The Arsène Lupin of Clermont-Ferrand
In the 1900s, a master thief — the Arsène Lupin of Clermont-Ferrand — ran one of the most notorious criminal networks in French history.
5 Day Trips from Clermont-Ferrand to Take this Summer
Looking for holiday ideas? If you visit Clermont-Ferrand this summer, you’ll definitely want to considering taking these 5 day trips.
A Medici Castle in Auvergne: The Château Royal of Saint-Saturnin
The Château Royal of Saint-Saturnin in Auvergne was once owned by Catherine de Medici — queen of France.
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.
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 […]
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.
Spend a Night in an Auvergne Hogwarts: The Château de Val
The first Harry Potter film wowed viewers with its portrayal of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the fictional British boarding school where Harry, Ron, and Hermione came of age while foiling a multitude of evil plots. With its soaring turrets, deep dungeons, and geographic situation in the midst of here-be-dragons landscapes (e.g. the Forbidden Forest and the mermaid-haunted Great Lake), Warner Brothers’ Hogwarts is a fine example of escapism done right.
Lake Treasures: The Underwater Wine of Lac des Graves
Auvergne’s millennia-old lakes are natural vaults, full of — to paraphrase Shakespeare — ooze and sumless treasure. Many secrets lie hidden beneath their waves. In former times, some lakes — like the volcanic Lac Pavin — were believed to be the watery lairs of phantoms and monsters. Today, some lakes have become the resting places […]
