Rising to an altitude of 1 753m, the volcanic Mézenc peak has a variety of landscapes: an immense barren plateau on the Velay side, and more dramatic relief plunging down to the Rhône on the Vivarois side. Famed for its basalt flows such as the Ray-P..

Created 900 000 years ago, the Massif du Sancy is the youngest of the Dore mountains. Whatever the season, you will be captivated by its deep blue lakes, its impressive cirques, delicately shaped by glaciers, and of course its large pine and beech fo..

Old Lyon Stretches from the River Saône to Fourvière and is comprised of three districts (Saint-John, Saint-Paul et Saint-Georges). The old town used to be the centre of industry and the home of the Lyons silk workers. At the end of Francois I's reig..

The collections of this conservatory of the art of the cloth are designed around two great opposing poles- the West and East. Some magnificent Lyon silks and the production of one of its illustrious inventors Philippe de Lassalle illustrate French cl..

In the chancel that has been converted into a garden statues by Bourdelle, Duret and Rodin will greet you. The renovated museum has a wonderful panorama of the world of art which make it one of the best Fine Art museums in France. Collections of inte..

From the top of the Puy Mary the view takes in the Cantal mountains, Europe’s biggest volcanic range. Originally a gigantic volcano, it has been worn down by millennia of erosion. The puys have taken on various shapes: Puy Griou appears like a peak; ..

The horn-like shape of this puy is due to glacial erosion during the Quaternary Era. The path on the northwest side takes you to the summit (1 787m). A signboard explains the grandiose landscapes, with the gigantic fan of the range’s glacial valleys ..

The famous Pont d'Arc requires no introduction. This monumental natural arch ushers you into one of the most imposing natural phenomena in the southern region of France in a most grandiose fashion. Most of the gorges were declared a protected natur..

Two viewing tables have been set up on either side of a chapel, commanding a grandiose, sweeping view which covers no less than 13 departments. To the east, the eye is drawn to the Vercors, with, beyond, the sparkling summits of the Alps and Mont Bla..

Les Grands Goulets is the most spectacular natural sight in the Vercors. Following the partial closure of the road leading to it, the Drôme département is researching a project to enable tourists to continue to visit the area. Its extension, the P..

This volcano at an altitude of 1 465m commands a fine view of the Monts Dômes chain. To the north are volcanoes with craters (Petit Puy de Dôme, Grand Suchet, Puy de Côme, Pariou and Louchadière) and without (Petit Suchet, Clierzou and Sarcouy). To t..

Around 80 volcanoes stretch 40km westwards from Clermont, between the Sioule gorges and Grande Limagne. They are fascinating all year round, beginning with the Puy de Lemptégy (1018m), a fine example of an open-crater volcano. After hiking to the ..

The dam is striking for the boldness of its design, power of its installations and sheer size. The reservoir is 25km in length. Two ski-jump style channels create a water flow of 4 000m3 per second. Downstream, a viewpoint (accessed on foot from the ..

Near Saint-Pierre-d'Entremont , this site at the heart of the Chartresue massif offers views over a rocky limestone landscape 400m up: from the cave halfway up, the Guiers Vif gushes forth in two lovely waterfalls. The cirque is the setting-off poin..

Two Romanesque bells dominate the priory. Only the left gate remains of the Romanesque building’s west façade, preceded by an avant-corps with a gate and a wide Flamboyant-style aperture (15C). The central nave testifies to the influence of Cluny (do..

The beauty of this valley comes from its villages clinging to the mountainside as well as the views of its summits, which are somewhat Alpine in appearance. Along the D17 from Rudez to St-Curgues-de-Jordanne, there are several departure points for hi..

Formed on the site of an old peneplain, then covered as a result of volcanic activity and deeply sculpted by vast valleys, this rock is one of two basalt plateaux in the Carladès (part of the Vic-sur-Cère region). You can drive to a tiny chapel from ..

The Mars valley begins its life at the Falgoux cirque, hollowing out its course at the foot of the Puy Mary . This glacial cirque contains the largest forest in the département, made up of pectinate pines grown for commercial purposes.

The D679 from Condat to Bort-les-Orgues skirts the right bank of the Rhue valley, affording lovely views of the river. Halfway along, upstream from Embort, the river flows through magnificent sloped and wooded gorges which broaden out at the conflu..

Beyond Auriac-de-Faverolles, visitors can embark on a number of scenic excursions along the D13, taking in the flooded valleys of the Truyère and Bès rivers. Once across the Bès, the road climbs upwards, offering views (to the right) of two rocky isl..