In Lozère lands, with the exception of the flattened heights of Aubrac, Margeride, Causses, Mont Lozère, you are never very far from a hamlet or a village.
Emerging from a decoration sculpted by the mineral which sometimes seems to merge with the sky, nestled in sinuous gorges or nestled in the hollows of valleys, their fierce beauty is due to the simplicity of materials, volumes and neutral colors.
A vernacular architecture to be discovered during a road trip (the car remains the most practical way to get around Lozère) through the natural regions that make up this department with a strong rural character.
Read alsoLozère, our guide to a life-size trip
Malzieu-Ville, the land of the Beast
Nestled in the valley of the Truyère, in Margeride, northern Lozère region, Le Malzieu-Ville, classified as the Most Beautiful Village in France since September, is a perfectly restored 13th century medieval town that has retained its character. authentic. Ramparts, towers (ideal for enjoying the panorama of the surroundings), fortified gates, church, old houses… The testimonies of its past as a former stronghold of Gévaudan make it a popular stopover for lovers of legends. Le Malzieu owes its fame to the Beast, which raged here between 1764 and 1767 causing a hundred victims. It is also an excellent base camp to fill up with nature and visit the European Bisons Reserve and the Gévaudan Wolf Park.
How to get there ?
Follow the A75 towards Occitanie, take exit 32 and take the D4 towards the D989 and Le Malzieu-Ville.
Allow 1h30 from Clermont-Ferrand.
Or sleep ?
Au Pré de hiver, in a farmhouse typical of Margeride offering four guest rooms, a spa and old-fashioned cuisine simmered over a wood fire using ultra-local products.
From € 100 per night in a double room with breakfast included, € 19 for a meal.
The Winter Meadow, Lieu-dit Le Nozier, 48140 Le Malzieu-Forain.
Phone.
: 06 33 72 84 14.
Sainte-Enimie, the unmissable stopover
Narrow streets paved with Tarn pebbles, vaulted passages and old houses with Renaissance windows.
Julian Suau
About thirty kilometers south of Mende, prefecture of the department, the picturesque road of the Tarn gorges cuts through the causses, revealing a string of charming villages located at the foot of the cliffs (Ispagnac, Saint-Chély, La Malène, Castelbouc, Hauterives, Prades…). Ranked among the most beautiful in France, that of Sainte-Enimie in the heart of the gorges, charmed us with its narrow streets paved with Tarn pebbles, its vaulted passages, its old houses with Renaissance windows, its old fortified monastery and its many small squares. where it is good to stroll. The legend goes that Saint Enimie, Merovingian princess and sister of the good king Dagobert, would have been cured of leprosy by bathing in the fountain of Burle. Grateful, she founded a monastery around which the village of Burlatis, todayhui renamed Sainte-Enimie, has developed.
How to get there ?
Follow the A75 towards Occitanie, take exit 39 towards Gorges du Tarn, continue on N88 and turn onto the D31 then D986.
Allow 2 hours and 15 minutes from Clermont-Ferrand.
The good table.
L'Auberge du Moulin, a family establishment in local stone where Sophie and Didier, 3rd generation of hoteliers-restaurateurs treat guests with simple and tasty cuisine to enjoy on the terrace facing the green waters of the Tarn or comfortably installed in front of the fireplace .
Menu from € 20.
Auberge du Moulin, rue Combe, Sainte-Enimie, 48210 Gorges du Tarn Causses.
Phone.
: 04 66 48 53 08.
Nasbinals, the pilgrim village
Located on the vast Aubrac plateau, Nasbinals is made up of sturdy granite and basalt houses.
JEAN MICHEL VOGE / Le Figaro Magazine
Posted on the western borders of Lozère, on the vast Aubrac plateau which stretches as far as the eye can see, its green and gray landscapes, enamelled with enormous rocky blocks polished by time, Nasbinals is a pilgrim village made up of sturdy wooden houses. granite and basalt. Starting point of the Urbain V path, a GR that leads to Avignon via Mende and Florac, a major stage of the via Podiendis or Puy path, one of the four paths leading to Saint-Jacques de Compostelle and stopover on the way to Saint -Guilhem, this middle-mountain town has a church built in the 11th and 12th centuries. A flagship of Romanesque art in Aubrac, it houses several classified works.
How to get there ?
Follow the A75 towards Occitanie, take exit 35. There, follow the D987 towards Nasbinals.
Allow a little less than 2 hours from Clermont-Ferrand.
The walk around.
From Nasbinals, the Lakes Route winds between the endless summer pastures of the Aubrac high plateau to Les Salces, skirting four photogenic glacial lakes, forming islets of blue in an ocean of greenery.
