L'Aventure Michelin

Clermont-Ferrand means Michelin. To understand why, there is this museum set on the company's historic site, open since January 2009. Two thousand square metres of interactive tour that unfold the history of the brand since 1889: the detachable tyre that got the bicycle going, then the car, through to the radial tyre invented here.

You come across Bibendum in every era, screens and cinemas, but also real pieces: L'Éclair, the first Michelin car, from 1895, a Breguet 14 aircraft from the Great War, a micheline (the railcar on tyres) and the DS “Mille Pattes” with eleven wheels. Not forgetting the maps and the Guide, which brought Michelin into the daily life of the French.

Practical details: allow 1 hour 30 to 2 hours, €13 full price, €9 reduced, free for under-7s (2026 prices, check before you come). Pay car parks right next door (ticket on entry, paid on exit), tram line A (Stade Marcel Michelin stop), a site with the Tourisme & Handicap label.

Our take, honestly: far livelier than the words “industrial museum” suggest. Children keep up without dragging their feet, and you come out looking at Clermont differently.