A busy arts and ceramics market in the Place Saint-Jean in Lyon

Clermont-Ferrand

In Clermont-Ferrand, the skyline is as moodily Gothic as the ambience is sunny and good-humoured. Dark volcanic stone gave the city its distinctive hue, layered into its 18th-century townhouses, dozens of fountains and the magnificent twin-turreted cathedral at its cobblestoned heart. As the Auvergne's largest city, Clermont-Ferrand is a hub not only for business but cuisine, with plenty of restaurants serving modernised cuisine auvergnate, and culture (in the form of fizzing art, film and live-music scenes). Beyond the winding lanes of its old town, the Auvergne’s capital is an industrial powerhouse, home to the Michelin automotive empire.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Cathédrale Notre Dame
Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand’s skyline broods with volcanic stone, but its most impressive edifice is Cathédrale Notre-Dame, whose 108m twin spires pierce the sky…
Musée d'Art Roger Quilliot
Clermont-Ferrand
Housed in an Ursuline convent 3km northeast of central Clermont, the city’s premier gallery takes design cues from NYC’s Guggenheim, its white spiral…
L'Aventure Michelin
Clermont-Ferrand
Yes, it’s a temple dedicated to the Auvergne’s world-famous tyre brand, but the 'Michelin Adventure' is a crowd-pleasing attraction. Gallery spaces are…
Place de Jaude
Clermont-Ferrand
Just southwest of the old city, lined with bars and hotels, Clermont-Ferrand's monumental pedestrianised square is overlooked by a statue of heroic Celtic…
Musée Bargoin
Clermont-Ferrand
Assembling a motley collection of ancient artefacts and modern design inside a stately 1903 building, the Bargoin is a good primer on Clermont old and new…
Basilique Notre Dame du Port
Clermont-Ferrand
This architectural gem has all the key elements of a Romanesque church: semi-circular arches, a bulky silhouette and a broad headpiece. But its…
Musée d'Histoire Naturelle Henri-Lecoq
Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont’s natural history museum is a pleasant enough rainy-day diversion. The first floor pays homage to the city’s most famous son, 17th-century…
Musée de la Résistance
Clermont-Ferrand
In a simple, schoolroom format, this small museum details the chronology of events following 21 June 1940, when Nazi troops marched into Clermont-Ferrand…

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