Waterfalls
Cascade de l'Écureuil
Rated 4.3 out of 5, 248 reviews
Charbonnières-les-Varennes
- 45 min to 2 h
- Free
- Outdoors
A low-key waterfall at the end of a shady forest path, in the Sans Souci valley near Châtel-Guyon and Volvic.
Free in Auvergne
A good part of what makes Auvergne interesting costs nothing: the waterfalls, the ridges, the villages, the lakeshores. This page only keeps places confirmed to be free, across every category. Parking, on the other hand, can be paid in season: the page says so when we know. Filter by département and starting town, then off you go.
Free
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Narrow the list down: the count keeps up, and we always tell you what hasn't been verified yet. Filters apply to the whole interest, not just this page.
157 lieux
Waterfalls
Cascade du Saut du Loup
Rated 4.2 out of 5, 206 reviews
Le Mont-Dore
- Free
- Outdoors
A waterfall at Le Mont-Dore, 1 km above the Cascade du Queureuilh, on the three-waterfall circuit.
Lakes
Lac de la Cassière
Rated 4.3 out of 5, 165 reviews
Aydat
- 45 min to 2 h
- Free
- Outdoors
A 14-hectare volcanic lake about twenty minutes from Clermont: fishing, family picnics and a water level that does what it likes.
Gorges
Gorges du Cher et retenue de Rochebut
Rated 4.4 out of 5, 40 reviews
Mazirat
- 1 h to 3 h
- Free
- Outdoors
The Cher squeezed into wooded gorges, a century-old dam and a lake that has stayed wild between Allier and Creuse, 12 km upstream of Montluçon.
Waterfalls
Cascade de Souteyros
Rated 4.3 out of 5, 136 reviews
Saint-Front
- 1 h to 2 h
- Free
- Outdoors
A little-known waterfall near the hamlet of Souteyros, in Saint-Front: a 45-minute loop, doable with children from age 6.
Waterfalls
Cascade du Creux de l'Oulette
Rated 4.2 out of 5, 258 reviews
Saillant
- 1 h to 4 h
- Free
- Outdoors
A waterfall of nearly 20 metres in the forest, at an altitude of 1,000 m above the Ance valley. An hour there and back from the car park.
Viewpoints
Roc Armand
Rated 4.4 out of 5, 11 reviews
Chouvigny
- 15 min to 45 min
- Free
- Outdoors
A granite rock on the banks of the Sioule, a steep staircase, and up top the view over the Chouvigny gorges and the perched castle.
Unusual experiences
Sainte-Marguerite springs
Rated 4.3 out of 5, 81 reviews
Saint-Maurice
- 30 min to 1 h 30
- Free
- Under cover
A real geyser beside the Allier: about every 20 minutes, the Brissac spring shoots up in the middle of a former spa park.
Waterfalls
Cascade Sainte-Élisabeth
Rated 4.3 out of 5, 77 reviews
La Tour-d'Auvergne
- 30 min to 2 h
- Free
- Outdoors
The Burande plunges about fifteen metres into a granite basin, a stone's throw from the village of La Tour-d'Auvergne. Short, easy access.
Unusual experiences
Gimeaux petrifying springs
Rated 4.4 out of 5, 5 reviews
Gimeaux
- 30 min to 1 h 30
- Free
- Outdoors
Salty springs that cover everything in stone: at Gimeaux, a travertine rock and a boiling well await you along a 2 km loop.
Waterfalls
Cascade d'Alleyras
Rated 4.3 out of 5, 65 reviews
Alleyras
- 1 h 30 to 2 h 30
- Free
- Outdoors
A waterfall of about fifteen metres on the Séjallières, close to where it meets the Malaval, reached on foot from the village of Alleyras, in the Haut-Allier gorges.
Waterfalls
Le Saut du Chien
Rated 4.3 out of 5, 49 reviews
Aurec-sur-Loire
- 1 h 30 to 3 h
- Free
- Outdoors
Suspended walkways above the Loire to get past the Saut du Chien rock: the gorges walk from Aurec-sur-Loire.
Waterfalls
Cascade du Crouzet
Rated 4.3 out of 5, 18 reviews
Mazet-Saint-Voy
- 30 min to 1 h 30
- Free
- Outdoors
In a wooded valley at Mazet-Saint-Voy, the Surenne stream drops over a waterfall between the hamlets of Le Petit Crouzet and Le Grand Crouzet, about 400 m from each as the crow flies.
Swimming spots
Mallet beach
Rated 4.0 out of 5, 325 reviews
Fridefont
- Free
- Outdoors
- With the family
On the Grandval reservoir, the only beach where swimming is allowed on the whole lake: supervised in July and August, pedalos and paddleboards, in the Truyère gorges.
Unusual experiences
Saladis salt springs
Rated 4.2 out of 5, 62 reviews
Les Martres-de-Veyre
- 30 min to 1 h
- Free
- Outdoors
Two salty, sparkling springs beside the Allier, with seaside flora in the middle of the Puy-de-Dôme. A free trail, open to all.
