Laroquebrou

Laroquebrou is a Petite Cité de Caractère (a heritage label for small towns) set in the Cantal Châtaigneraie, a little over 450 m altitude, on the banks of the Cère. A medieval village overlooked by the ruins of its fortified castle, in western Cantal.

You come first for the setting: lanes of old houses, many of them medieval, the timber market hall, and above all the castle, of which four of the original seven towers remain. Below, the bridge over the Cère dates from the 13th century, one of the first built across the river. Climb up to the statue of the Virgin, on the esplanade facing the castle: the view runs over the whole village.

The real showstopper is summer. Since 1998, Laroquebrou has hosted its international boogie-woogie festival every August, bringing thousands of festival-goers to a village of fewer than 800 inhabitants. The rest of the year, the Lac de Saint-Étienne-Cantalès, right next door, takes over for swimming and watersports.

In practice: allow an hour to walk round the village, pedestrian centre, free parking. Good to know: you can arrive by train, as the station is on the Aurillac-Brive line, 24 km from Aurillac. Come for the boogie in August, otherwise spring and summer to enjoy the Cère and the lake.