Rain in Super-Besse is a familiar story. At 1,350 m, a weather system that hangs around soon means a ceiling of cloud sitting on the pistes and the Lac des Hermines drowned in fog. The good news: the resort has a big covered leisure and sports centre, Les Hermines, with the medieval town of Besse ten minutes further down and real fallbacks within thirty minutes' drive. Here are our back-up plans, in the order you would reach for them.
The answer in 30 seconds
The five fallbacks that save a rainy day in Super-Besse:
- Les Hermines leisure and sports centre: pool, sauna, indoor play park, climbing and bowling, within walking distance of most residences.
- Medieval Besse: cobbled lanes, the church of Saint-André, shops and cheesemongers, ten minutes below the resort.
- Château de Murol: about twenty minutes by road, open every day, with real rooms to shelter in.
- La Maison du fromage in Saint-Nectaire: maturing cellar and tasting, a short half-hour by road.
- Vulcania: the full-day outing, with indoor and outdoor activities, about 55 minutes away. 2026 season until 1 November, park closed on Mondays and Tuesdays up to and including 13 October.
And if the weather writes off the whole week, our guide things to do in Auvergne when it rains widens the radius.
Les Hermines: the go-to, steps from the pistes
This is the grey-day trump card of the Super-Besse resort: the Les Hermines leisure and sports centre brings together a pool, wellness area, indoor play park, climbing walls and bowling in the Lac district.
The aquatic area and wellness
As for the pools, there are 2,200 m² of aquatic space: three 25 m lanes for swimming, a relaxation pool with massage jets and bubble loungers, and an aquasplash for little ones. At the summer 2026 rates, entry costs €6.70 from age 16 and €4.80 from 5 to 15, free under 5.
Reserved for ages 16 and over, the pool + wellness package adds a sauna, hammam and a relaxation room with a herbal tea corner. It costs €15.20 at the summer 2026 rate, reduced to €10.50 while the hammam is unavailable, which was the case in mid-September 2026. After a morning outdoors in the drizzle, it's the best comfort-for-money deal in the resort.
The adventure park and climbing
Under the same roof, the indoor play park is divided by height: a toddler area under 90 cm, a slide maze and ball pit up to 1.20 m, then an acrobatic course perched 3 m up for the bigger ones. At 2026 rates, entry runs from €5.50 to €14.40 depending on the child's height.
The climbing walls offer nine routes of progressive difficulty, with auto-belay: you don't need to be a climber to supervise, you just kit up and climb from 1.20 m. It's the safe bet with teenagers who are “bored”.
The bowling
The bowling alley has four lanes with automatic bumper rails, open from age 6, with shoes included in the €6.50 game at 2026 rates. Booking isn't possible: on a rainy day in the school holidays, everyone has the same idea. Drop by to put your name on the waiting list, then go for a swim while you wait for your turn.
The catch to know about in autumn 2026: until mid-October, the pool, wellness area and adventure park only open on weekdays, and in the afternoon. From 21 September to 16 October, the pool is open Monday to Friday from 16:30 to 18:30, from 13:00 on Wednesdays. The wellness area runs from 13:00 to 18:30 on weekdays until 16 October, and the adventure park too until 11 October. From 17 October to 1 November 2026, everything is open every day from 10:30 to 18:30, and until 19:30 for the bowling. Keep the morning for Besse or Murol.
| Area | 2026 price | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Pool | €6.70 adult, €4.80 child | free under 5 |
| Pool + wellness | €15.20 (summer 2026), €10.50 without hammam | 16 and over, hammam unavailable in mid-September 2026 |
| Bowling | €6.50 a game | shoes included, from age 6 |
| Adventure park | from €5.50 to €14.40 | three zones depending on height |
Medieval Besse, out of the rain
When the resort is in the cloud, it's often better 300 m lower down. Besse is a ten-minute drive down and a setting that looks better wet: the lava stone darkens in the rain, the cobbles gleam, the narrow lanes cut the wind.
Walk under the belfry, the 15th-century gate topped with a wolf's-head weathervane, and let yourself drift: rue de la Boucherie and its 15th-century merchants' houses, the house known as Queen Margot's, the shopfronts cut from lava stone. The full tour takes just under an hour, umbrella included.
The Romanesque church of Saint-André, built in lava stone in the 12th century, is worth a quarter of an hour in the dry. It's the winter home of the Black Virgin of Vassivière: the statue goes up to its summer chapel in early July and comes back down at the end of September during the Dévalade, a procession that brings the whole town out into the streets. If your stay falls on that weekend, stay put.
Finish with the town's shops and cheesemongers: you're in the heart of Saint-Nectaire country, and a whole cheese travels very well in a boot. To choose between creamery-made and farmhouse without going wrong, our guide to AOP (protected designation of origin) Saint-Nectaire sorts it out.
