Bivouac underground, discover the art of stained glass or learn about the life of a shepherd: it is in Lozère that this happens! This sparsely urbanized territory has surprises and natural wonders in store for you. The least populated department in France, Lozère has barely 73,000 inhabitants, including 13,000 in Mende, the former capital of Gévaudan. With an average altitude of almost 1,000 metres, this department is one of the highest in the country, ranging from 200 metres in the Cévennes valleys to 1,699 metres on Mont Lozère. Of modest size, however, Lozère offers a wide variety of landscapes. To the north, between 800 and 1,500 metres, the grassy hills of the basaltic Aubrac feed red cows with beautiful horns, while the granitic Margeride alternates coniferous forests, meadows and moors. To the southwest, the causses, limestone plateaus with underground caves, are the territory of the sheep who are satisfied with the grass of the garrigue and the magnificent gorges of the Tarn and Jonte, which are very popular with tourists in summer. Finally, the last regional geological feature, the Cévennes (southwest), is a region of chestnut ridges and deep valleys.

The Lozère is home to rare animal reserves (bison, wolves, vultures...), caves, menhirs, dolmens and many hiking trails. Not a site without its marked hiking trail! On the cheese platter: five PDOs - Roquefort, Causses blue, laguiole, pelardon and Auvergne blue - and many Lozère tommes, including the Fédou du causse Méjean, made with Lacaune sheep's milk. Test sausages, tripe and... bag of bones.

What to see, what to do Lozère?

When to go Lozère ?

Lozere is a pleasant destination, with a mild climate in summer, harsher in winter, and Mende is as sunny as Toulouse. However, beware of rain. The rainiest areas extend from the slopes of the Aigoual through the Cevennes to Mount Lozere, and from the Margeride to the Aubrac, where it snows more than 50 days a year. The Cevennes can be affected by episodes of heavy rainfall producing high accumulations, from autumn to spring, particularly in September and October. Avoid this period and check the weather forecast before going hiking or bivouacking.

If summer is the high season when tourists flock to the Tarn gorges and hiking trails, Lozere, which is very wooded, is resplendent in autumn. The trees blaze and the undergrowth is covered with mushrooms, ceps, chanterelles, morels, mousserons... It is also the season of the stag's bellowing whose spectacular parade can be observed in September. Autumn also invites you to chestnut outings in the heart of the Cévennes valleys. Winter is the low tourist season.

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Discover Lozère

Land of legends, wild spaces and postcard villages, Lozere displays a great human and natural wealth. On this little urbanized territory -the department is the least populated in France with a little more than 75 000 inhabitants- the beautiful people and the extraordinary landscapes give an intense colour to the holidays. From the deep forests of the Margeride to the basaltic Aubrac, from the green Cévennes to the meanders of the Gorges du Tarn, passing through the Lot valley, Lozère is a land of experiences and gastronomy, as varied as its terroirs. Outdoor activities (hiking, canoeing...), discoveries (unique animal parks, gourmet tastings...), cultural breaks and moments of well-being (spas) are punctuated by the many festivals and events that keep the meetings and conviviality alive.

Pictures and images Lozère

Les chevaux de Przewalski introduits en Lozère pour contribuer à leur sauvegarde. shutterstock.com - Shyrochenko Aleksandr
Le chaos de Nîmes, causse Méjean. Arako Space - stock.adobe.com
Village cévenol Cynoclub - Fotolia
Vue générale de Sainte-Enimie Alamer - Iconotec

The 12 keywords Lozère

1. # Handicraft

Lozère is home to the oldest French jeans manufacturer. Founded in 1892, the Atelier Tuffery, today in the hands of the fourth generation with Julien and Myriam, designs and manufactures jeans, skirts, dresses, shirts, jackets and coats, cut in responsible materials, thanks to a team of very skilled and qualified craftsmen.

2. # Adventure

Causse Mejean © M.studio - stock.adobe.com.jpg

Lozere, its wide open spaces, its mountains, its caves, its lakes and its rivers are an open-air playground for all lovers of outdoor activities and adventure. The department is indeed practiced in all possible ways: underground, on the water and in the air, there are leisure activities for all intrepid people.

