Unusual places to stay in Auvergne
Auvergne is a serious playground for anyone who wants to sleep differently. Perched cabins at the foot of the Chaîne des Puys, bubbles, geodesic domes for starry nights, lodges with a private spa. The region has every format.
Here is our selection, by category, with opening seasons, price guides and the platforms that are worth the trouble.
Why unusual stays work so well in Auvergne
Three reasons. First, the land: dormant volcanoes, deep forests, crater lakes, plateaux as far as the eye can see. It is a setting made for places to stay that play with the landscape. A cabin perched above a volcanic valley is like nothing else.
Next, the low light pollution. On the high plateaux of the Cézallier, the Cantal and the Mézenc, the villages are small and very far apart: the night stays properly black. That is exactly what the transparent bubbles and domes are after: a ceiling full of stars that you watch from your bed.
Finally, what travellers want: many couples (and well-equipped families) slip one or two unusual nights into their trip to break the hotel routine. Wedding anniversary, proposal, surprise weekend, 30th birthday: Auvergne positions itself right on this segment.
Treehouses
The classic of unusual stays, from the very simple to the top end with a private spa on the terrace.
Les Cabanes des Combrailles (Saint-Gervais-d'Auvergne, Puy-de-Dôme). Eight cabins perched 3 to 10 metres up, plus two log chalets rented by the week, in an eco holiday village in the Combrailles. All the cabins have dry toilets, and the showers are in the tavern's sanitary block. Breakfast is included. In 2026, the village is open every day from 7 February to 30 December.
Cabanes des Volcans (La Tour-d'Auvergne, Puy-de-Dôme). In the heart of the Sancy, six perched cabins in the Volcans d'Auvergne regional nature park, some with a terrace over the forest. Ideal to combine with a hike in the Sancy. One of them, Cimes du Sancy, has a private jacuzzi on its terrace. Open all year.
Les cabanes du Bois Basalte (Manzat, Puy-de-Dôme). Cabins facing the Chaîne des Puys, at 900 m in the Combrailles. Good value for the area, with 2026 rates from €76 a night for 2 and €92 for 4, plus €26 to €38 in stay fees. Two or three nights minimum in some periods, except for last-minute bookings (about ten days before arrival).
Cabanes Châteaux & Spa Le Peydébé (Vieille-Brioude, Haute-Loire). The top end of the category. Three perched castle-cabins, two of them inspired by the châteaux of Messilhac (Cantal) and Aulteribe (Puy-de-Dôme): covered private spa, king-size bed, marble basins, breakfast delivered. For a special occasion.
CosyCamp (Chamalières-sur-Loire, Haute-Loire). Perched cabin of 24 m², 2 bedrooms, 4 to 6 people. A more family-friendly format. In 2027, open from 30 April to 19 September, by reservation only.
Good to know: in some cabins, the shower is in a shared sanitary block (as at Les Cabanes des Combrailles). Check carefully before booking if you are travelling with young children or if the weather looks bad.
Sleeping under the sky: bubble, zome, perched cabin
The pure experience format, offered here as bubbles, perched cabins and a zome. Auvergne lends itself to it particularly well thanks to the low light pollution.
Bulles d'Auvergne (Cesset, Allier). Rigid bubbles with a panoramic opening, fitted inside with a queen-size bed, a pellet stove, a small equipped kitchen and a private bathroom. Private Nordic bath with unlimited access. Electric bikes lent during the stay, and the Saint-Pourçain vineyards 10 minutes away. Breakfast included, left discreetly in a hatch. Open all year, but the heated Nordic bath makes all the difference in winter.
Dôme à Bulles - Cabanes & Spa (Orcines, Puy-de-Dôme). Despite the name, these are two cabins perched 4 metres up on stilts, at the foot of the Puy de Dôme: 70 m² including the terrace, up to four people. Each has its own spa at 37 degrees and its own private sauna. The location at the foot of the Puy de Dôme is unbeatable for anyone who wants to combine an unusual stay with volcano hiking.