Within 30 minutes (plus one exception worth the drive)
| Fallback | Drive from Super-Besse | Best time |
|---|---|---|
| Château de Murol | about 20 minutes | the morning, before Les Hermines |
| Maison du fromage | about 30 minutes | the morning |
| Vulcania | about 55 minutes | the whole day |
Château de Murol, the safe bet
About twenty minutes' drive and you're at the foot of Château de Murol, open every day. The rooms of the living quarters and the covered passages give shelter for a good part of the visit, and the entertainment, when it's scheduled, keeps children enthralled even when they're soaked.
We've covered the village and its surroundings on grey days in our guide what to do in Murol when it rains: the two combine very well in a single day.
La Maison du fromage, in Saint-Nectaire
A short half-hour's drive to La Maison du fromage: a guided visit, from the making of Saint-Nectaire to the maturing cellar, then the tasting of farmhouse and creamery-made cheese that justifies everything else.
Aim for a morning visit: from 21 September to 16 October 2026, the pool and wellness area at Les Hermines only open on weekdays and in the afternoon; the visit and the swim then follow on with no dead time.
Vulcania, the full-day outing
We cheat a little on the 30 minutes: allow more like 55 minutes by road from the resort to reach Vulcania. But when the rain is here for the day, it's the best-value plan in the Puy-de-Dôme: the park mixes indoor and outdoor activities, so you can enjoy it whatever the weather.
The park runs until 1 November in 2026, but stays closed on Mondays and Tuesdays up to and including 13 October. Which attractions to prioritise, tickets, busy days: it's all in our practical guide to Vulcania.
Warming up: sauna, thermal baths and hot chocolate
The combo we like best: an hour in the pool at Les Hermines, then a stop in the sauna while the youngest play game after game of bowling. You come out dry and warm, and the rain can carry on all it likes.
Fancy some thermal water? Le Mont-Dore is a short half-hour's drive away, and its thermal spa, attached to the thermal baths, works with the local hot water. Slots and packages vary with the season: book before you get behind the wheel. Our guide to thermal baths and spas in Auvergne compares the options in the massif.
And for the end-of-day ritual: a hot chocolate in a café in Besse, while the rain looks after the cobbles. We don't claim it's a secret. It's just what works.
With children
- Under 5: the toddler area at Les Hermines and the pool's aquasplash, free at that age. Aim for the afternoon outside the school holidays.
- Ages 6 to 10: bowling with bumper rails, the slide maze, and Château de Murol in the morning.
- Teenagers: the nine auto-belay climbing routes, then Vulcania if the rain sets in for the day. On the way back, nobody grumbles in the car.
The schedule that works outside the school holidays: morning at Château de Murol or La Maison du fromage, a meal in the warm in the town of Besse, a full afternoon at Les Hermines, hot chocolate to finish. With that, a rainy day goes by faster than a day's skiing.
The last word, between two showers
Mountain rain has one virtue: it passes. Keep an eye outside, the clear spells in Super-Besse come quickly, and the washed plateau, emptied of its crowds, takes on that low, raking light that follows showers. Pack the right shoes, and your plan B becomes plan A again.
Frequently asked questions
The FAQ
What to do in Super-Besse when it rains with children?
The Les Hermines leisure and sports centre covers all ages: toddler area, maze, climbing from 1.20 m, bowling from age 6 and a pool with an aquasplash. Outside the resort, Château de Murol, open every day, remains the best family outing in the rain.
Is the Les Hermines pool open outside the school holidays?
From 21 September to 16 October 2026, yes: it's open Monday to Friday from 16:30 to 18:30, from 13:00 on Wednesdays, and stays closed on Saturday and Sunday. From 17 October to 1 November 2026, it's open every day from 10:30 to 18:30.
Is Vulcania a good plan when it rains?
Yes. The park offers indoor and outdoor activities, so you can enjoy it whatever the weather, and it's the best full-day outing in the area in the rain. Allow about 55 minutes by road from Super-Besse. In 2026, the park is open until 1 November, closed on Mondays and Tuesdays up to and including 13 October.
Can you visit Château de Murol in the rain?
Yes, the castle is open every day and the rooms of the living quarters shelter a good part of the visit. Bring a hood all the same for the ramparts and outdoor passages, and good shoes: the cobbles and steps become slippery in wet weather.
Where can you swim in the warm near Super-Besse?
At the Les Hermines pool, in the resort itself: a 25 m lap pool, a relaxation pool with massage jets, and a wellness package from age 16, with a sauna and, when it's working, the hammam (it was unavailable in mid-September 2026). For thermal water, head to Le Mont-Dore, a short half-hour's drive from the resort.