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The Auvergne department in the centre of France is a mixture of extinct volcanoes, forest, rivers,
lakes and mountains. It is part of France's largest national park, the Parc Naturel Regional des Volcans d'Auvergne.
The Auvergne region has more than 1 300 000 inhabitants and the greatest of the Monts Dore, le Puy de
Sancy at 1886 metres. The Auvergne takes its name from the Gallic tribe, the Arvernes. There are more
than 1200 hotels in the Auvergne even though is largely an undiscovered tourist area. The Auvergne is
one of the leading hydrotherapy centres in the country with 10 hydrotherapy spas in the region.
The Auvergne is great for sports and outdoor lovers. The Auvergne is blessed with wide open
natural spaces and all the amenities needed to enjoy all types of activities such as hiking,
winter sports, water and air sports. The favourite sports of the "Auvergnats" (the people of Auvergne) are
football and rugby. The Auvergne can boast of 900 kilometres of cross-country ski tracks.
Its one of the poorest regions in France, locals rely on dairy farming and the production of cheeses such as
bleu d'Auvergne and Cantal
- Regional information for Puy-de-Dome, Auvergne
 The Puy-de-Dome - a mix of extinct volcanoes, thick forest, rivers, lakes and mountains. It is the oldest
geological mountain range in France and part of France's largest national park, the Parc Naturel Regional
des Volcans d'Auvergne.
- Regional information for Allier, Auvergne
Allier is the most northern of the Auvergne departments is Allier. The department of the Allier, in the
Massif Central in the Auvergne, is much appreciated for its landscapes: its gorges, its ancient forests,
its mountains, its leafy bocage countryside… a land where tourism and leisure go hand in hand, a country
for walks, horseriding, cycling etc.
- Regional information for Cantal, Auvergne
The Cantal department is dominated by mountains that were originally volcanic. The highest peaks, Plomb du
Cantal and the Puy Mary, are surrounded by deep valleys and pastureland used for sheep and dairy farming.
In summer see the famous Salers cattle that produce the area's best-loved cheese - Cantal.
- Regional information for Haute-Loire, Auvergne
Haute-Loire is one of France's poorer departments and staunchly religious. There are many churches & Black
Madonnas found throughout the area. Carved in walnut or cedar wood, the Madonnas were supposedly brought
back from the Orient by the Crusaders.
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