It is the Auvergne of green tourism and volcanoes. Moreover, the puy de Dôme, a dormant volcano in the Puys chain and a major site in France, gave its name to this department of the Massif Central. This territory, which shelters part of the very vast regional natural park of the Volcanoes of Auvergne, consists of a succession of micro-regions typified around their mountains and valleys. In particular: the country of Combrailles, of cascading gorges, of lakes in ponds, where the Sioule flows, the valley of Riom-Limagne, fertile and sweet, the Sancy of volcanoes, the Val d'Allier with the picturesque country of Issoire, the Livradois-Forez around Thiers, capital of the cutlery industry. So, whether you want to ski or take the water, go hiking (3,900 kilometres of marked trails!) or, on the city side, visit Clermont-Ferrand, the capital of Auvergne, rich in religious heritage with the Notre-Dame-du-Port church and the Gothic cathedral Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption, it is here that you will find the museum dedicated to the epic Michelin tyres and, nearby, Vulcania, a leisure park with a volcano theme. Other tourist attractions include the parc animalier d'Auvergne (Arde-sur-Couze), perched at an altitude of 700 metres. Imagine giraffes in the mountains! The richness of this department can also be discovered by following thematic routes: the route of the water cities, the route of the wines of Auvergne and that of the farm, Saint-Nectaire and goat's cheese routes combined.
The harsh winter climate does not attract tourists, except skiers who have a choice of ten winter sports resorts scattered throughout the territory. In summer, it is the hikers who can be found on the marked trails that rise up to the heights of the puy de Dôme, revealing splendid views of the green volcanoes. So you have two high tourist seasons: winter and summer. The rest of the year the tourist sites are asleep. Of course, the cities with their monuments and museums welcome you all year round and in low season give you the opportunity to discover the "real" local life. You should also know that throughout the year this territory schedules events that are well worth your visit. The international Short Film Festival in Clermont-Ferrand, an international event, takes place for a week in February, the Sancy Snow Jazz du Mont-Dore at the same time, in the Sancy massif, the festival Plein la bobine in La Bourboule, of Cinéma jeune public (late May/early June), Piano in Riom and its region, the second half of June, Europavox in Clermont-Ferrand, at the end of June-early July, the Pamparina in Thiers at the beginning of July (world music) or Bach in Combrailles, in August, on the organ of Pontaumur and in the small churches of the Combrailles. In autumn, from October to November, the Automnales take place with their shows of music, theatre, dance, circus or puppets, involving about twenty municipalities.
Puy-de-Dôme concentrates the different climates of Western Europe on its territory. Wet and cold sub-oceanic, on the southwestern plateaus and mountains, windy and snow-covered three months a year, cool sub-oceanic in the northwestern hills and low mountains, dry sub-continental in the central plains and mountainous foothills of the west, cool sub-continental in the eastern mountains, also with a snowpack that lasts all winter.
On 07/30/2021 : Cancelled in 2020 because of Covid-19, Festiwine returns in 2021 to celebrate the wines of the AOC Côte d'Auvergne and the IGP Puy-de-Dôme. The ...
In a world where biodiversity is endangered, the Makay massif, in the southwest of Madagascar, offers a veritable sanctuary to many endemic ...
The harsh winter climate does not attract tourists, except skiers who have a choice of ten winter sports resorts scat...
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Puy-de-Dôme concentrates the different climates of Western Europe on its territory. Wet and cold sub-oceanic, on the...
Read more about it
Cancelled in 2020 because of Covid-19, Festiwine returns in 2021 to celebrate the wines of the AOC Côte d'Auvergne and the IGP Puy-de-Dôme. The winegrowers invite the public to an evening in the spirit of a guinguette, with tastings at the wine bar, catering, musical entertainment and a concert by the Bombes Humaines to make everyone sing and dance. The appointment is given at the beginning of the evening at the water level of Cournon ...
Objectif Auvergne is the initiative that results from the association of 5 major sites in the Puy-de-Dôme in order to offer visitors a rich and surprising tourist offer. These 5 sites are the Panoramique des Dômes, the Lemptégy Volcano, the Michelin Adventure, the Auvergne Animal Park and the Volvic Stone Cave. When visiting the first site, people are given a Travel Notebook, which then entitles them to discounts on the purchase of entry ...
In 2021, natural phenomena are in the spotlight at Vulcania with Namazu, a family coaster on the theme of earthquakes! Explorers are invited to visit the Namazu team's scientific base, then to join the seismologists in the field with vehicles designed to travel to rugged areas. At the end of the attraction, there is an area where earthquakes are explained. Don't miss the Earthquakes exhibition, which allows you to learn more about this ...
UNESCO's World Heritage designates natural and cultural properties of outstanding universal value to humanity. It was in 1972 that UNESCO created a Convention for the protection of World Heritage, and in 1978 the first sites were included on the list. One example is the superb Galapagos archipelago. Since then, every year, several countries propose elements of their heritage, monuments or natural environments, in order to obtain this ...