L'Étoile du Berger, at the Étoiles & Moi estate (Menat, Puy-de-Dôme). A 20 m² zome (a variant of the dome with its own geometry), wool-insulated, with a king-size bed, shower room and a spa bath inside. Breakfast included. In 2026, open all year, €160 to €180 a night for two.
Recommended season: spring (April-May for the buds), summer (July-August for the short but mild nights) and autumn (September-October for the cool air and the autumn stars). Winter is possible, but choose places with a spa and solid heating.
Geodesic domes
The hybrid format between the bubble (sky view) and the cabin (protective cocoon).
Le Bois de Luna, Cassiopée dome (Cunlhat, Puy-de-Dôme). In the Livradois-Forez, a dome for two adults: king-size bed facing a picture window, private terrace with a Nordic bath and a hanging net, breakfast offered with every night. In 2026, open all year.
Bulle de Printemps, at the Ferme de Lavaissière (Mandailles-Saint-Julien, Cantal). Geodesic dome of 19.5 m² at 950 m, in the heart of the Cantal mountains. Private jacuzzi and two terraces, pastoral atmosphere. Cars do not go up to the bubble: your hosts take you part of the way, then there are 150 metres left to climb on foot.
Yurts and tipis
The more communal or family format, halfway between comfortable camping and a B&B.
Eco Yourte Les Airelles (Saint-Anthème, Puy-de-Dôme). Mongolian yurt of 30 m², two bedrooms, up to four people, in the Hautes-Chaumes du Forez. Organic meals available on site, drink included. Open all year.
Cabanes et Yourtes de la Vallée de l'Ance (Sauvessanges, Puy-de-Dôme). Two yurts and four cabins in the Livradois, swimming pool and spa area on site. A more rustic feel, aimed at families and small groups.
Domaine du Balbuzard (Condat-en-Combraille, Puy-de-Dôme). Yurts, tipis, domes and hobbit houses beside a lake, an unusual holiday village format. 40 minutes from Clermont. Good for a first try at an unusual stay, gentle prices and several activities on site.
Moulin de Coyac (Sanssac-l'Église, Haute-Loire). Two yurts, a zome, a dome and a caidal tent (a large Moroccan-style tent) on one hectare of nature, near Le Puy-en-Velay. None of the accommodation has running water: the kitchen and bathroom are in the shared house, and the whole site runs on dry toilets. Breakfast included, two nights minimum.
Yourte Cantal (Vitrac, Cantal). Three fully equipped yurts in a fir forest at 630 m, in the Châtaigneraie cantalienne (the Cantal chestnut country), open all year, two nights minimum.
Practical tip: a yurt works very badly in the rain without a solid wood stove. Check that there is a heating system before booking for October to April.
Lodges and cabins with a private spa
The target customer is clear: a couple on a getaway, a birthday, a proposal, a weekend to put a lot of stress behind you.
Écrin d'Auvergne (Champs-sur-Tarentaine-Marchal, Cantal). Eight hectares in the Parc des Volcans, six eco-lodges for adults only. On the terrace, a private Nordic bath in natural wood, open day and night. Breakfast included, delivered to the lodge.
Volca'lodges (Saint-Pierre-le-Chastel, Puy-de-Dôme). The affordable option in this segment: wooden lodges for 2 to 5 people in a wooded park at the foot of the Chaîne des Puys, up to 60 m² for the biggest. 2025 rates for the double lodge: €115 a night, €119 during school holidays, in July-August and on public holidays (two nights minimum). Private jacuzzi on the terrace as an option, subject to availability.
Cabanes Le Peydébé (Vieille-Brioude). Already mentioned under treehouses, but they deserve this category too. Covered private spa, marble basins, king-size bed. Breakfast included, served in the cabin.
Toue cabanée spa, at the Village Toue des Demoiselles (Chassenard, Allier). A rare format: a boat converted into a 25 m² cabin, moored on the pond. To reach it, you climb into a rowing boat and row. Private spa on the terrace, shower room on board. Rented from April to November. The lakeside setting changes everything compared with a forest cabin.
If you are aiming for this segment, book early for peak-season weekends. For Christmas, Valentine's Day and the May long weekends, planning ahead is a must.
