Taillerie du Sancy

Between Le Mont-Dore and La Bourboule, at the locality known as the Fontaine Pétrifiante, the Taillerie du Sancy does a job you don't come across every day: cutting stone. You push open the door of a 100 m² shop, free to walk into, and there you find minerals, fossils and jewellery.

A good part of what you see tells the story of Auvergne's geological past: rock crystal, amethyst, fluorite. The cutting workshop, with its lapidary machines, can be visited between 14 July and 15 August: a 35-minute guided visit shows how a rough stone becomes a polished gem. It's by appointment, around €2.50 per adult and €2 for ages 6 to 12 (2026 price). The shop, meanwhile, stays free all year round.

The name of the place is no accident: a petrifying spring is a spring whose mineral-laden water leaves a crust of limestone on whatever it touches. Our take, frankly: not a big spectacular visit, more a short, curious stop, perfect on a rainy day or between two hikes in the massif.