One week trip to explore the Auvergne region, in the heart of France. We rent a gîte in Picherande, place from which we make excursions to Lake Pavin, the Puy de Sancy, the Chaudefour Valley, the theme park of Vulcania, Puy de Dôme, Mont-Dore or the Puy Mary among others.
On the way to Auvergne, we passed the Millau viaduct and the Garabit viaduct, the latter built by Eiffel. Before arriving at Picherande, we make a last stop in Saint-Nectaire to visit the Parc du Dolmen.
Lake Pavin, located 1,197 meters above sea level, is located inside an old crater. The lake has a depth of 90 meters. It takes about an hour to hike the path that surrounds the lake.
The cascade d'Entraigues is formed by a fall of 18 meters high and is embedded in a valley and surrounded by lush vegetation. In Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise highlights the old town of medieval origin.
Vulcania is a theme park set in volcanoes, which also has some attractions. The park offers interactive experiences, projection of educational films and entertainment for the little ones.
The Puy de Dôme is one of the youngest volcanoes in the Chaîne des Puys. The most recent eruption was in the year 5760 BC. From the summit (1,465 m) offers a magnificent view of the chain of puys.
We drove to Mont-Dore for one of the most spectacular tours of our trip. We went up with the cable car to the top of Puy de Sancy at 1,885 meters and from there we walked down to Mont-Doré.
We spend all day in the Fenestre Park of La Bourboule. It is a small amusement park located in this spa town. After returning to Picherande we took a walk in which the church of Saint Quintien stands out.
Formed through the accumulation of viscous lavas, the Puy Mary owes its singular form (horn type) to glacial erosion. The Puy Mary is part of the greater stratovolcanic set of Europe (2,700 square kilometers).