The pitch
Auvergne is still served by TER regional trains, and more densely than you might think. If you don't have a car, or if you prefer to travel low-carbon, here are 4 destinations that are 100% reachable by train, each with a car-free programme for when you get there. The journey times given are those of the autumn 2026 timetables.
1. Vichy for a weekend (3 hrs from Paris, 2 hrs from Lyon)
The spa town is the easiest Auvergne destination by train. The station is right in the centre, and everything can be done on foot or by bike.
Programme:
- Friday evening: aperitif at the Parc des Sources, dinner.
- Saturday: a morning at the thermal baths (on foot), a tour of the Grand Marché couvert, then a bike ride on the Via Allier, 27 km of greenway between Billy and Saint-Yorre, reserved for pedestrians and cyclists. Standard or electric bikes from Vivélo, place de la Gare (closed on Sundays in 2026).
- Sunday: a day to relax.
Where to stay: the Aletti Palace Hôtel, facing the parc des Sources and the Opéra, open all year in 2026.
2. Clermont-Ferrand for a weekend (3 hrs 30 from Paris, 2 hrs 30 from Lyon)
Clermont is a mid-sized city whose centre is walkable. Tram for the rest.
Programme:
- Old centre, cathedral, basilica of Notre-Dame du Port, place de Jaude. All on foot.
- Muséum Henri-Lecoq, musée d'Art Roger-Quilliot (MARQ).
- Vulcania: in 2026, a shuttle leaves from the SNCF station (platform no. 5) every day of the school holidays, including the autumn ones, from 17 October to 1 November. €1.60 a trip, free at weekends.
- Puy de Dôme: from the station, T2C bus S11 to the Savarounes stop in Chamalières, then line P36 to the station of the Panoramique des Dômes, the rack railway.
- Restaurants: everything within 1 km of the centre.
3. Le Puy-en-Velay for a weekend (2 hrs 15 to 3 hrs from Lyon)
There is no direct train from Lyon: you change at Saint-Étienne, and the journey takes 2 hours 15 to 3 hours. From Paris, allow about 4 hours 30, with a change at Saint-Étienne.
Programme:
- The whole centre of Le Puy is done on foot: the pitons (volcanic rock spires), the cathedral, the statue, the Saint-Michel rock, the lacemaking.
- On Saturday morning (7:30-12:30 in 2026), the market on the place du Plot and the neighbouring squares: producers, livestock farmers, craftspeople.
- Gorges de l'Allier: the blue train of the AP2800 association, steam or railcar, leaves from the stations of Langeac and Langogne. In 2026, it ran only five days, between 14 May and 18 August.
Where to stay: the Hôtel Régina (4 stars), boulevard du Maréchal Fayolle, in the heart of Le Puy-en-Velay.
4. Moulins for a getaway (2 hrs 30 from Paris, 2 hrs from Lyon by Intercités)
Moulins, capital of the Bourbonnais, works very well as a 2-day visit.
Programme:
- Place d'Allier (café institutions and tart shops), Notre-Dame cathedral, the old Madeleine quarter.
- Centre national du costume et de la scène (CNCS), in a former 18th-century cavalry barracks: the exhibition “Tous en scène !” stays there until 3 January 2027.
- Maison Mantin: a Belle Époque time capsule.
- Musée Anne-de-Beaujeu: the département's museum of art and archaeology, opened in 1910.
- Everything on foot in the centre.
Train + bike: from Moulins, the greenway “La Via Allier”, with a compacted surface, runs towards Avermes to the north or Bressolles to the south.
General tips
Buying tickets
- TER: tickets on SNCF Connect or on the Région's TER website. No Ouigo in Auvergne.
On the ground
- Bikes at the station: in Vichy, Vivélo hires out its bikes at the place de la Gare.
- TER coaches: they take over from the train on several links, such as Le Puy-Langeac or Clermont-Saint-Flour.
Where the train goes little, or not at all
- Salers, Murol, Saint-Nectaire, La Bourboule: no train or TER coach.
- Puy Mary, Puy de Sancy: no TER service. Le Lioran, on the other hand, has its station, about 1 hour 50 from Clermont by TER.
- Saint-Flour: from Clermont, two or three TER coaches a day (1 hour 15) and one Intercités (1 hour 55). Mauriac: no TER service.
Frequently asked questions
The FAQ
Can you do an Auvergne road trip by train?
Hard. You can chain Vichy, Clermont and Le Puy by train, but not reach remote villages like Salers or Pailherols.
What about a family by train?
Doable as far as Vichy or Clermont. Beyond that, plan on bus + taxi to reach rural accommodation.
Once you are there, your wallet gets a breather too: our Auvergne for free guide lists 25 outings at zero euros.