Things to do in Clermont-Ferrand
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Clermont-Ferrand
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
International Short Film Festival in late January to early February, winter cold, book months ahead.
Shoulder wakes up, Vulcania reopens late March, changeable, uncrowded and cheap.
Best overall window shared with September, mild weather, green craters and Europavox in late June.
Peak volcano season, warmest for hiking, lakes and paragliding, with crowds and storm afternoons.
Other best window, harvest and mushroom season, autumn colour and cooler hiking.
Quiet trough, short grey wet days, many excursions closed or reduced, lowest prices.
Winter mountain season outside the festival, skiing at Mont-Dore and Super-Besse, Dôme in snow on clear days.
What's on
- International Short Film Festival Late January to early February each year
The world's leading short-film festival, the city becomes a film town for nine days.
- Europavox Late June
Major European music festival at Place du 1er Mai and Coopérative de Mai, book everything ahead.
Best things to do in Clermont-Ferrand
Puy de Dôme
The 1465m summit above the city with a Roman temple, observatory and views across the whole volcano chain.
Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption
A Gothic cathedral built entirely from dark Volvic lava stone, free to enter and unlike any other in France.
Basilique Notre-Dame-du-Port
A 12th-century Auvergne Romanesque basilica with carved capitals in the most atmospheric old quarter.
L'Aventure Michelin
Michelin's hometown interactive museum covering tyres, maps, racing and Bibendum, strong on rainy days.
Montferrand
The older, quieter planned medieval town inside the city, with Renaissance mansions and a local feel.
Musée d'Art Roger-Quilliot
Painting and sculpture from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, strongest on Auvergne schools.
Musée Bargoin
Archaeology and textiles covering Gallo-Roman Auvergne and a nationally noted textile collection.
Jardin Lecoq
A 19th-century English-style garden with lawns, rose beds and a pond where local families spend Sundays.
Where to stay in Clermont-Ferrand
Historic centre - Place de Jaude / Delille / cathedral quarter
first trip, all-round base
Walk to the cathedral, basilica, market, tram A and most restaurants in under 15 minutes.
Royat-Chamalières
spa, calm and a splurge
Belle Epoque thermal suburb in a wooded valley with Royatonic and grand-hotel architecture, quieter at night.
Montferrand
quieter, local, second-trip base
Medieval streets and good value with tram A into the centre in about 15 minutes, fewer late restaurants.
Near the station - Gare / Delille edge
early trains and one-night stopovers
Practical with the centre a 10-minute walk, though not the prettiest arrival in France.
Le Brézet / airport corridor and Polydome outskirts
driving through or business with parking
Functional Novotel-type properties with parking and pools, but you drive or tram for everything enjoyable.
Think twice about
- Croix-de-Neyrat, La Gauthière, Les Vergnes, Champratel and outer Saint-Jacques
Priority social-housing estates with documented drug-dealing points, no hotels and poor late transport, not a visitor base.
- Immediately around the main station and Avenue de l'Union Soviétique late at night
Seedy rather than dangerous with shuttered shops and aggressive begging, so stay alert and do not linger.
- Place de Jaude commercial edge
Not unsafe, just noisy from trams, bars and match-night crowds, a problem for light sleepers.
- Royat valley bottom in a heatwave or storm warning
Royat and Chamalières sit in the Tiretaine valley and have flooded historically, so follow weather alerts.
Best restaurants in Clermont-Ferrand
Le Pré
Two-star tasting menus by Xavier Beaudiment, rooted in foraged herbs and Auvergne produce.
L'Ostal
A tiny one-star room with a fiercely seasonal set menu that changes every few weeks.
Apicius
The historic gastronomic house of Jean-Claude Leclerc, formal haute French cooking in the centre.
L'En-But
The brasserie by the rugby stadium, big and buzzy with generous Auvergne-meets-brasserie cooking.
Amphitryon Capucine
A long-running centre favourite for refined seasonal French cooking, suited to dates and celebrations.
Le Chardonnay
Wine-led bistronomy in the centre with market French cooking and a bargain lunch menu.
Le Puy de la Lune
The truffade address for traditional Auvergnat cooking, potée and local charcuterie at fair prices.
