Mounts of Cantal - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Puy Mary is one of the highest points in Cantal at 1,780 meters in altitude. Seven glacial valleys surround its summit in a star pattern. Part of an old, dormant volcano with a diameter of nearly 80 kilometers, the iconic and majestic Puy Mary is a protected site, certified a Great Site of France since 2012. One of the nice trekking destinations and also a nice picnic spot.

Puy de Sancy is a French mountain, the highest mountain in the Massif Central, and the highest of volcanic origin in Metropolitan France. It is part of an old stratovolcano that has been inactive for about 250,000 years. One of the nice trekking destinations and also camping sites too. Accessible during the summer season either via cable car or a path with 864 steps, the summit offers a magnificent view of the unspoiled landscapes of the Dore.

The Auvergne Volcanoes Regional Natural Park is the largest Regional Natural Park in mainland France. This vast territory suitable for hiking includes four volcanic massifs, which are the chain of Puys, the Monts Dore, the Cézallier, and the Monts du Cantal, as well as an old granite plateau that is Artense. One of the nice trekking destination and also a nice camping spot too.

The 1,465-metre-high Puy de Dôme is the symbol of the département and the highest volcano in the Chaîne des Puys mountain range. Part of the Monts Dôme range in the heart of the Massif Central mountain region, around 15km from the city of Clermont-Ferrand, this high peak is a designated "Great Site of France" and can be reached by foot via a Roman path. are ruins of a Gallo-Roman temple dedicated to Mercury, a meteorological observatory and a visitor information centre in the summit.

The Gouffre de Padirac is one of the largest chasms in Europe. Discovered by the famous French cave explorer Edouard Martel, it was opened to the public in 1899. visitors gaze down into the enormous 75 metre chasm into the earth, 33 metres wide. It then leads into a cave system, created by millennia of subterranean underground water erosion which has carved out spectacular caverns in the limestone.

Notre-Dame de l'Assomption is a Gothic cathedral located in Clermont-Ferrand. It was built in 1248 in the center of the city of Clermont, the historic capital of Auvergne. It replaced a Romanesque cathedral located in the same place which itself had been preceded by two other Christian shrines. The cathedral is built at the top of the central hillock which forms the old center of Clermont-Ferrand.