Unusual experiences
Coudes spring
Rated 4.2 out of 5, 43 reviews
Coudes
- 10 min to 30 min
- Free
- Under cover
In Coudes, a naturally sparkling, iron-rich spring flows in a small building beside the road. Locals fill their bottles there.
Waterfalls
Cascade des Essarts
Rated 4.2 out of 5, 9 reviews
Chastreix
- 1 h 30 to 2 h
- Free
- Outdoors
The Gagne leaps off basalt columns in a cool woodland at Chastreix. An easy 4.6 km loop, waymarked from the village church.
Lakes
Lac de Malaguet
Rated 4.1 out of 5, 11 reviews
Monlet
- 1 h to 2 h
- Free
- Outdoors
A 22-hectare lake at 1,025 m altitude, designated a regional nature reserve. A walk round the lake in 1 hour 30 among otters, dragonflies and migrating birds.
Waterfalls
Cascade du Trou de la Conche
Rated 4.1 out of 5, 37 reviews
Vic-sur-Cère
- 30 min to 1 h 30
- Free
- Outdoors
Fifteen minutes' walk from the church in Vic-sur-Cère, the Iraliot slides over the rock and fills a natural basin, the famous conche.
Gorges
Gorges de Courgoul
Rated 4.0 out of 5, 45 reviews
Valbeleix
- 45 min to 2 h 30
- Free
- Outdoors
A small road follows the Couze de Valbeleix at the bottom of wooded gorges: a restored bridge that seems to date from Gallo-Roman times, the pailhats of Courgoul and an easy 2.5 km loop.
Waterfalls
Cascade du Pont-de-Pierre
Rated 3.9 out of 5, 76 reviews
La Tour-d'Auvergne
- 15 min to 45 min
- Free
- Outdoors
A stone's throw from the D47, the waterfall drops over a 15-metre granite step before breaking on big blocks, among the trees and mossy rocks.
Waterfalls
Cascade du Luc
Rated 3.9 out of 5, 43 reviews
Mandailles-Saint-Julien
- 30 min to 1 h 30
- Free
- Outdoors
A fall of about 40 metres in the forest, 800 metres on foot from the village of Mandailles. An easy family walk in the Jordanne valley.
Waterfalls
Cascade du Cheix
Rated 3.7 out of 5, 42 reviews
Saint-Victor-la-Rivière
- 15 min to 45 min
- Free
- Outdoors
A little-known waterfall near Courbanges, in the Sancy. Steep path, cool atmosphere, strongest flow after rain.
Villages
Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise
- 1 h to 2 h
- Free
- Under cover
A medieval town in dark lava stone, more than 1,000 metres up, granted its charter of freedoms in 1270: belfry, cobbled lanes, four listed monuments. And Lac Pavin 10 minutes away.
Villages
Blesle
- Free
- With the family
A former abbesses' fiefdom in Haute-Loire, with its Romanesque church and half-timbered houses.
Villages
Charroux
- Free
- With the family
A former fortified town in the Bourbonnais, known for its mustard and its medieval lanes.
Villages
Hérisson
- Free
- Outdoors
Ruins of a 12th-century castle sitting on a rocky spur above the Aumance, and a medieval village below. Free access, allow 1 hour to 1 hour 30.
Villages
Lavaudieu
- Free
- With the family
A Plus Beau Village de France on the banks of the Senouire: winegrowers' houses in golden stone, an old bridge, a bell tower truncated during the Revolution, and an abbey in the middle.
Villages
Montpeyroux
- Free
- With the family
A village of craftspeople in blond arkose, with its keep and a view over the Limagne and the Sancy.
Villages
Pradelles
- Free
- With the family
Fortified village perched at 1,150 m, a stage on the Régordane Way facing the Margeride.
Villages
Saint-Saturnin
- Free
- With the family
Medieval arkose village south of Clermont, its castle and a major Romanesque church.
Villages
Salers
- Free
- With the family
A village built entirely of black volcanic stone, perched at 950 m, and the birthplace of Salers cheese.
Villages
Tournemire
- Free
- With the family
A small village in the Cantal tucked beneath the Château d'Anjony and its 16th-century frescoes.
Villages
Usson
- Free
- With the family
A hilltop village where Queen Margot was exiled, with a panorama over the Limagne and the Sancy.
Waterfalls
Cascade de la Louade
Rated 3.7 out of 5, 7 reviews
Chadron
- 2 h to 3 h
- Free
- Outdoors
A drop of nearly 15 m on the Cros stream, a pool steeped in legend and a 7.5 km loop starting from Le Crouzet, in Chadron.
Waterfalls
Cascade de la Besque
Rated 3.4 out of 5, 5 reviews
Prades
- 1 h to 2 h
- Free
- Outdoors
A series of falls in a granite boulder field, above Prades and the Gorges de l'Allier. A little-known corner that you reach on foot.
Gorges
Gorges d'Avèze
Rated 3.0 out of 5, 11 reviews
Messeix
- 30 min to 2 h
- Free
- Outdoors
Between Messeix and Avèze, the still-young Dordogne runs through a rocky corridor covered in forest. A bridge, anglers' banks, fast-flowing water.