What to see in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

589 sites listed in the region. A vast region stretching from the volcanoes of Auvergne to the peaks of Mont Blanc, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes offers one of the widest ranges of landscapes in France: the UNESCO-listed Chaîne des Puys, great Alpine lakes, deep gorges and art cities such as Lyon. Between spa towns, gastronomy and mountain sports, the region embodies the diversity of French terrain.

Chamonix Mont-Blanc
Ski resorts · Haute-Savoie

Chamonix Mont-Blanc

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesRegional top 10

The ski area of the Chamonix valley is divided into four areas: Les Grands Montets, Brévent/Flégère, Domaine de Balme and Les Houches.

l'Aquarium du Grand Lyon
Aquariums · Rhône

l'Aquarium du Grand Lyon

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesRegional top 10

Come and experience a real world tour of fresh and salt waters. Dive into European rivers and let yourself drift to tropical seas, passing through the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and the great African lakes.

Annecy
Towns & cities · Haute-Savoie

Annecy

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesMust-see

Nicknamed the "Venice of the Alps" for its canals lined with colourful houses, this Savoyard prefecture overlooks the clear waters of its lake.

Arche de pont d'Arc
Natural wonders · Ardèche

Arche de pont d'Arc

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesMust-see

34 metres high and 59 metres wide at water level, the Pont d'Arc is a superb natural arch in the heart of the Ardèche, near Vallon-Pont-d'Arc.

Aven Grotte de Marzal
Caves · Ardèche

Aven Grotte de Marzal

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesMust-see

The Aven Grotte de Marzal was reported in 1892 by the master of speleology, E.A. Martel, as a natural wonder.

Aven d'Orgnac
Caves · Ardèche

Aven d'Orgnac

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesMust-see

The Aven d'Orgnac, first of all: 30,000 m² of developed caves to visit down a staircase of nearly 800 steps that takes you 150 m underground, to discover a world of concretions, stalagmites and stalactites.

Cascade du Rouget
Waterfalls · Haute-Savoie

Cascade du Rouget

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesMust-see

The Cascade du Rouget is in the Cirque du Fer à Cheval, in the commune of Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, in Haute-Savoie.

Col de l'Iseran
Natural wonders · Savoie

Col de l'Iseran

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesMust-see

At 2,764 metres, the highest road pass in the Alps, between Val-d'Isère and Bonneval-sur-Arc, on the legendary Route des Grandes Alpes.

Col du Galibier
Natural wonders · Savoie

Col du Galibier

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesMust-see

At 2,642 metres, one of the most legendary passes of the Tour de France, between the Maurienne and the Briançonnais, offering a 360° panorama over the glaciers of the Vanoise and the Écrins.

Grottes de Choranche
Caves · Isère

Grottes de Choranche

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesMust-see

In the heart of the Vercors, explore this cave hidden in the lush nature of the Choranche cirque. The water of the underground lakes and rivers floods the crystalline whiteness of the concretions with emerald reflections.

La cascade du Ray-Pic
Waterfalls · Ardèche

La cascade du Ray-Pic

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesMust-see

It is a natural waterfall 35 m high, north of Burzet, whose wild look enchants nature lovers.

Lac Blanc (Aiguilles Rouges)
Lakes · Haute-Savoie

Lac Blanc (Aiguilles Rouges)

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesMust-see

Perched at 2,352 metres in the Aiguilles Rouges massif, Lac Blanc offers one of the most emblematic panoramas of the Alps, facing the Mont Blanc massif.

Lac de la Muzelle
Lakes · Isère

Lac de la Muzelle

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesMust-see

In the heart of the Écrins National Park, Lac de la Muzelle is a 9-hectare glacial lake with turquoise water, overlooked by the Roche de la Muzelle.

Le Mont Aiguille
Natural wonders · Isère

Le Mont Aiguille

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesMust-see

Mont Aiguille, one of the seven wonders of the Dauphiné. Mont Aiguille was once called "Mont Inaccessible" because climbing it was thought impossible.

Le Pal
Theme parks · Allier

Le Pal

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesMust-see

Over 23 shaded hectares, this park offers 25 thrilling attractions (from the Grand-Huit rollercoaster to the Canadian River via the Azteka mine train), a park of 500 animals from around the world in semi-freedom and 3 animal shows (parrots, sea lions, birds of prey).

