HOLIDAYS IN THE CÉVENNES
Occitania mountains
Welcome to our magnificent Cévennes, Grand Site Occitanie (Top Occitania Site)! This medium-mountain chain is part of the Massif Central. It overlaps the Lozère and Gard regions. Its highest peaks are Mont Aigoual (1,567 m) and Mont Lozère (1,699 m).
What to do in the Cévennes? Hiking, canyoning, paragliding, via ferrata, motorbike roadtrips, visiting villages, museums, religious sites connected to the Camisards, …
MUST-SEES
Breathtaking panoramas and emblematic mountains
Followthe Corniche des Cévennes(by the D9) from Florac, until you reach the Mont Aigoual Meteorological Station. In mid-June, you'll come across thousands of sheep on their transhumance route during a gigantic celebratory festival. Pastures, heathland and massive blocks of granite: take time out to visit Mont Lozère, the rooftop of the Cévennes. Remarkable sites are waiting to be discovered: the 154menhirsat Cham des Bondons, Europe's 2ndgreatest megalithic site, Villefort Lake, the medieval village of La Garde-Guérin, Mont Lozère Museum.
THE STEAM TRAIN IN THE CÉVENNES
A magical way to discover the Cévennes
The Cévennes steam trainleaves from Anduze, capital of the famous Anduze vases, and heads to Saint-Jean du Gard, at the heart of the Gardons Valley. Magnificent panoramas, a maze of viaducts and tunnels. You'll pass by the Cévennes Bamboo Grove, a one-of-its-kind exotic park in Europe. Across garrigues and chestnut groves, trace your route through swimming places and remnants of historic human activity: bancels (terraces), windmills, castles… Terminus at the Desert Museumin Mialet, a major place for Cévennes Protestantism.
Enjoy an unforgettable experience by heading off for a few days along the Stevenson Trail (the GR®70) which crosses the Cévennes, with a few pack donkeys to carry your kids and your bags.
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TARN GORGES
One of the most spectacular landscapes in France
This 400 to 600 m-deep, 50 km-long canyon will blow you away. A succession of cliffs, corniches, rocks and picturesque villages. Discover the Tarn Gorgesby road from Quézac(Lozère) to Rozier (Aveyron), on foot, in a canoe or kayak, or paragliding.
Get on-board with La Malène Boatmenfor a trip down to the Cirque des Baumes. Bask in the sun on one of the pebble beachesalong the emerald water of the Tarn River. Contemplate, daydream, wow at Point Sublime.
A giant's, lion's or tortoise's cauldron? Let your imagination run free on the Chaos de Nîmes-le-Vieux marked trail: strange shapes, created through erosion, appear out of the mysterious Causse Méjean.
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CAVERNS, CAVES & GROTTOS
Brilliant when it's hot outside
Take your ticket for the Abyss of Bramabiauwhose underground riverrushes down into a waterfall, head off to Cocalière Cave: an amazing festival of concretions, draperies and crystal pools. And, why not add a fewconcertsto your summertime agenda in the stalagmite forest of Aven Armandorcommentated walksthrough Dargilan Grotto. As a climax? A safari through Trabuc Grotto, among turquoise lakes and 100,000 stone soldiers.
There's a host of theme-focused itineraries for discovering the Cévennes, especially in Lozère: "The Corniche des Cévennes", "Original Landscapes between Mont Lozère and the Lot Valley", etc. Several roadtrips are specifically designed for bikers: "Route 48", "Mont Aigoual Discovery", etc. Quick... go visit the website
THE CÉVENNES AND SILK
Unravel the thread of history
Three centuries of sericulturehave shaped Cévennes landscapes: from the mulberry trees which silkworms love to the vestiges of ancient silkworm nurseries and spinning mills. An absolute must-not-miss is the Silk Museumin Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort, the Maison Rouge - Musée des Vallées Cévenolesin Saint-Jean-du-Gardas well as the last-remaining silk-stocking workshops, in Sumène and Monoblet. In August, cotton and wool artisanshold market stalls in Florac, homeland of Tuffery jeanssince 1892!
The Cévennes, total change of scenery
It's an archipelago of worlds apart where scenery is forever changing. Breathtaking landscapes. Valleys proudly attached to their traditions. And a taste for incredible sharing with locals who adore passing on their love for their land. Video 2 :39 © Cévennes Tourism.
Our selection
Longitude: 3.593714000000
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By car: by the A7, A9 or A75 motorways.
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By train: take the TGV high-speed rail to Nîmes or Montpellier then a TER (regional train) which stops off at, among others, Alès and Mende, or a bus, connecting Saint-Jean du Gard, Le Vigan, Florac…
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By plane: from Montpellier and Nîmes international airports.