The Haute-Loire presents itself as an infinite mosaic of landscapes and sites. What striking contrasts between the vast expanses of the volcanic plateaus and the full relief of character offered by the gorges of the Allier and the gorges of the Loire from its source to Mount Gerbier-de-Jonc.
The history of the castles, the first on the banks of the Loire, and the memory of museums certainly deserve some escapades.
Hiking, mountain biking, fishing, white water sports, winter fun, golf, climbing, bungee jumping, acrobatic trail, paragliding, bike-rail, tourist trains ... there's something for everyone. The opportunity to enjoy the treasures of an even more beautiful nature in spring or autumn.
Local specialties
La Lentille Verte du Puy : First vegetable to integrate the very closed circle of AOC now AOP. Its delicate taste comes from its finer skin and less floury almond.
Le Fin gras du Mezenc : beef of parsley, constellated with points of fat intramuscular, derived from oxen or heifers fed with locally produced mountain natural hay. This particularity gives at the same time that its seasonality (from February to June) all its typicity to the product. These specificities have earned the Fin Gras du Mézenc the recognition of the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée.
L’Agneau noir du Velay : Meat of a subtle taste, Black No of Velay is the name of the race of the black sheep of the Haute-Loire. Its remarkable fleece is confounded with the brown hues of the volcanic lands. It is also a fattening exclusively in sheepfold based on cereals in addition to the milk. These are young lambs, giving a subtle taste to the meat.
La verveine, gastronomic emblem of the Puy : Plant very present in Haute-Loire. Used for a long time to facilitate digestion and for its calming effect in case of sleep disorders, it is found today in herbal tea (infusion), liqueur and the menu of the greatest Chefs of the department.
Major events and venues
EVENTS :
Puy de Lumières from May to September : every evening, at nightfall, a show of projections and lights on the emblematic monuments of the city of Puy-en-Velay :
• The Cathedral Notre-Dame du Puy
• The Rocher Saint-Michel d'Aiguilhe
• Theater
• City Hall
• The Chapel of Saint-Alexis in the courtyard of the Hôtel du Département
Nuits de Rêves : at the Blanlhac mills (in July) Les Nuits de Rêve settle in the heart of the Blanhac mills in Rosières to offer a festival of living arts that is one of the highlights of the year. 'summer. During the day, a program dedicated to the family and the evening of great shows under the stars.
Interfolk in Puy-en-Velay (in July) : offers you a round the world in 7 days. The 5 continents are present around 400 artists. Discover the beauty of the Andes, the Celtic joy, the madness of the Balkans, the exoticism of Papua, the songs of South Africans, the strength of Asian drums ...
Les Nuits Basaltiques in Puy-en-Velay (in July) : Festival of traditional music and dances of Auvergne and other regions. It is also about the cultural heritage of our territories, revalorized, and brought up to date by the artists of today who seize it and restore it to the public in a contemporary form.
The Country Festival in Craponne sur Arzon (in July) : It remains faithful to its reputation, proposing each year an exclusive program of American artists enriched with the best of European and French Country. It is one of the biggest European festivals of its kind.
Monastier Brass Festival (in August) : One of the most important musical events of the department, it is also the time when the music pays tribute to the places and gathers all the amateur audiences of jazz, world music, funk, music Classical ... The themes are varied and readable: Romantic Brass, Baroque Music, Cumbia Band, New Orleans or Balkan, Latin Music, Groove, R & B, song ...
Festival Celte in Gévaudan in Saugues (in August) : For a decade, the success of the programming is linked by the arrival of all the great names of Celtic music in the country of Saugues.
Festival of La Chaise Dieu (in August) : Unmissable, the festival is an international reference of sacred music. Thirty paying concerts, free serenades and lectures in musicology are organized each year at the end of August as part of this great festival founded in 1966.
Festival du Rire d'Yssingeaux (end of August and beginning of September) : Unique in Auvergne, this Festival has become one of the must-see events of the end of summer.
Festivals Renaissance of the King of the Oiseau in Puy-en-Velay (in September) : A whole city "enters Renaissance". These festivals have an extraordinary dimension. Merchant or military camps, archery competitions, shows, mountebanks, vintage market, skirmishes all over town ... A Renaissance costume and the visitor becomes an actor.
MAIN PLACES TO VISIT :
Saint Michel d'Aiguilhe Chapel : An amazing, surprising and unique religious building, built on the top of an old 82-meter volcanic chimney, this Romanesque jewel has seen the construction of 268 steps on the rock at the top. Bishop Gotescalc, the first French pilgrim of St Jacques de Compostela, was the origin of his foundation in 962.
Notre Dame du Puy-en-Velay Cathedral : The site dates back to the 5th century. The cathedral of Puy is built on Mount Anis, flagship of the city of Puy en Velay and department of Haute-Loire. Its cloister is considered one of the most beautiful Romanesque ensembles of Auvergne and Europe.
The castle of Lavoute-Polignac : First castle on the Loire. After crossing the Renaissance garden, the visitor can discover an important collection of works of art, paintings and archives that testify to a history intimately linked to that of France and the Grimaldi family.
Lavaudieu : Village of character, classified among the most beautiful villages of France, offers visitors the discovery of a cloister of the twelfth century, masterpiece of Romanesque art Auvergnat, a church decorated with important murals Realized from the 13th to the 17th century as well as a flower garden and trees created between the ruins of the convent. It is true that in the eleventh century an abbey of Benedictines settled in prayer and meditation on the banks of the Senouire.
Abbaye de La Chaise Dieu : Founded in 1048 by Robert of Turlande, the abbey is a model of Romanesque architecture. The brothers of the Community St Jean have been holding the magic of the place for more than twenty years. It is the nerve center of the famous festival of sacred music of the Chaise Dieu. A vast renovation program led by the Department of the Haute-Loire allows to rediscover this cultural and cultural site, major in Auvergne.
Saint Julien de Brioude Basilica : It was built in the 11th and 12th centuries by the canons counts in homage to the martyr St Julien. This building is one of the largest in Auvergne. Polychrome stones adorn the entire nave as well as the capitals which are most diverse. There are also beautifully preserved mural paintings from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.