Puy-de-Dôme · 63610

Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise

Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise, cité médiévale en pierre volcanique au cœur des monts Dore, 1 700 habitants à 1 050 m d'altitude dans le Puy-de-Dôme. Bourg fortifié au pied du Sancy, à 5 min de la station Super-Besse (1 350 m, ski et VTT).

Inhabitants: 1,700
Altitude: 1050 m
Postcode: 63610
Places: 14

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About Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise

Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise, cité médiévale en pierre volcanique au cœur des monts Dore, 1 700 habitants à 1 050 m d'altitude dans le Puy-de-Dôme. Bourg fortifié au pied du Sancy, à 5 min de la station Super-Besse (1 350 m, ski et VTT).

Centre historique compact en lave noire, fortifications partielles, porte de Ville, festival des Pastourelles en juillet. Position idéale entre lac Pavin (5 min), Puy de Sancy (15 min), Super-Besse (5 min).

À voir : Lac Pavin (cratère parfait), Puy de Montchal (1 411 m, vue sur Pavin), Cascades de Vaucoux, Lac de Bourdouze. Station Super-Besse en saison (ski hiver, VTT été). Vieille ville à pied 1h.

En pratique : navette gratuite Besse-Super-Besse en saison. Marché lundi matin. Parking gratuit en périphérie, centre piéton.

What stays with us

1 700 habitants à 1 050 m d'altitude
Pierre volcanique noire intacte
Super-Besse station à 5 min
Lac Pavin et Puy de Montchal à proximité

Why we love it

Le seul bourg médiéval fortifié à 1 050 m d'altitude des monts Dore, base parfaite entre lac Pavin, Sancy et station Super-Besse.

The local's tip

Navette gratuite Besse-Super-Besse en saison. Lac Pavin en boucle à pied (1h30), top moment au lever du jour. Marché lundi matin.

Navette gratuite vers Super-Besse
Lac Pavin en boucle 1h30
Marché lundi matin
Centre piéton, parking gratuit

Gallery

Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise in pictures

Photos from Google Maps. Credit: Google and contributors.

Places

Things to do in Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise

Filter by section, category, find, or search for a specific name.

14 places

Lakes★Our pick

Lac Pavin

4.8

Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise

An almost perfect circle of water 800 metres across and 92 metres deep: Auvergne's deepest lake fills a crater born 6,900 years ago, between Besse and Super-Besse. The walk around it takes an hour.

2407 reviews

Bistros and brasseries

€€

Mémé Joe

4.8

Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise

In Super-Besse, a bistro that grills over a wood fire: pork from Maison Pallut in Condat, Angus beef, homemade aligot and truffade. Open all year in 2026.

1875 reviews

Restaurants

€€

La Tanière des Loups

4.8

Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise

In the heart of Besse, an Auvergne restaurant: Saint-Nectaire fondue, truffade and Sancy produce, by the fireplace or on the terrace.

628 reviews

Viewpoints

Lac Pavin viewpoint

4.8

Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise

Lac Pavin seen from above, from the rim of its crater: the deepest of Auvergne's lakes, 92 m deep. You walk up via a detour off the lake loop.

265 reviews

Skiing and snowshoeing

Super-Besse winter sports resort

4.3

Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise

The big resort of the Sancy: 32 pistes, a link with Le Mont-Dore and a base area made for families.

4630 reviews

Waterfalls

Cascades de Vaucoux ou d'Anglard

4.7

Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise

Waterfall at Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise. Short path, forest atmosphere, open access after a ten-minute walk.

158 reviews

Volcanoes💎Find

Puy de Montchal

4.6

Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise

1 hour 30 there and back from the shore for the view straight down onto Lac Pavin, with the Sancy in the background.

53 reviews

Lakes

Lac de Bourdouze

4.5

Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise

A glacial lake at 1,168 m, ringed by protected peat bogs. No beach, no crowds: an hour's walk there and back and the silence of the plateau.

139 reviews

Lakes

Lac des Hermines

4.5

Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise

The lake at Super-Besse with supervised swimming in summer, an alternative to Lac Pavin, where swimming is forbidden.

138 reviews

Waterfalls

Cascades de Chiloza

4.3

Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise

A string of waterfalls along the Couze Pavin, with giants' kettles carved into the lava, a stone's throw from Besse.

843 reviews

Campsites

Camping Bois de Gravière

4.2

Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise

4-star campsite in Besse, five minutes from Lac Pavin. Heated pool in summer and a wellness area: a good base for exploring the Sancy.

592 reviews

Hotels

€

Résidence Le Bois de la Reine

4.0

Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise

Holiday residence at the entrance to Super-Besse, 800 m from the centre of the resort. Studios, apartments and duplexes spread across chalets, heated outdoor pool in summer, sauna by reservation.

487 reviews

Games and leisure

€€

Les Hermines leisure and sports centre

3.9

Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise

Bowling, indoor adventure park, aquatic centre and bar all in one complex at Super-Besse: the all-purpose plan for when the mountain clouds over.

631 reviews

Villages

Besse

Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise

A medieval town in dark lava stone, more than 1,000 metres up, granted its charter of freedoms in 1270: belfry, cobbled lanes, four listed monuments. And Lac Pavin 10 minutes away.

Location