Le cirque de Saint-Même
Waterfalls · Savoie

Le cirque de Saint-Même

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesMust-see

From its source, the Guiers Vif tumbles down a cliff in four successive waterfalls: the first is called "la Cascade de la source", the second "la Grande Cascade", then comes "la Cascade Isolée" and finally at the foot "la Pisse du Guiers".

Les Roches Tuilière et de Sanadoire
Natural wonders · Puy-de-Dôme

Les Roches Tuilière et de Sanadoire

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesMust-see

In the deep, wooded cirque of the Chausse, two great monoliths spring up, the Tuilière and Sanadoire rocks.

Mont Mézenc
Natural wonders · Haute-Loire

Mont Mézenc

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesMust-see

A former volcano peaking at 1,753 metres on the border of Haute-Loire and Ardèche, Mont Mézenc offers one of the widest panoramas of the Massif Central. In clear weather, the gaze reaches the Alps and the Cévennes.

Salers
Villages · Cantal

Salers

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesMust-see

It was around the castle of the barons of Salers that the town grew up, and it was in the fifteenth century that the ramparts were built to protect against the English.

Statue Notre-Dame de France
Monuments · Haute-Loire

Statue Notre-Dame de France

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesMust-see

A monumental statue of the Virgin and Child cast from the iron of cannons captured at Sevastopol, dominating Le Puy-en-Velay from the top of the Corneille Rock.

Aix-les-Bains
Towns & cities · Savoie

Aix-les-Bains

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesOutstanding

A spa town renowned since Roman times, nestled on the shores of Lake Bourget, the largest natural lake in France.

Aven Grotte de la Forestière
Caves · Ardèche

Aven Grotte de la Forestière

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesOutstanding

Easily accessible to everyone since it has only 60 steps. In the cave you can see the zoo where live cave-dwelling animals are exhibited.

Balazuc
Villages · Ardèche

Balazuc

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesOutstanding

You have to get to the opposite bank of the Ardèche to have enough distance to see this superb village as a whole.

Bois de Paiolive
Natural wonders · Ardèche

Bois de Paiolive

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesOutstanding

The Bois de Païolive (holm and downy oaks) is an aged private forest that therefore holds exceptional richness in insects, particularly beetles, for which entomologists and collectors travel from all over Europe.

Cascade de Confolens
Waterfalls · Isère

Cascade de Confolens

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesOutstanding

This waterfall is at the gateway to the Écrins National Park, at 1,133 m altitude. Above the village of Le Périer, in the Valbonnais, the waterfall gushes from a rocky gully and plunges 80 m towards other torrents.

Cascade de Faillitoux
Waterfalls · Cantal

Cascade de Faillitoux

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesOutstanding

The lava came out through a fissure and diverted the Faillitoux. The river found its bed and took its place again. The waterfall crosses a basalt flow (vertically prismatic) with large crystals of pyroxene and olivine.

Cascade de Moulins Marquis
Waterfalls · Isère

Cascade de Moulins Marquis

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesOutstanding

The Moulin-Marquis waterfall, also called the Bournillon waterfall, is in the cirque of the same name, downstream of the Bourne gorges, at the exit of Choranche (Presles) in Isère, on the northern slope of the Vercors.

Cascade de Queureuilh
Waterfalls · Puy-de-Dôme

Cascade de Queureuilh

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesOutstanding

A few minutes from Queureuilh, a suburb north of Le Mont-Dore: a waterfall over basalt organ pipes.

Cascade de la Baume
Waterfalls · Haute-Loire

Cascade de la Baume

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesOutstanding

A magnificent 30 m waterfall (the largest in Haute-Loire) tumbling from a basalt cliff.

Cascade de la Pisserotte
Waterfalls · Allier

Cascade de la Pisserotte

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesOutstanding

This circuit lets you discover the very pretty and picturesque Barbenan valley. Wide and imposing upstream of Arfeuilles, it is impetuous in the gorges below the Mas mill, where giant's kettles and waterfalls follow one after another.

Cascade du Dard
Waterfalls · Haute-Savoie

Cascade du Dard

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesOutstanding

The Dard waterfall gushes above Chamonix, fed by meltwater from the glaciers of the Aiguilles Rouges.

