Yes, the Toussaint holidays (the French autumn school break) are a very good time to visit Auvergne. From Saturday 17 October to Sunday 1 November 2026 inclusive (school resumes on Monday 2 November), for all school zones, you have two weeks ahead of you, golden forests, volcanoes without the summer queues and events that only run at this time of year. Vulcania plays its Halloween card, the Château de Murol can be visited every day, the thermal baths steam and the Saint-Nectaire cheese is waiting for you in the cellar. We built this guide around what you fancy doing rather than by département, with a ready-to-follow programme over three days. And for the season as a whole, our autumn guide completes the picture, with the season page for a département-by-département view.
Autumn colours: where to walk under the gold of the beech trees
In late October, the beech woods of Auvergne turn the colour of honey. At altitude, the colour builds from mid-October. In the valleys, it often lasts until the first days of November. The holidays fall right in the window: you have almost nothing to work out.
Our safe bet is the Chaudefour valley, at the foot of the Sancy. The beeches and rowans blaze under the needles of stone, and the valley-floor path is an easy walk, even with children. It's a nature reserve: dogs stay at home, and that's how it should be.
A different mood at Lac Pavin: a round crater ringed by beeches, dark water, leaves falling into it. On a misty morning, you'll feel as if you have the lake to yourself. We've gathered our favourite spots in our 7 golden forests: keep that article handy, it was written with exactly these two weeks in mind.
The end of the deer rut
The rut fades gently towards mid-October. If you arrive on the first weekend of the holidays, you can still catch the last bellows at dusk, especially when autumn lingers on gently. It's the very end, quieter than the big concert of September, and that's exactly what makes it precious.
We won't repeat everything here. The areas, the times, the distances to keep, the equipment: it's all in our deer rut guide. Read it before you try an evening of waiting and watching, the rut is to be respected as much as it's listened to.
Rainy days: Vulcania, Murol and the museums
It will rain, for a day or two at least. Might as well accept it right away: Auvergne has more than enough to fill a whole day in the dry, and some of the best autumn outings happen under a roof.
Vulcania first. The park is open every day during the holidays, up to and including 1 November, the last day of the 2026 season. A large part of the attractions are indoors, simulators and motion cinemas above all: rain hardly spoils anything. Our practical guide to Vulcania helps you organise the day without rushing, and the park page sets the scene.
The Château de Murol next. The fortress can be visited every day, all year round, and its covered rooms shelter you for the length of a shower, with a view of mountains drowned in cloud. We've detailed the visit on the Château de Murol page. And if the sky stays overcast all day, we've listed what to do in Murol when it rains.
On the museum front, Clermont-Ferrand delivers. L'Aventure Michelin appeals to children as much as to grown-ups, let's be honest. The Musée d'Art Roger-Quilliot makes a lovely quiet interlude, bearing in mind that it closes on Mondays and on 1 November. For the full plan B, the whole region, head to our guide what to do in Auvergne when it rains.
Warming up: steaming pools, maturing cellars and good food
This is the season when Auvergne makes complete sense. Outside it's 8 degrees on the car thermometer, inside you're in hot water that steams in the cold air. Royatonic, in Royat, is the place we recommend for this: indoor and outdoor pools, jets, mist over the water. Best to go as night falls. During the school holidays, booking access to the baths is compulsory, and on Friday 30 October 2026, the day of a musical evening, the baths area closes at 17:30. The Royatonic page gives the details, and our guide to thermal baths and spas lists other pools if you're staying elsewhere in the region.
Cheese next, and here we stop joking around. At Saint-Nectaire, you can visit maturing cellars: the smell of damp stone, the tommes lined up in the half-light, the tasting at the end. It's a perfect outing in grey weather, and a lesson in taste for children. It's all in our guide to Saint-Nectaire AOP (protected designation of origin).
And finally, to the table: truffade (sliced potatoes with melted cheese), potée (a hearty meat-and-vegetable stew), stuffed cabbage. These dishes exist for October evenings, not for July terraces. A tip: book, the good places in the Sancy villages fill up fast during the school holidays.
Gentle autumn hikes
No need to aim for the ridges to get some fresh air. The walk around Lac Pavin is an easy 2.7 km loop, an hour's walk with 93 m of climbing, in the heart of the beech wood, and the valley-floor path in the Chaudefour valley makes a second gentle walk, between beech woods and needles of stone.
A word of honesty about two classics of the area: the Puy de la Vache and the Puy de Lassolas are under restoration works: since 13 May 2026, a municipal order means the climb to both summits is not allowed. Close by, at Montlosier, the Maison du Parc is no longer welcoming visitors during its works, with completion planned for the 2028 season. Let's save them for a future stay, they deserve it.
The Puy de Dôme remains the great classic. Climb by the Chemin des Muletiers if your legs are up to it, or by the rack railway if you'd rather save your energy for the summit. We explain everything, the tough version and the easy-going one, in how to climb the Puy de Dôme.
A word on the Sancy: the cable car is closed for works from 31 August to 18 December 2026. So the summit has to be reached on foot during the holidays. In late October, up there, winter sometimes already shows its face: first snow possible, cold wind, short days. Gear up properly and set off early, or stay in the valleys, they're more than enough to keep you happy.
