. Green, volcanic country that the crowds have mostly left alone.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Puy de Dôme · about 2 hThe 1,465-metre giant of the Chaîne des Puys, reached in 15 minutes by rack railway or on foot along the old mule path.
- Afternoon · Vulcania · a full dayA volcano theme park among the puys, mixing rides and simulators with real science that works for teenagers and parents alike.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Le Régina€110 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Clermont-Ferrand free · about 2 hThe regional capital, with a black Gothic cathedral of Volvic lava stone and the UNESCO-listed Romanesque basilica of Notre-Dame-du-Port.
- Afternoon · Saint-Nectaire free · about 2 hA village with a fine Romanesque church, a spa and the cheese of the same name, plus cave cellars and petrifying springs to visit.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Littéraire Alexandre Vialatte€125 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Lac Pavin free · about 1 hA round crater lake, 92 metres deep, left by the youngest volcano in mainland France; a shaded path circles it in an easy hour.
- Afternoon · Puy Mary free · about 1 hThe pyramid-shaped peak of the Cantal, climbed in 30 minutes by steps from the Pas de Peyrol, with glacial valleys fanning out below.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Le Lion€115 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Salers free · about 1 hA village of turreted houses in black lava stone at 950 metres, its ramparts looking out over the Cantal hills and lyre-horned Salers cows.
- Afternoon · Le Puy-en-Velay · half a dayA town on volcanic pinnacles where the Way of St James begins: climb 268 steps to Saint-Michel d'Aiguilhe, then see the UNESCO-listed cathedral.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Chris'tel€90 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Baguette: the daily bread, bought fresh from the boulangerie. Ask for a "tradition", made with nothing but flour, water, salt and yeast.
- Croissant and pain au chocolat: breakfast pastries, best in the morning while still warm.
- The cheese course: served after the main dish and before dessert, from Comté to Camembert.
- Steak frites: the bistro standard. Order it "saignant" for rare or "à point" for medium.
- Galettes and crêpes: savoury buckwheat pancakes from Brittany filled with ham, egg and cheese, then sweet ones for pudding.
- House wine: ordered by the carafe or the "pichet" at lunch, and often better value than a bottle.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Say "bonjour" when you walk into a shop, a bakery or a café, and "au revoir" as you leave. Skipping it comes across as rude.
- Lunch runs from about noon to 2pm and dinner starts around 7.30pm. In between, most restaurant kitchens are closed.
- Most shops close on Sunday, and many small towns shut on Monday too. Bakeries and markets open on Sunday morning.
- Do not pay for bottled water at the table: ask for "une carafe d'eau", tap water that is served free with a meal.
- Around the big Paris sights, walk past anyone with a petition or a friendship bracelet. They are there to distract you while someone else takes your wallet.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ French
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Thank you | Merci |
| Please | S'il vous plaît |
| Yes | Oui |
| No | Non |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| Goodbye | Au revoir |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? |
| I don't understand | Je ne comprends pas |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes ? |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
| Help! | Au secours ! |
| Cheers! | Santé ! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €80 a day, mid-range
Best seasonMay to September
PlugC/E · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingService is included by law, round up
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccination needed. Check that tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/auvergne
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.