Puy de Dôme
Rent in France - French holiday rental homes in Puy de Dôme, France
Situated in central France, the Puy de Dôme is one of the original 83 departments that were created back in 1790 during the French Revolution. It is surrounded by the departments of Loire, Cantal, Corrèze, Allier, Haute-Loire and Creuse. The Puy de Dôme is part of the Auvergne region of France. Originally named Mont d’Or which means golden mountain, Puy de Dôme took its name due to Mont d,Or not representing the different societies and cultures throughout the Puy de Dôme equally. Located in the Massif Central, Puy de Dôme is home to more than 80 Volcanic craters. The main cities in the Puy de Dôme include Thiers, Issoire, Clermont-Ferrand, Riom, Courno-d’Auvergne and Ambert.
A self catering Puy de Dôme holiday gite or house will offer you an experience full of variety, from mountains and lakes to wonderful forests and spas. There is also the medieval villages and fine chateaux to visit during your holiday in Puy de Dôme. The west of the department is home to the extinct volcanoes including the Puys and the Monts Dome, both of which offer fantastic views and wonderful routes for walking, riding and climbing. To the east, visitors will discover some of the most unpopulated areas of France, these are the remote and wild regions of the Monts du Forez and the Monts du Livradois. The Puy de Dôme is home to large parts of the two regional parks, the Parc Livrodois-Forez and Parc des Volcans and other than the Mountains, lakes and the wild regions, a number of orchards, vineyards and farms can be found in valleys of Allier and the 
Dore.
Places to visit in the Puy de Dôme, France
Clermont-Ferrand - Located in the heart of the Puy de Dôme, the Clermont-Ferrand is the capital of the department. Home to a huge Michelin factory, this industrial town is the ideal base for exploring the surrounding areas due to its transport links. Clermont-Ferrand could almost be classed as two towns, one of which has wonderful Romanesque churches and the other which has a wonderfully restored old quarter that can be explored whilst staying in a holiday rental cottage in Puy de Dôme, France. A short journey from Clermont-Ferrand brings you to Vulcania, a volcanic theme park where you can experience simulated earthquakes and the volcano itself.
Puy de Dôme – Stay in holiday rental villas, houses and gites in Puy de Dôme, France and visit the volcano from which the department takes its name from. At 1465 metres above sea level the Puy de Dôme is one of the highest points of the Monts Dome. Known as one of the most testing climbs on the Tour de France route, visitors can take the very scenic route to the peak by car or by foot and experience some stunning views along the way. In the summer, the hot air surrounding the peaks make the Puy de Dôme a paradise for hang-gliders and in the winter months the mountain becomes a haven for skiers with dog sledging, cross country, and downhill all available. A trip in a hot air balloon is a fantastic way of experiencing the impressive dramatic and beautiful landscape in full. The Puy de Dôme is one of most visited sites in the area with approximately 500 000 visitors every year. With its fantastic restaurants and shops, the summit offers incredible views across the Chaîne des Puys and Clermont-Ferrand .
The Vallée des Rouets - The Cutlers workshops, situated along the Durolle river are a must see whilst renting self catering French villas in the Puy de Dôme, France. This fantastic tour includes Thiers, where you will be shown how the famous knife making tradition depends on the powerful waters of rivers to sharpen the blades.
Massif du Sancy – A modern ski resort with over 43km of pistes, with 5 green, 9 red, 9 blue, and 4 black runs making it suitable for all abilities. If skiing is not for you, then there are other activities such as luge, quad biking and kite skiing available in the resort too. The Massif Du Sancy website will provide you with more details along with prices
The Puy de Dôme has the most varied climate out of all the French departments due to its central location. Its location means it sits on the boundary of the Atlantic and Continental zones. The temperature is obviously cooler up in the mountains where the temperature will reach 12°C max in the summer months. Compare this to the warm temperature you get down below in Clermond-Ferrand where temperatures soar into the late 20’s in the same period of the year. The winter months see temperatures of -2°C and 11°C respectively.
The department is situated only three hours from Paris and only one hour from Lyon by the A71 and A72 highways. The A75 highway gives this wonderful department easy access to the Mediterranean Sea. The nearest airport is in Clermont-Ferrand and although there are no direct flights from the UK, there are many flights that fly direct from a number of French airports. The nearest airports outside of the Puy de Dôme such as Limoges, Rodez and Lyon are all supplied by low cost airlines from the UK. There is also an express train that runs from Paris to Clermont-Ferrand which takes approximately 4 hours.
Overall, the Puy de Dôme is not an expensive area of France to visit with the majority of the attractions and places to visit all free to get in with the exception of the volcano theme park. Both the food and drink and the accomodation are reasonably priced even in the capital where you will easily find a meal for two and a bottle of wine for €20. The mixture, from the mountains and volcano, to its wonderful food and drink cultures, make this area of France a real contender when choosing your perfect self catering French holiday homes!