Along the way, stop at the Déroc waterfall and the Negro bridge which spans the Plèches river, one of the sights of Aubrac.
La Garde-Guérin, a breathtaking landscape
La Garde-Guérin prefigures the hamlets with squat houses typical of this harsh and secret region where the Cevennes chestnut trees grow.
Wikimedia / Anthony Morel
To the east of Lozère, overlooking the Chassezac canyon long nicknamed "the devil's den" because of its rugged terrain, La Garde-Guérin prefigures the hamlets with squat houses typical of this harsh and secret region where the Cevennes chestnut trees. Made up of around thirty fortified houses set in ramparts, this 12th century fortified village has an important and perfectly maintained historical heritage (watchtower, remains of the castle, Romanesque church, stone streets, etc.), and can be proud of its '' a dynamic village life (craftsmen, producers, catering, entertainment, etc.) The surrounding site, remarkable with its impressive granite walls 7 km long and 400 meters high, which can be admired from the belvedere to the north of the village, is classified.
How to get there ?
Follow the A75 towards Occitanie, take exit 34 and continue on the D806 to Monts-de-Randon then the D1 and D6 towards Prévenchères.
Allow 2h30 from Clermont-Ferrand.
The good table
.
At the Le Comptoir de la Régordane restaurant-grocery store which concocts plates based on local products supplied by local producers: beef from Aubrac or Salers, lamb or pork from Lozère, chestnut products, honey, beer, wines … Plate of the day: € 14.50, formula from € 17.50.
The Comptoir de la Régordane, la Garde-Guérin, 48800 Prévenchères.
Phone: 04 66 46 83 38
Le Pont-de-Montvert, in the footsteps of Stevenson
The Pont-de-Montvert is a city of Haut Gévaudan crossed by the Tarn which takes its source on the heights of the village.
Adobe Stock / Souchon Yves
Land of schist and granite, the Cévennes National Park is home to a village that is a delight for history buffs.
The Pont-de-Montvert on the southern slope of Mont Lozère is a city of Haut Gévaudan crossed by the Tarn which takes its source on the heights of the village.
Commune of birth of Pope Urbain V, cradle of the Cévennes War, a revolt of Protestant peasants under Louis XIV, the village grouped around its church and its old castle was made famous by Robert-Louis Stevenson in his
Voyage avec un donkey in the Cévennes.
How to get there ?
Follow the A75 towards Occitanie, take exit 39 towards the Gorges du Tarn and continue on the N88 then take the D31 and D35 towards Pont-de-Montvert.
Allow 2h40 from Clermont-Ferrand.
The good adress.
At L'Auberge des Cévennes, on Chemin de Stevenson, where Robert-Louis Stevenson rested with his faithful donkey.
Located in the heart of the village, this old farm has 14 rooms renovated in 2020. Formula from € 13.50 for lunch and € 18 for evening.
Night in a double room from € 57 per person with half board.
Auberge des Cévennes, La Placette, 48220 Pont-de-Montvert.
Phone: 07 89 51 90 92.
La Canourgue, the little Venice of Lozère
Its medieval streets crisscrossed with small canals have earned it the nickname of Lozère's Little Venice. Adobe Stock / hdemestier
La Canourgue, a commune in the Lot valley, is located at the foot of the Causse de Sauveterre, between Aubrac and the Gorges du Tarn. Built in the Middle Ages around one of the five monasteries of Gévaudan, its medieval streets are crisscrossed with small canals which have earned it the nickname of Little Venice of Lozère. A stroll through the old center allows you to appreciate its charm and discover the Renaissance and medieval timber-framed and corbelled houses, the Romanesque chapel of Saint-Frézal, the clock tower or even the Place au Blé. Before getting back on the road, do not miss, 2 km from the village, the Sabot de Malepeyre, a stone arch 30 meters high pierced by water from which one enjoys a breathtaking view of the valley of Urugne and the Aubrac mountains.
Read also Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Goudargues, Pont-Audemer ... Why is there so much “little Venice” in France?
How to get there ?
Follow the A75 towards Occitanie, take exit 40 and continue on the D998 to La Canourgue.
Allow 2 hours from Clermont-Ferrand.
A visit around.
The workshops of the artisanal chocolate factory Malakoff, a brand created in 1855 at the request of Napoleon III after the victory of General Mac Mahon at Malakoff.
The opportunity to discover the secrets of making the famous chocolate bar of the same name and the spreads.
45-minute visit by reservation, from € 1 for children
Chocolaterie Malakoff, ZA l'Oasis, lieudit La Mothe, 48500 Banassac-Canhilac.
Phone.
: 04 66 44 09 50.
