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 harshness of the winter climate does not attract tourists, except for ski enthusiasts who have a choice of ten winter sports resorts scattered throughout the area. In summer, it is the hikers who are found on the marked trails that rise to the heights of the Puy de Dôme revealing splendid panoramas on the green volcanoes. There are 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 the low season give you the opportunity to discover the "real" local life. You should also know that throughout the year, this territory offers events that are well worth your visit. The International Short Film Festival in Clermont-Ferrand, an international event, takes place during a week in February, the Sancy Snow Jazz in Mont-Dore at the same time, in the Sancy massif, the Plein la bobine festival in La Bourboule, of Cinema for young audiences (end of May/beginning of June), Piano in Riom and its region, the second half of June, Europavox in Clermont-Ferrand, end of June-beginning of 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 Combrailles. In autumn, from October to November, the Automnales take place with their music, theater, dance, circus or puppet shows, involving about twenty communes.
The Puy-de-Dôme concentrates in its territory the different climates of Western Europe. Sub-oceanic, humid and cold, on the plateaus and mountains of the south-west, windy and covered with snow three months a year, sub-oceanic cool in the hills and low mountains of the north-west, sub-continental dry in the plains of the center and the mountainous foothills of the west, sub-continental cool to cold in the massifs of the east, with there also a snow cover which is maintained all winter.
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Vulcania's summer entertainment program is once again packed with highlights. With an invitation to search for minerals, an open-air digital ...
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Les Nocturnes are back for the fourth year running at the summit of the Puy de Dôme. Like last year, the evenings are booked in advance for the ...
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Italian designer Matteo Cibic transforms Riom Limagne's Mandet and Régional d'Auvergne museums this spring. Cibic, nephew of Aldo Cibic of the ...