3. # Water

2,743 km of waterways gallop in Lozère, while 437 streams and rivers gush out of its soil. In the "land of springs", these waters supply two thermal spas and open the field of possibilities for aquatic activities (canoeing, swimming...). The department also has seven hydraulic dams, including that of Naussac.

4. # Forest

Covering almost half of the territory (45% to be exact), the forest represents an economic, ecological and tourist asset for Lozère. Mainly composed of Scots pine, beech, spruce, chestnut and Austrian black pine, the woods of the department are a real green lung in the Occitanie region.

5. # Nature

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It is the first word that comes to mind when one evokes Lozere. From north to south and from east to west, the natural regions of the department (Aubrac, Grands Causses, Margeride, Tarn and Jonte gorges, Lot valley, Cévennes and Lozère mount) offer a grandiose and eclectic show, which is declined in different reliefs and colors.

6. # Heritage

Le Malzieu-Ville, La Garde-Guérin and Sainte-Enimie are among the most beautiful villages in France, thanks to their ramparts, their paved streets, their towers or their Romanesque churches. The Choisinets estate and the feudal castle of Saint-Julien-du-Tournet have been selected by the Fondation du patrimoine to be restored soon.

7. # Fishing

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Lozere is a fisherman's paradise. The department offers 2,800 km of category 1 rivers: Tarn, Jonte... The lake of Charpal, classified Natura 2000, is also the largest "no kill" lake in France for pike fishing. Many lodgings display "Accueil pêche" on their facade to meet the needs of fishermen.

8. # Hiking

On the way to Santiago de Compostela, Lozere is also the scene of Journey with a donkey in the Cevennes, the book in which Robert Louis Stevenson, pioneer of the trek, tells his journey in the Cevennes in 1878. Today, many walkers follow his steps on the GR 70 that the writer took from Puy-en-Velay to Alès.

9. # Terroir

Lozere has a taste for real things and shows it through many local products. Nature has blessed the department with mushrooms, chestnuts and wild trout. At the same time, producers work all over the territory to give honey, cheese, meat, jams, charcuterie... Of high quality!

10. # Thermalism

Lozère is fortunate to have two thermal spas on its territory. La Chaldette is recommended for ENT and digestive system disorders and for metabolic disorders: overweight, stress, high blood pressure. The center of Bagnols-les-Bains treats rheumatic affections, asthma and respiratory allergies.

11. # Silkworms

Cocons de vers à soie © LordRunar - iStockphoto.com.jpg

Sericulture, the production and transformation of silk, exists today only in memories. However, it has left its mark on the Cévennes landscapes where old mulberry trees - whose leaves were used to feed the silkworms - still adorn the terraces. The silkworm nursery of La Roque is dedicated to the memory of silk.

12. # Sensations

In addition to climbing, via ferrata, bungee jumping and speleology, Lozère is one of the first French departments to have an agreement for two extreme and impressive practices. In Florac, the Rochefort rock is home to a diving board that reaches a height of 100 meters for the pendular jump, as well as four highlines.

You are from here, if...

You know that there are more seats at the Stade de France (80,000) than inhabitants in Lozère (75,700 in 2019)!

You have already worn out your calves on the famous Montée Jalabert, at the end of which the eponymous cyclist signed one of his most beautiful victories on the Tour on July 14, 1995.

You know that the last sequence of the movie La Grande Vadrouille, one of the greatest successes of French cinema, was shot on the airfield of Mende.

You claim the paternity of the aligot (no, this famous dish is not the prerogative of the Aveyronnais! Even less of the Cantalians! ).

You know that the best mushrooms grow in Lozère, to the great displeasure of the neighboring departments.

"The winter that is here and the winter that is coming" is an expression that you understand. In the mouths of the elders, it evokes the very singular climate of Lozere.

You know that Urban V is not only a Mendois hotel, but also a pope born in Grizac in 1310.

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