5 Ways to Experience Hidden Clermont-Ferrand
There is more to the capital city of Auvergne than meets the eye. Here are 5 ways to experience hidden Clermont-Ferrand.
Winter in Auvergne: Dog-Sledding Adventures
In Auvergne, winter frequently arrives without warning. One minute the sun is shining and the weather is mild enough for a jean jacket, and the next the wind descends like a screaming chorus of banshees, frantically dumping snow onto everything in sight. When this happens, the tramontane dells of Sancy and Cantal — with their […]
Hidden Clermont-Ferrand: The Oil Pit of Poix
The Oil Pit of Poix is natural wonder of Hidden Clermont-Ferrand, a marshy pond composed of bitumen, salt water, and other hydrocarbons.
Where to Stay: Clos Beaumont
Tucked away on the periphery of Clermont-Ferrand, Clos Beaumont is a stately hotel that once belonged to a family of winemakers.
5 Ways to Experience the “Wild West” in Auvergne
Ruggedly beautiful, Auvergne shares many similarities with the American West. Here are five ways to experience the Wild West in Auvergne.
What to See: The Strange Chapel Built Inside a Volcanic Monolith
Deep in the heart of the Cantal mountains lies a quiet, out-of-the-way village called Fontanges. Overshadowed by the larger, more far-famed towns of Aurillac and Salers, it’s the sort of place that doesn’t appear on most trip itineraries. In fact, most tourists have never heard of it. Yet Fontanges possesses a one-of-a-kind treasure: the Monolithic […]
A Wellness Paradise: Mont-Dore and the Fountain of Youth
Mont Dore is a charming resort for the tourist, the holiday-maker, the rest-seeker who wishes for lovely scenery, mountain air, and all the light-mindedness and amusement of an exclusively French watering-place. The antiquarian can combine business with pleasure; for while he sits in the shade at one of the little white-topped tables outside the Café […]
A Visit to the Puy de Dôme…in 1879
What was visiting the puy de Dôme like in the 19th century? Here’s an account from writer and feminist Matilda Betham-Edwards.
What to Do: Visit The Gergovie Museum
Today the object of our excursion was the hill of Gergovie, interesting from its geological phenomena, as well as from being the scene of Caesar’s repulse by Vercingetorix and the Arverni, the only serious military check ever sustained by the great Julius. – Sir David Wedderburn, 3rd Baronet No visit to Auvergne would be complete […]
What to Do: Explore the Ruins of Montrognon
Those travellers who have an eye for the wayward and the Gothic should wind their way to the oft-overlooked ruins of Montrognon.
