Auvergne

Shaped by the volcanic activity that took place 30 million years ago, the Auvergne landscape is all green mountains and wild gorges. Nature in the raw.  

For a long period of time Auvergne was a more or less inaccessible region – and although this situation no longer applies, the region still retains a wild aspect which delights all those who love nature. This is a land of unspoilt, wide open spaces – a land of volcanoes, lakes filled with the clearest water and some exceptionally steep-sided valleys (such as the Allier and Sioule gorges). The region is the perfect destination for ‘green’ holidays, activity holidays and hot spring therapy – and it has the wild character of a land passed through since time immemorial by Compostelle pilgrims, and one of the places where Norman art flourished. With Clermont-Ferrand as its capital, Auvergne has the open-minded temperament of a land of traditions, where AOC cheeses, fine cuisine and some major festivities are ages old. 

read on at France guide