At Puy Mary, the view opens out over glacial valleys radiating in every direction, high-altitude summer pastures and rocky peaks. This juxtaposition defines the Monts du Cantal: they form Europe’s largest stratovolcano, a landscape shaped by deep glacial valleys and high plateaus. Travelling through Cantal therefore means encountering not only a distinctive volcanic landscape, but also a variety of scales—from sweeping panoramas to trails that can be planned for a specific outing.

Trails and routes in Cantal

Cantal has a total of 3,263 kilometres of publicly accessible trails. This figure may change as routes are added or reclassified. For navigation, the Cantal Rando et Découverte app offers more than 650 itineraries, including hiking, mountain biking and cycling routes, as well as long-distance trails. The app can work entirely offline; check that this feature is available before your outing, as it may change in future versions. This makes it possible to distinguish between the different types of trails while planning, rather than grouping them into a single route.

For mountain biking, the Puy Mary area has five circular routes certified by the Fédération française de cyclisme, with three levels of difficulty. As the range of routes may change, it is worth checking the latest information before deciding on your outing. The V74 Grande Traversée du Volcan à Vélo covers a different scale: it runs for 133 kilometres through the Cantal Massif. The Grande Traversée des Volcans d’Auvergne, meanwhile, connects Chamalières with Le Lioran, covers 210 kilometres and is divided into eleven stages. Check the distance and stage information before making specific plans.

These figures help distinguish between different kinds of trip: the V74 is explicitly a cycling route, while the Grande Traversée is defined by its stage structure and two endpoints. Guided canyoning is also available in the Puy Mary area, under professional supervision. Whether these activities take place depends on the providers and seasonal conditions.

Experience and understand the volcano

At the Pas de Peyrol, a visitor centre explains the formation and present-day appearance of the Cantal volcano in an audiovisual exhibition. From there, a path leads to the orientation table at Puy Mary. The trail offers panoramic views, and a Grand Site guide provides commentary. Access depends on the weather and local conditions. If you plan to visit, check the visitor facilities before your trip as well.

The view from Puy Mary and the exhibition at Pas de Peyrol complement one another: outdoors, the landscape unfolds in all its breadth, while the exhibition explains the volcano’s formation and changes. Together, these two perspectives take you from an individual valley and plateau to the wider geological context—without prescribing a particular order of visits.

Salers: architecture, art and views

Salers’ medieval and Renaissance character can be seen in its houses with turrets, the belfry and the ramparts. The church houses a 15th-century Entombment with nine life-size figures, as well as historic paintings, tapestries and statues. The figures’ size makes the work a particularly striking feature of the church.

For a different view of the surrounding area, the Barrouze esplanade looks out over the Maronne and Aspre valleys. The Auvergne châteaux route also offers cultural discoveries: in the Pays de Salers, at least nine châteaux open to visitors are located along the route. The programme includes guided tours, concerts, exhibitions and plays. Check visiting arrangements and dates before your trip.

Traces of past ways of life

The remains of the medieval village of Cotteughes tell the story of a place abandoned at the end of the 14th century. The site covers about four hectares and contains more than thirty dwellings known as “cases”. The name and number of surviving structures make Cotteughes a tangible addition to the architectural impressions of Salers: this is not a planned village centre, but the remains of an abandoned settlement.

Regional produce can also be discovered along a dedicated route. The Route des Fromages AOP d’Auvergne has 36 stops featuring farmers, producers or affineurs in the Cantal and Puy-de-Dôme départements. As the route’s participating stops may change, check the latest overview if you plan to visit specific locations. This adds insight into the work behind AOP cheeses to a trip through Cantal, without suggesting that every stop is the same kind of business.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Arches, Boisset, Carlat, Cassaniouze, Coltines, Drugeac, Fontanges, Freix-Anglards, Gourdièges, Labesserette, Le Rouget, Leynhac, Maurs, Méallet, Montgreleix, Mourjou, Naucelles, Parlan, Paulhac, Pers, Raulhac, Saint-Amandin, Saint-Étienne-De-Chomeil, Saint-Gérons, Saint-Mamet-La-Salvetat, Saint-Martin-Valmeroux, Sansac-Veinazès, Senézergues, Thiézac, Valette, Valuéjols, Vic-Sur-Cère, Besse, Sauvat, Calvinet, Celoux, Salers, Vezels Roussy, Saint-Jacques-Des-Blats, Saint-Étienne-De-Maurs, Riom-Ès-Montagne, Lascelle, Aurillac, Arpajon-Sur-Cère, Anglards-De-Saint-Flour, Pleaux, Lanobre, Beaulieu, Sansac-De-Marmiesse, Chaudes-Aigues, Saint-Flour, Vézac, Murat, Faverolles, Clavières, Champs-Sur-Tarentaine-Marchal, Neuvéglise, Allanche, Chavagnac, Lafeuillade-En-Vézie, Vieillevie, Mauriac, Paulhenc, Saint-Poncy, Polminhac, Laroquebrou, Neussargues-Moissac, Jou-Sous-Monjou, Le Claux, Laveissière, Bassignac, Lacapelle-Viescamp, Loubaresse, Massiac, Chalvignac, Apchon, Condat, Ferrières-Saint-Mary, Cheylade, Saint-Cirgues-De-Jordanne, Landeyrat, Crandelles, Marmanhac, Jussac, Chalinargues, Pailherols, Rézentières, Ally, Marcolès, Cros-De-Ronesque, Saignes, Nieudan, Mandailles-Saint-Julien, Saint-Illide, Tournemire, Saint-Étienne-Cantalès, Vèze, Saint-Cernin, Talizat, Giou-De-Mamou, Virargues, Le Falgoux, Saint-Santin-Cantalès, Le Monteil, Lapeyrugue, Antignac, Auzers, Marcenat, Saint-Mary-le-Plain, Champagnac, Montmurat, Reilhac, Trémouille, Joursac, Ytrac, Ruynes-en-Margeride, Vitrac, Ladinhac, Lavigerie, Saint-Julien-de-Toursac, Saint-Constant, Montsalvy, Junhac, Saint-Urcize, Les Ternes, Dienne, Labrousse, Lavastrie, Chaussenac, Alleuze, Roumégoux

For the regional travel overview: Auvergne.