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Guide to Clermont-Ferrand, France
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Click to go to Flight Prices for Clermont-Ferrand
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Clermont-FerrandConsidered separate before the early 18th Century, Clermont and Montferrand joined hands in order to grasp the title of capital in the Auvergne region of France. Since its creation, Clermont-Ferrand has enjoyed quite a comfortable and prosperous life, though not without a number of tumultuous periods to set something of a realistic tone to its past. Nearly the entire layout of Clermont-Ferrand (Clermont, it is commonly referred as) is contemporary. Very few architectural creations can be said to have lived longer than 50 years; if you are in search of historic sites whose births were pre-1900, ventures out past the city's limits will have to be made. Of course, anyone's reason for a visit to Clermont is never for a dip into the annals of French folklore. Most often the case, travelers make brief forays into the city out of necessity, as it is a major rail hub for central and southern counties of the nation. If you do happen to come across the cityscape here, don't discourage yourself from strolling down a few avenues, however. Those arriving in the city by air are treated to a short drive from terminal to city center, after which you can stop in at a few galleries, perhaps enjoy a course at a cozy bistro, and as the sun dips below the horizon, watch the topmost portion of the inverted volcanic funnel of Puy-de-Dome still lit by a few rays. Clermont may not hold a great many fantastically beautiful Renaissance pieces - original or remade, but character and warmth it surely does. Whether stopping by to access the greater French countryside, or determined to find naturally hidden, possibly surreptitiously buried treasure, Clermont-Ferrand makes for time well spent: spring, summer, or autumn.
When to go:
Nearly equidistant from the Bay of Biscay and the border between France and Italy, Clermont-Ferrand is the recipient of, well, a whole roundabout of weather patterns from all over the country. Winters here are assuredly warmer than those presented to Paris and the majority of northern French cities; spring through autumn, Clermont is home to a majority of pleasant days with average rainfall.
Getting there and around:
Aeroport de Clermont-Ferrand, located just 4km from the center of the city, has a good amount of domestic and international connections totaling 130 daily flights. Chartering a direct flight to Clermont from a UK venue is possible; however, commercial airlines run to/from Italy, Germany, and Switzerland only. Seeing as Clermont is a major travel hub, it is only fitting to complement the longer routes with shorter ones, and it's busing system receives high marks year after year. The second best mode of travel is private or rental car. Taxis must be called and operate by unnecessarily high fares.
Attractions:
One aspect of Clermont-Ferrand you'll have difficultly finding anyplace else is its visitor center. Yes, yes, nearly every destination of even little recognition by well-established tourism corporations, yet this morsel of France is one to include a museum within its Office de Tourisme et des Congres. Both presentation and slideshow are included, all free of charge. Pre-historic artifacts in the number of hundreds, possibly thousands, can be viewed inside the Musee Bargoin, a detailed exploration of the Gallo-Roman era and centuries prior. A culmination of various canvases, sculptures, and more are located about 3km northeast of Clermont's center at the Musee d'Art Roger Quilliot. By the title of the establishment one can correctly presume this was a semi-privately collected group of pieces from around the Auvergne region, all seen in an organized, chronological fashion.
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