Halloween and holiday events
Vulcania switches to Halloween mode from 17 October to 1 November 2026. On the programme for this edition: Professeur Yapadrisk's carnivorous plants, an experiment that goes wrong and a lost formula to find in the park. Thrills calibrated for families, decorations everywhere, and the particular atmosphere of a park in its last fortnight before winter.
At the Château de Murol, the Toussaint holidays of 2026 have their own programme, at no extra charge. Guided tours with the characters of Guillaume's household, every day from 17 October to 1 November. An equestrian show, the Duel des Frères (the Brothers' Duel), from 18 to 30 October except Saturdays, weather permitting. And in the chapel, Père Géraud tells the tales and legends of the Fête des Morts (the Feast of the Dead) in the Middle Ages, every day from 18 October to 1 November except Saturdays.
In 2026, two regional food festivals fell right in the middle of the holidays: the chestnut fair in Mourjou (17 and 18 October) and the Fête des Palhàs, Massiac's apple festival (24 and 25 October), both on the Cantal side. For the rest, autumn markets, village fêtes, concerts: our agenda gathers what's on during the holidays, with dates added as they come in.
Our 3-day programme
Day 1, Clermont-Ferrand and the Puy de Dôme. In the morning, the climb to the summit by the Muletiers path or by train, with a panorama of the Chaîne des Puys sprinkled with colour. In the afternoon, old Clermont and its Volvic stone cathedral, a hot chocolate on place de la Victoire. At the end of the day, steaming pools at Royatonic. If the rain turns up, switch things round: museums in the afternoon, pools in the evening all the same.
Day 2, Vulcania. A whole day, without rushing, Halloween entertainment included. Arrive at opening time, keep the headline attractions for the lunchtime slot when the queues ease off. In the evening, truffade in a Sancy village, booked the day before.
Day 3, Murol and the Sancy massif. The castle in the morning, when the low light grazes the pinnacle. At midday, Saint-Nectaire: maturing cellars and cheese in the boot. In the afternoon, the walk around Lac Pavin if the weather is fine, the Chaudefour valley if you want to walk a bit more, a fallback to Murol if it rains.
Three days not enough? Our 4 weekend itineraries to suit what you fancy give other combinations, easy to stretch over a full week.
The recap by what you fancy
| What you fancy | Our pick | Département |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn colours | Chaudefour valley | Puy-de-Dôme |
| Family day out | Vulcania in Halloween mode | Puy-de-Dôme |
| Rainy day | Château de Murol | Puy-de-Dôme |
| Warming up | Royatonic, as night falls | Puy-de-Dôme |
| Tasting the region | Saint-Nectaire maturing cellars | Puy-de-Dôme |
| Fresh air without the crowds | Cézallier plateau | Cantal |
| Strolling around town | Vichy and the banks of the Allier | Allier |
| Walking through history | Le Puy-en-Velay | Haute-Loire |
Three ideas outside the Puy-de-Dôme
The table gave it away: Toussaint isn't only played out in the Sancy. On the Cézallier plateau, between Allanche and the Cantal of the summer pastures, the russet grassland and the lone burons (old stone cheese-making huts) create the greatest feeling of space in the region. A day's walk up there in late October, without meeting many people, clears your head.
In Vichy, the parks along the Allier take on their colours, and the Hall des Sources makes a perfect pause between two showers, glass of thermal water included. The town is very enjoyable over two unhurried days, outside the festival season.
And in Le Puy-en-Velay, you climb the old town from rock to rock, cathedral included, with green lentils on the evening menu. Three moods, three départements, and not a traffic jam.
Frequently asked questions
The FAQ
What are the dates of the Toussaint holidays 2026?
From Saturday 17 October to Sunday 1 November 2026 inclusive, for all zones (A, B and C), with school resuming on Monday 2 November. Two full weeks, with the Toussaint weekend included. It's the last big holiday window before Christmas, and in Auvergne it falls right at the peak of the colours.
What's the weather like in Auvergne at Toussaint?
Proper autumn weather: cool mornings, fog in the valleys, nice sunny spells possible in the afternoon. At altitude, the first snow can appear in late October, notably on the summits of the Sancy and the Cantal. Pack warm layers, good shoes and an indoor fallback plan.
Is Vulcania open during the Toussaint holidays?
Yes, every day from 17 October to 1 November 2026, with the Halloween entertainment. 1 November is the last day of the season: the park goes off-season from Monday 2 November 2026, the day school resumes. If you're travelling in the second week, fit Vulcania in by Sunday 1 November at the latest.
Can you climb the [Puy de Sancy](/destinations/puy-de-dome/le-mont-dore/puy-de-sancy) at Toussaint?
Yes, but on foot: the cable car is closed for works from 31 August to 18 December 2026. Allow for a real hike, with conditions sometimes already wintry at the summit in late October. Warm gear, an early start, and turn back without regret if the weather turns.
Is the Château de Murol open at Toussaint?
Yes, the castle can be visited every day, all year round. During the 2026 holidays, at no extra charge: guided tours every day from 17 October to 1 November, and tales and legends of the Fête des Morts in the chapel every day from 18 October to 1 November, except Saturdays. In wet weather, its covered rooms make it a ready-made fallback outing around the Sancy.
Can you still hear the deer rut during the holidays?
It's the very end. The last calls of the rut generally fade around mid-October, sometimes a few days later when the autumn is mild. The first weekend of the holidays remains your best chance. Where to go, at what time, with what precautions: it's all in our dedicated guide to the rut.
