Auvergne on a budget
Good news: in Auvergne, a good share of the big sites can be visited without a ticket, and municipal campsites, refuges and the region's TER train cards keep the bill light. You just have to know where to look.
Here are 25 concrete ideas for visiting Auvergne without draining your bank account.
Free activities (and there are plenty)
It is one of the region's great strengths: most of the iconic natural sites are 100% free.
Hikes in the Chaîne des Puys. 80 volcanic puys, free waymarked paths. The Puy de Dôme via the sentier des Muletiers costs nothing: from the col de Ceyssat, 1.9 km and 350 m of ascent, allow 45 minutes to 1 hour to climb. From Monday 5 to Friday 16 October 2026, the path and the car park at the col are closed for works: the climb on foot then goes by the chemin des chèvres, from the Panoramique des Dômes car park. And parking at the foot of the site is free, 1,500 spaces.
Crater lakes. Lac Pavin (Besse), Lac Chauvet, Lac de Servières, Lac de Guéry. All with free access. In May 2025, parking at the col de Guéry became chargeable from 1 May to 30 September, at weekends, long weekends, public holidays and school holidays (2025 rate: €4 beyond four hours), and parking on the road along the lake was banned. Swimming, for its part, is forbidden in all four lakes: municipal order at Pavin, private lake at Chauvet, sensitive natural areas at Guéry and Servières. To swim without paying, Lac Chambon remains free to access. The beach at Lac d'Aydat is no longer open to the public after 21 September 2026: a renaturalisation and modernisation project there runs until summer 2028.
Waterfalls. Cascade du Queureuilh at Le Mont-Dore, Cascade de Faillitoux at Thiézac, Cascade de la Biche in the Chaudefour valley. All with free access. One hour there and back for the Queureuilh, a 20-minute climb for the Faillitoux. Allow 2 to 3 hours for the Biche, starting from the Maison de la Réserve (the reserve's visitor centre).
Plateau de Gergovie. The Arverni oppidum (fortified town) where Vercingetorix defeated Caesar in 52 BC. Free access, three car parks on the plateau.
Villages listed as Plus Beaux Villages de France (the Most Beautiful Villages of France). Salers, Tournemire, Marcolès (Cantal), Charroux (Allier), Usson, Montpeyroux (Puy-de-Dôme), Arlempdes, Blesle, Lavaudieu, Lavoûte-Chilhac, Polignac, Pradelles (Haute-Loire). Twelve listed villages in Auvergne, all free.
Cathedrals and abbey churches. Notre-Dame du Puy, Basilique Saint-Julien (Brioude), Basilique Notre-Dame d'Orcival, Abbatiale Saint-Austremoine (Issoire), Basilique Saint-Amable (Riom). All with free access.
Panoramas reachable by car. Pas de Peyrol at the Puy Mary: €5 for the day's parking in 2026, and access roads closed every winter, from the first snows until the spring thaw. Plateau du Mézenc. Col de la Croix Morand. The summit of the Puy de Dôme, for its part, is reached on foot or by rack railway.
Transhumance. Every spring (late May to mid-June) and autumn, the herds go up to or come down from the summer pastures. Allanche in the Cantal, late May: the fête de l'estive (summer pasture festival) parades herds of Salers cattle through the village, and the Sunday climb to the pastures is free and open to all.
Affordable places to stay
This is where you can really save money.
Municipal campsite. Many tourist communes have kept theirs. At Le Mont-Dore, the Les Crouzets municipal campsite, open from 19 December 2025 to 27 September 2026, advertises a flat rate of €10.30 to €16.30, plus €2.90 to €3 per adult per day. In the Cantal, the Camping municipal l'Échappée Verte, at Pleaux, opens in 2026 from 4 April to 15 November: a flat rate of €13 to €16 for two people with a car and a pitch, tourist tax included, and the neighbouring municipal swimming pool is free to enter in high season.
Gîtes ruraux, 1 or 2 épis (ears of wheat). For a family of 4, it is often the best-value option, especially outside high season: May, June and September.
Youth hostels. The HI network has one in Clermont-Ferrand, one at Le Mont-Dore (the Chalet le Grand Volcan) and one at Saint-Martin-des-Olmes, near Ambert. For solo travellers or small groups, it is unbeatable.
Sancy refuges (mountain huts). The Refuge de la Banne, at Murat-le-Quaire, opens only in summer, from mid-June to the end of August. It has a nine-bed dormitory, and its 2026 rates are €60 for a double room, €7 per person for a bivouac pitch and €20 for the evening meal. Unbeatable for anyone who wants to hike for several days.
Guest rooms (chambres d'hôtes). On a farm or in a village house, it is often the simplest option for two. Book direct with the house, and look in villages rather than spa towns.
Tolerated bivouac. In the Chaîne des Puys, a single night is accepted with the landowner's agreement: tent pitched at sunset, taken down at sunrise, no fires, and never on the slopes or summits of the volcanoes.
Eating without breaking the bank
The menu du jour (set lunch menu). In Clermont-Ferrand, place de la Victoire, Café Pascal serves a dish of the day Monday to Friday, and a menu du jour that adds a dessert. Also in Clermont, Les Diables au Thym serve lunch Monday to Friday and accept meal vouchers (titres restaurant). In Aurillac, La Brasserie du Square offers a menu du jour, place du Square, every day except Wednesday.
Neighbourhood brasseries. The habit works everywhere, including in the sub-prefecture towns: push the door open and look at the lunchtime blackboard before the menu.
Farm inns (fermes-auberges). A ferme-auberge is run on a working farm, and its main dishes are made mostly with the farm's own produce.
Traditional cafés and bistros. In villages, the dish-plus-coffee deal is still the simplest way to have lunch without breaking the bank.
Markets and picnics. Auvergne charcuterie, farmhouse Saint-Nectaire, country bread: do your shopping at the market, and lunch is eaten by a lake or at the foot of a puy.
Cheap transport
illico LIBERTÉ JEUNES card. €15 a year for under-26s, and 50% off all year on the region's TER trains. At weekends and on public holidays, it also benefits one, two or three people travelling with you in the region. After 26, the illico LIBERTÉ card costs €30 a year: 25% off on weekdays, 50% at weekends.
illico PROMO ticket. From two travellers, it takes 40% off the normal fare, on Saturdays and every day of the school holidays. Children under 12 travel free.
Car-sharing. On Paris-Clermont, Lyon-Clermont or between two towns in the region, BlaBlaCar is still an option to set against the train and the coach.
Long-distance coaches. FlixBus links Clermont-Ferrand to Paris in 4 hours 50, at least five times a day, and also serves Lyon, Bordeaux and Marseille. Fares move constantly depending on the date: look at several days around yours.
Small-car hire. On the spot, aim for the smallest category and book early for July-August.
Electric bike hire. In Vichy, the Vivélo network hires out electric-assist bikes for an hour, a day or all year, at its agency or from eight self-service stations.
To finish
With free-access sites, municipal campsites, refuges and the region's TER cards, a stay in Auvergne can be put together without blowing the budget.
To go further: the Auvergne for free guide, the Auvergne hiking page, or the Auvergne with kids guide.