Villa du Pont Romain

Parc Naturel Régional des Volcans d'Auvergne


Bubbly Audrey, a goldmine of hiking information, treats guests like family at this log-lined three-room B&B. Rooms are wooden floored and wonderfully cosy, with the largest sleeping four people (it costs €10/15 per additional child/adult). Antique skis bestow a chalet vibe, and the lounge room has a mini-library and a microwave.

Breakfast is a banquet of home-baked and locally sourced produce.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Parc Naturel Régional des Volcans d'Auvergne attractions

1. Fontaines Pétrifiantes

0.91 MILES

The Papon family put St-Nectaire's hot springs to creative use at the 'Petrifying Fountains', channelling the mineral-rich waters to make art. Calcium…

2. Église de St-Nectaire

1.22 MILES

This ornate Romanesque church on a hilltop is unmissable as you arrive in St-Nectaire, and it's worth the uphill walk to look inside. Within, you'll see a…

3. Grottes du Cornadore

1.24 MILES

Don a hard hat for a 45-minute tour of St-Nectaire's Roman baths, deep in a cave that glimmers with damp limestone. Two-thousand years ago, these man-made…

4. Maison du Fromage

1.26 MILES

Pick a round of St-Nectaire cheese, along with terrines, jams and other regional nibbles, from this dairy shop across the road from the Grottes du…

5. La Ferme Bellonte

1.46 MILES

To buy cheese from the source (and get a little muddy), take the winding road 3km uphill from St-Nectaire to this multi-generational family dairy farm…

6. Château de Murol

2.78 MILES

Roosting on a basalt knoll above Murol village, the 12th-century Château de Murol offers peerless views along with insights into a brutish medieval past…

7. Lac Chambon

4.1 MILES

The relatively shallow (and thus warmish) waters of Lac Chambon, 1.5km west of Murol, make this crater lake a much-loved place for families to splash…

8. Musée du Ski

5.33 MILES

An essential stop for diehard snow-heads, this pocket-sized museum exhibits a collection of vintage ski gear, ice skates, snow shoes and wintry miscellany…