Clermont-Ferrand - which fused with its rival Montferrand in 1731 – may be the administrative nucleus of the Auvergne but isn’t the most endearing of cities considering what’s on offer elsewhere. A day’s visit is enough, but if you adopt a reasonable pace, you can take in the city highlights in a morning or afternoon.

Head for the maze of lanes in the old city, and the daily food market in Place St Pierre (best on Sundays). For walks, spend some time in the pedestrianised Rue du Port that slopes down to the romanesque cathedral of Notre Dame du Port. If you’re not a particular lover of cathedrals, search out Rue Kléber for some of the best hôtels particuliers, prosperous merchant houses, with Italianate loggias, mullioned windows and beckoning courtyards.

Locals like to stress that the black facades of many of the cathedrals and houses are due to the use of local dark volcanic rock and not dirt. Religion has never lost its grip on the Auvergne people and you will seldom be far away from a humble village church or a grander architectural relation.

	Orcival

Of the extinct volcanoes, the Puy de Dôme in the Monts Dômes, just west of Clermont-Ferrand is a 10 minute walk from the car park to its summit. On a clear day the fairly minimal effort is worth it for the sweeping views across the region, and an exceptionally good panoramic restaurant.

To the north, perched on a rock, Riom is the old capital of the Auvergne. Worth seeing is the 16th century La Tour de l’Horloge, an octagonal clock tower, the Hôtel de Ville with its bronze WWI monument by Rodin and the Palais de Justice.

Thiers and Issoire are worth stopping at, although be prepared to come across tiny villages that do not look much on the map such as Montpeyroux that has been very finely restored.

Lac de Guéry

The city of Thiers appears to be just holding on to a ravine over a sharp bend in the river Durolle. A centre for cutlery making since medieval times, the neighbouring river and waterfalls were essential to power the grinding stones of the cutlers. The cutlery museum gives a more interesting run for your money than you might think, but the town itself is what visitors really come to see. It’s an architect’s selection box with places called "the corner of chance" and "Hell’s Hollow", and 15th and 17th houses elaborately carved with wooden facades some with grinning crazed faces.

Issoire, favoured by local glider pilots for its strong air currents, has one of the great romanesque churches of the region, the 12th century colourful abbey church St Austremoine, with the added bonus of well-preserved frescoes.

Besse is a small mountain town in the Monts Dore, made prosperous by the dairy industry and famous for St Nectaire cheese. Higher up the mountain, Superbesse is a modern ski resort with links to the pistes of Le Mont Dore. There is a good walk around Lac Pavin, a large lake formed in the crater of a volcano. It takes about two and a half hours to cover the seven and a half kilometres.

	Sailant Waterfall

The Puy de Sancy in the Monts Dore is the highest point in central France (1,885 metres). Park the car at the town of Le Mont Dore and take the cable car to the summit. On return to the car take the D36 that leads through the Couze de Chambon valley, a stretch of stunning moorland laced with waterfalls.

Ambert was known for production of fine paper, with over 300 paper mills in operation by the 16th century. At nearby St Martin des Olmes, the Moulin Richard de Bas, a working mill since 1326, houses the paper museum, the Musée Historique du Papier.

During the last two weeks of July, the Festival Celtadore takes place at Dore l’Eglise, a celebration of Celtic music by Breton, Auvergnat and Irish performers. But avoid the area in mid August unless you are a motorbike fan. The Free Wheels festival at Cunlhat lasts three days with bike races and concerts.

At Arlanc in the Monts Forez, the Jardin pour la Terre is a botanical garden of some interest, open in July and August and at weekends during June, September and October. The small Musée de la Dentelle à la Main has some examples of very old lace as well as a resident lace maker demonstrating a craft which used to flourish here.