Aurillac brings together a range of travel themes: abbey history, a museum and the garden in Square Vermenouze sit alongside street art, events and crafts. The Bassin d’Aurillac adds a regional dimension, with hiking and mountain biking trails. If you’re looking for a hotel in Aurillac, it helps to decide first whether your stay will focus more on culture in the city, an event date or outdoor activities in the wider area.
Abbey history, museum and garden
The Musée d’Art et d’Archéologie is in the centre of Aurillac, in the buildings of the former state stud farm. It has held the “Musée de France” designation since 2001. Its location and the buildings’ former use give the museum a direct connection to the city’s history.
The Abbatiale St-GĂ©raud takes you back to a different period: it is one of the last surviving remnants of the abbey founded by Count GĂ©raud in the 9th century. Thus, the museum in the former stud farm buildings and the history of the abbey offer distinct cultural themes side by side.
Square Vermenouze is an English-style garden designed by Jean Alphand. If, on a cultural trip, you’d like to explore garden design as well as churches and museums, this site offers a different perspective on Aurillac.
Art, festival and guided tours
The Festival d’Aurillac welcomes nearly 2,000 artists and features 3,000 performances. If the festival is the main reason for your trip, check the latest event dates before deciding when to travel.
The 10ème Art Festival presents a collection of around fifty street art works, which can be seen throughout the city of Aurillac and across the département. This focus combines a look at Aurillac with a regional perspective, setting it apart from a single museum site.
The Bassin d’Aurillac Tourist Office offers a series of guided tours throughout the summer, exploring the city’s past, activities and trade. If you prefer to explore with a guide, these tours can bring together different aspects of the city. Check the latest programme for your travel dates.
Crafts and flavours from the Cantal
Maison Piganiol bears the “Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant” designation. On a guided family tour, visitors learn about the different trades involved in making a Piganiol umbrella. The focus is on the craft behind the finished product as well as the item itself.
Distillerie Louis Couderc continues a tradition of making liqueurs from wild plants of the Cantal. It also offers a sensory tour titled “À la Rencontre de la Fée Jaune”. For travellers interested in local production, both the liqueur-making tradition and the tour offer points of interest.
Walks and trails in the Bassin d’Aurillac
Aurillac offers scenic walks on foot, on horseback or by car. The shared network in the Bassin d’Aurillac includes 600 kilometres of hiking and mountain biking trails. The scale matters when planning: city walks are distinct from the regional trail network across the Bassin.
The tower of Château Saint-Étienne
A tour of the tower of Château Saint-Étienne was offered during the European Heritage Days in September 2025. On that occasion, the tower offered exceptional views over Aurillac and the Jordanne Valley. If you’d like to include the tower in your travel plans, check its current accessibility before your trip.
Discover more destinations: Pers, Montsalvy, Marcenat, Saint-Julien-de-Toursac, Chaussenac, Boisset, Auzers, Thiézac
For the broader travel overview: Cantal.
