Département 15
Cantal
Cantal, where time takes its time.
Cantal is the largest volcanic massif in Europe, and you can feel it: valleys radiating out like a star from the Plomb du Cantal (1,855 m) and the Puy Mary, summer pastures as far as the eye can see, villages built from dark volcanic stone. This is the wildest Auvergne, the least crowded, the one where you can really breathe.
Here, time takes its time. You come to walk the ridges, to taste a real farmhouse Cantal cheese in a buron (a stone cheese-making hut on the summer pastures), to wander through Salers, listed among Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (the most beautiful villages in France). Aurillac, the main town of the department, keeps an endearing old centre and makes a practical base.
We've sorted the department by what you're in the mood for: mountains and volcanoes, lakes and wide open spaces, Salers and the villages, cheese and food, where to sleep. Each section points you to the places we've picked.
The Monts du Cantal and the volcanoes
The Puy Mary, a Grand Site de France (a national landscape label), takes 30 minutes to climb from the Pas de Peyrol, the highest road pass in the Massif Central. Around it, the Plomb du Cantal and a network of glacial valleys (Mandailles, the Mars valley, the Cère) that are perfect for hiking. The GR400 trail goes all the way around the volcano in a week.
Lakes, waterfalls and wide open spaces
The Cézallier plateau, a vast high-altitude steppe between Cantal and Puy-de-Dôme, hides lakes, peat bogs and a rare silence. For running water, the Jordanne gorges and the waterfalls of the massif are worth the detour. Plenty to alternate walking and swimming in summer.
Salers and the villages
Salers, perched on its rock, is one of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France: lava-stone houses, ramparts, a medieval square. Lower down, Aurillac and its old centre, the villages on the Cantal side of the Aubrac and the burons up on the summer pastures tell the story of another Auvergne, pastoral and rugged.
Cheese country
Cantal, Salers, Bleu d'Auvergne: the department lines up AOP cheeses (protected designation of origin), to taste straight from the producers and in fermes-auberges (farm inns). And truffade, the king of local dishes, is eaten piping hot after a hike.
Where to sleep
A renovated buron, a farm inn up on the summer pastures, a village gîte or a hotel in Aurillac: Cantal is made for nature breaks. For a hiking weekend, stay near Le Lioran or Mandailles; for sightseeing, base yourself in Salers or Aurillac.
When to go
High season runs from June to September: green summer pastures, burons open, trails in good shape. Autumn sets the beech woods ablaze. In winter, Le Lioran becomes a proper family ski resort. Spring stays cool at altitude.
How long to stay
Two days are enough for the Puy Mary, Salers and a good meal. Allow 4 to 5 days to string together the valleys, the Cézallier and Le Lioran without rushing.
Getting there
Cantal is the most isolated department in Auvergne, and that's what gives it its charm. Aurillac has a small airport (with a Paris route) and a train station; by car, expect mountain roads. Once you're there, a car is essential.
Places to see in Cantal
Castles and heritage · Ruynes-en-Margeride
Garabit Viaduct
Before the Eiffel Tower, Gustave Eiffel was already putting his name to a red iron giant: 565 metres long, 122 metres above the Truyère. You can take it in from the D909, the A75 or by boat.
Viewpoints · Le Claux
Puy Mary
1,783 m at the end of a 30-minute climb from the Pas de Peyrol, and seven glacial valleys fanning out beneath your feet.
Villages · Salers
Salers
A village built entirely of black volcanic stone, perched at 950 m, and the birthplace of Salers cheese.
Castles and heritage · Saint-Flour
Saint-Flour Cathedral
A 14th-15th century Gothic cathedral in black basalt at the top of the Saint-Flour rocky spur, with a medieval black Christ inside.
Guides for Cantal
Questions about Cantal
What can you do in Cantal in 2 days?
Day 1: the Puy Mary from the Pas de Peyrol, then Salers and its medieval square. Day 2: the Mandailles valley or the Jordanne gorges, and a truffade in a farm inn. In two days, you've got the essentials of the massif.
Is the Puy Mary hard to climb?
No. From the Pas de Peyrol (1,588 m, reachable by car), allow 30 to 40 minutes of climbing on a built staircase, about 200 m of ascent. The 360° view over the valleys radiating out like a star is worth the effort. Very busy in July and August.
What is Cantal's speciality?
Cheese above all: Cantal, Salers and Bleu d'Auvergne, all AOP. As for dishes, truffade (potatoes, fresh tomme cheese, garlic) is the one to try first, ideally in a ferme-auberge (farm inn).