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Activities
The Auvergne is full of wonders and surprises with activities to
suit all ages and interests.
Peace and quiet and wide open spaces,
dramatic landscapes, lakes, thermal spas, gastronomy (in particular
cheeses) and a wide variety of summer and winter sports including walking,
hiking, cycling, horse riding, skiing,
snowboarding, fishing, climbing, ballooning,
flying, skydiving
and para gliding, to name just a few.
In the summer months a panoramic train runs from nearby Courpière to Ambert and on to La Chaise-Dieu, a great way to see the beautiful
landscape of the Livradois-Forez.
Drawing on the area's volcanic past, Vulcania is the world's first attraction devoted to volcanoes; a highly educational, living museum dedicated to volcanoes and vulcanology, designed
for both adults and children to take part in the exploration and discovery of the exhibits. Three-quarters of the construction is underground, with
four levels of displays, films and other shows, interactivity, a volcanic garden, etc, built into the plug of a real extinct volcano.
If you like to indulge in quieter,
less stressful activities, the region is steeped in history, tradition and culture, dotted with ancient
chateaux and stunning Romanesque architecture churches.
There are plenty of fascinating towns and pretty villages to visit, each with its own character, many with authentic local markets.
Cutlery has been made in the nearby town of
Thiers for six centuries.
You can visit the museum and the many shops selling Thiers knives. A stroll along a 3Km stretch of the river bank at the Valée des Rouets,
where water wheels powered the sharpening of the knives by grinders flat on their stomachs, pressing the iron against the grinding-stone, is
a moving experience of their hard life that encompasses history, industrial heritage, hiking and nature. This is only one of the many ancient crafts, along with
15th century papermaking by hand at Moulin Richard de Bas, near Ambert, on
the Route de Metiérs; trades and techniques lost in the mists of time.
The university town of
Clermont Ferrand, the capital of the region, is an urban and cultural contrast to the
surrounding rural environment, with its old town, theatre, museums,
concerts and annual festivals of music, dance, theatre & film, not to mention its famous rugby team that has supplied France with many international
players. It is of course also the home and global headquarters of Michelin, the major employer, and young and old alike can meet
Bibendum at the Adventure Michelin museum.
The spa town of Vichy with its famous opera house is about the same distance away as Clermont Ferrand
and Le Puy-en-Velay is also an
outstanding historic city, famous for its lace; the ancient starting point towards Santiago de Compostella in Spain.
If all this sounds a little exhausting,
there are ten therapeutic spa towns in the Auvergne, including the famous Vichy,
where Romans once bathed in the mineral rich waters followed later by elegant Parisians and
Volvic, home of the famous spring water, where you can relax and experience the healing waters.
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