Besse

Besse is a medieval town, set on an old lava flow more than 1,000 metres up. The church, belfry, fountains and houses are all built of dark lava stone. The result: cobbled lanes, medieval and Renaissance houses, ten protected historic monuments in the commune (four of them listed) and the Petites Cités de Caractère label.

In 1270, the lord of the Tour d'Auvergne granted the inhabitants certain freedoms, including the right to elect two consuls every year. The town prospered, built its defences, and most of it is still there: the belfry and its town gate, remains of the ramparts, rue de la Boucherie with its medieval houses, and the house known as Queen Margot's. Legend has it that Marguerite de Valois spent a night there on her way to her castle at Usson, and the façade is worth a look.

The church of Saint-André, built in the 12th century and reworked in the 15th in the Gothic style, keeps its 16th-century misericord stalls. It has been a listed historic monument since 1886.

The tradition that makes the village's heart beat: Notre-Dame de Vassivière, a black Virgin who goes up in procession to her summer-pasture sanctuary on 2 July (the Montée) and comes back down at the end of September (the Dévalade), keeping time with the herds. And if you're there on a Monday morning, the market is where everyone meets.

Our advice: park on the edge of town (free car parks); the centre takes just under an hour to walk round. Then Lac Pavin is 10 minutes away by car and Super-Besse 7 kilometres, with a shuttle: free in summer (on-demand service, booking required), paid in winter.