Tiny houses
More practical than the perched cabin (running water, electricity, full kitchenette), often set on the ground in a corner of private land.
Moose Tiny House Genêts (Cros, Puy-de-Dôme). Tiny house in local wood in a hamlet, direct access to nature, near the Bort-les-Orgues lake and the Sancy. Two bedrooms, four people, dry toilets. In 2026, €125 a night from Sunday to Thursday, €195 on Friday and Saturday, and €195 every night from 10 July to 29 August.
The tiny house at the Domaine du Balbuzard (Condat-en-Combraille, Puy-de-Dôme). The lakeside estate offers one, alongside its yurts, domes and hobbit houses. Handy if you are still undecided about the format.
The tiny house mostly appeals to couples or solo travellers who want the “little house on the prairie” experience without the camping side. It is dry, comfortable, and it still looks unusual.
Roulottes (traditional wooden caravans)
The nostalgic classic, in a comfort version.
Basaltik' Roulotte (Massiac, Cantal). Wooden roulotte for four, in a hamlet on a volcanic plateau near Massiac, on the borders of the Cantal, the Haute-Loire and the Puy-de-Dôme. Kitchen, bathroom, heating, open in all four seasons. 2026 rates for four: €105 a night, €190 for two nights.
La Roulotte de la Carrière (Toulon-sur-Allier, Allier). Handcrafted wooden roulotte of 17 m² for two, Gîtes de France labelled, with a raised terrace of 7 m². From September to December 2026, a weekend there costs €160.
Camping des Roulottes (Rochefort-Montagne, Puy-de-Dôme). Five roulottes of 20 m² for 2 to 4 people, in the hamlet of Montcheneix, at the foot of the Monts Dore. Shower and toilet in each roulotte. Open from April to November.
The calendars differ: the Rochefort-Montagne campsite opens from April to November, while the other two roulottes can be rented all year and are heated. Still, look at how it is heated before booking in January.
Mountain refuges
For serious hikers, there are a few refuges and gîtes d'étape (walkers' hostels).
The Chalet du Sancy (FFCAM, the French Alpine Club), at 1,275 m in the commune of Le Mont-Dore, is closed for renovation, with reopening planned for early 2027. That leaves the gîtes d'étape on the Le Puy route to Compostela, those on the GR4 and those on the GR400 around the Cantal mountains. Example in 2026: at the gîte d'étape Au Bord du Chemin, in Saint-Privat-d'Allier on the Compostela route (GR65), €40 per person in a dormitory and €52 per person in a double room, half board. It is not “unusual” in the marketing sense, but it is typically the kind of place you find when you are out hiking, and it leaves its mark on your memories.
Booking platforms
Cabanes de France. French network of perched cabins and unusual places to stay, active since 2008. Editorial selection, quality-controlled. Many Auvergne addresses listed. A good starting point.
Abracadaroom. Platform specialising in unusual stays, wide catalogue, useful filters (spa, view, jacuzzi, etc.).
Gîtes de France. The network also labels treehouses, yurts, tipis and roulottes, in addition to its gîtes and B&Bs. Search on the regional Gîtes de France Auvergne site or on the departmental sites.
Booking and Airbnb. Wider catalogues, but variable quality. Very useful for bubbles and tiny houses, which are not all on the specialist platforms. Always check the ratings (above 9/10 on Booking) and read the recent reviews.
To wrap up
Unusual stays work in Auvergne because the land deserves them.
Three final tips. First, book early for peak-season weekends: the most popular places go fast. Second, read the reviews from the last few months on Booking or Tripadvisor before booking, as some older places have aged. Third, ask yourself about the weather: a transparent bubble under three days of continuous rain is not the same as a spa cabin with a wood stove.
To go further, where to stay in Le Puy-en-Velay, where to stay in Vichy and where to stay in the Sancy list the classic places to stay for anyone who wants to alternate. Auvergne for families offers ideas for family-sized cabins. And if you want to fit an unusual night into a trip, the Auvergne 1-week itinerary and the Auvergne 5-day road trip suggest the right stopover areas.