Chute de la Druise
Waterfalls · Drôme

Chute de la Druise

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesOutstanding

The waterfall is 72 metres high and a path descends to its transparent green waters. Access via the Omblèze gorges and the Druise Fall.

Château d'Annecy
Castles · Haute-Savoie

Château d'Annecy

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesOutstanding

It was built in successive stages from the twelfth to the end of the sixteenth century, then left to decay in the seventeenth and served as barracks until 1947.

Château de Crussol
Castles · Ardèche

Château de Crussol

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesOutstanding

Even though it is rightly considered one of the high places of Ardèche heritage, the ruins of the Crussol fortress are above all linked to the Rhône valley and the Valence landscape.

Château de Lespinasse
Castles · Haute-Loire

Château de Lespinasse

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesOutstanding

The fortified castle of Lespinasse existed at the start of the twelfth century. Still inhabited, it has escaped destruction and poor restorations.

Château de Rochebaron
Castles · Haute-Loire

Château de Rochebaron

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesOutstanding

From the end of a ridge, the Château de Rochebaron overlooks the Loire gorges. Probably built by the lords of Rochebaron in the eleventh century, the castle was reworked in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, before being abandoned under Louis XIV.

Château de Saint vidal
Castles · Haute-Loire

Château de Saint vidal

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesOutstanding

An imposing fortress in the Borne valley, fief of the La Tour de Saint-Vidal family.

Cirque D'Archiane
Natural wonders · Drôme

Cirque D'Archiane

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesOutstanding

From the sumptuous cirque of Archiane, discover the largest nature reserve in France: the Hauts-Plateaux du Vercors with the Combeau valley, the Tête Chevalière, the Jardin du Roi and the Chamousset sheepfold.

Clermont-Ferrand
Towns & cities · Puy-de-Dôme

Clermont-Ferrand

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesOutstanding

Historic capital of Auvergne, whose Gothic cathedral in black Volvic stone dominates the city born from the merger of two rival towns.

Col de la Croix de Fer
Natural wonders · Savoie

Col de la Croix de Fer

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesOutstanding

At 2,067 metres, a spectacular pass surrounded by the Belledonne, Grandes Rousses and Arves massifs, famous for its iron cross and its neighbour the Col du Glandon.

Crevasses de Chantemerle
Natural wonders · Drôme

Crevasses de Chantemerle

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesOutstanding

Curious, I would have no other word to define this natural phenomenon that is the formation of this crevasse.

Crêt de la Neige
Natural wonders · Ain

Crêt de la Neige

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesOutstanding

The highest point of the Jura massif at 1,720 metres, the Crêt de la Neige overlooks the Pays de Gex with a panorama that stretches in clear weather to Mont Blanc and Lake Geneva.

Gorges d'Ubrieux
Natural wonders · Drôme

Gorges d'Ubrieux

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesOutstanding

A listed natural site 3 km from Buis-les-Baronnies, where the Ouvèze winds between limestone cliffs: swimming, climbing and hiking in the heart of the Baronnies.

Gorges de la Beaume
Waterfalls · Ardèche

Gorges de la Beaume

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesOutstanding

The entrance to the gorges is 6 km west of La Marette, at the place called Pied de Bœuf.

Gorges de la Bourne (Les Grands Goulets)
Waterfalls · Drôme

Gorges de la Bourne (Les Grands Goulets)

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesOutstanding

The Grands Goulets are gorges in the French département of the Drôme, in the upper part of the reculée of the Vernaison (or Échevis valley), in the western part of the Vercors massif.

Grenoble
Towns & cities · Isère

Grenoble

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesOutstanding

Former capital of the Dauphiné nestled at the confluence of the Isère and the Drac, encircled by three Alpine massifs visible from the city centre.

Grotte Les Cuves de Sassenage
Caves · Isère

Grotte Les Cuves de Sassenage

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesOutstanding

From its historic town, Sassenage invites you to discover the Cuves cave formed at the foot of the Vercors, listed as natural heritage and named the 4th wonder of the Dauphiné.

Grotte de St Marcel
Caves · Ardèche

Grotte de St Marcel

Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesOutstanding

The access is on the edge of the tourist road of the Ardèche Gorges. Listed as national heritage since 1934.

All sites (541)