La Cassolette
Homestyle French casseroles and market dishes with an excellent value lunch, loved by locals.
Outdoor things to do in Clermont-Ferrand
Puy de Pariou
A clear grassy crater you can descend into, with the postcard view of Puy de Dome from its rim.
Puy de la Vache
An open red Strombolian crater with a lunar scoria landscape, paired by a ridge walk with Lassolas.
Puy de Lassolas
Twin open crater to La Vache whose lava flow dammed the valley and created Lac d'Aydat.
Volcan de Lemptégy
Walk inside a hollowed-out real volcano with a guide to see its layers, chimneys and volcanic bombs.
Golf des Volcans
The full 18-hole course in the pines at the foot of the volcano chain, the serious local round.
Golf de Royat-Charade
A 9-hole mountain course above Royat with views over Clermont and toward Puy de Dome in one round.
Golf du Val d'Auzon
The easier southern golf alternative with 9 and 18-hole play and a well-regarded terrace restaurant.
Lac d'Aydat
Auvergne's largest natural lake with a supervised swimming beach, sailing, kayaks and paddleboards.
Best hotels in Clermont-Ferrand
Le Pré
Five calm rooms above a two-star restaurant, the special-occasion base for the whole region.
Hôtel Princesse Flore
The grand 4-star thermal hotel in Royat with spa access and a Belle Epoque valley resort feel.
Mercure Clermont-Ferrand Centre Jaude
On Place de Jaude with a terrace and cocktail bar, an unbeatable first-trip location in the centre.
Hôtel Littéraire Alexandre Vialatte
A literary-themed 4-star on Place Delille with a rooftop breakfast view and rare underground parking.
Oceania Clermont-Ferrand
A contemporary 4-star with Puy de Dome views, hot tub and hammam, and a tram stop at the door.
Aiden by Best Western Clermont-Ferrand Hôtel & Spa
A newer spa hotel option, best checked carefully on the map as some properties sit in the Brezet corridor.
Eklo Clermont-Ferrand Centre Gare
A modern eco-budget hotel near the station, popular with younger travellers and groups.
Privilodges Carré de Jaude
Self-catering apartments right by Jaude, ideal for longer stays, families and Sunday closures.
Is Clermont-Ferrand expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €70 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €120 a person |
| Splurge | €250 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Puy de Dôme: a few days ahead
- Stade Marcel-Michelin: weeks ahead
- Vulcania: a few days ahead
- Volcan de Lemptégy: a few days ahead
- Golf des Volcans: a few days ahead
- Golf de Royat-Charade: a few days ahead
- Golf du Val d'Auzon: a few days ahead
- Puy de Dôme: a few days ahead
- Le Pre needs weeks ahead, L'Ostal and Apicius need 1 to 2 weeks for weekends.
- Book the Puy de Dome train, Vulcania and Lemtegy guided slots ahead in season and school holidays.
- Book ASM big fixtures, Europavox and Short Film Festival accommodation as soon as dates are fixed.
- Book Royatonic timed passes ahead on weekends.
Is Clermont-Ferrand safe?
- Centre, Jaude, Port quarter, Montferrand and Royat are comfortable day and night with normal awareness.
- Pickpocketing is a modest risk in festival, match and peak tram crowds.
- Never leave luggage visible in a car at a volcano trailhead, break-ins are the main practical risk.
- Emergency number is 112.
Clermont-Ferrand travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Eating on main Place de Jaude terraces where you pay for the square, not the cooking.
- Going up Puy de Dome at midday in August without checking cloud on the summit webcam.
- Treating Vulcania as a half-day add-on when it is a full day or not worth the ticket.
- Driving into the old centre hunting for street parking, and buying Saint-Nectaire at motorway prices.
Getting around Clermont-Ferrand: public transport and more
- Tram line A crosses the city east-west linking Jaude, Delille, the station, university and stadium.
- No car is needed for the city and Puy de Dome, but hire one for Pariou, Aydat, Lemtegy and the Sancy.
- Intercites trains from Paris-Bercy take about 3.5 hours, book early on SNCF Connect for cheap fares.
Who Clermont-Ferrand suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
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