Arrival information and accommodation in Clermont-Ferrand
The gare SNCF
is on avenue de l'Union Soviétique, from where it is a ten-minute bus
journey to place de Jaude, at the western edge of the cathedral hill.
The gare routière (tel 04.73.35.05.62) is on boulevard
François-Mitterrand, with a city transport information kiosk called
Boutique T2C on place de Jaude (tel 04.73.28.56.56). The city airport (tel 04.73.62.71.00, www.clermont-fd.cci.fr ) is at Aulnat, 7km east, with daily flights to and from Paris and other internal destinations, as well as to London during the summer.
The main tourist office
is opposite the cathedral in the place de la Victoire (June-Sept
Mon-Sat 8.30am-7pm, Sun 9am-noon & 2-6pm; rest of year Mon-Fri
8.45am-6.30pm, Sat 9am-noon & 2-6pm, Sun 9am-1pm; tel
04.73.98.65.00, www.ot-clermont-ferrand.fr ), and there is
another conveniently placed annexe immediately to the left outside the
train station exit (June-Sept Mon-Sat 9.15-11.30am & 12.15-5pm;
rest of year closed Sat; tel 04.73.91.87.89). The departmental office is on the place de la Bourse (tel 04.73.42.22.50), and the regional office at 44 av des Etats Unis (tel 04.73.29.49.49, www.crt-auvergne.fr
). Specific hiking or mountain-bike information is available from
Chamina, 5 rue Pierre-le-Vénérable (tel 04.73.92.81.44). You can access
the Internet at Internet@Café at 34 rue Ballainvilliers (Mon & Sat 11am-11pm, Tues-Fri 8am-11pm; tel 04.73.92.42.80).
Most of Clermont's hotels
are concentrated just off the lively place de Jaude, close to the
town's main shops, and around the rather characterless station area.
There's not a tremendous choice, but they are generally good value,
ranging from small, family-run affairs to larger, modern concerns
catering mostly to visiting Michelin workers. For budget travellers,
there's a basic HI hostel just across the street from the train
station at 55 av de l'Union Soviétique (tel 04.73.92.26.39, fax
04.73.92.99.96; closed Nov-Feb), and a foyer , the Home Dome , at 12 place de Regensburg (tel 04.73.31.57.00, fax 04.73.31.59.99, perso.wanadoo.fr/home.dome ), in the southwest of town. For campers, there are municipal campsites at Royat ( L'Oclède ), 4km to the southwest (tel 04.73.35.97.05, www.camping.royat.com ; closed Nov-March; bus #41), Ceyrat ( Le Chanset ), 5km to the south (tel 04.73.61.30.73; bus #4C & #41, stop "Preguille"), and Cournon ( Le Pré des Laveuses ), 10km to the east, on the River Allier (tel 04.73.84.81.30; bus #3, stop "Plaine de jeux").
Hotels
Albert Elisabeth
, 37 av Albert-Elisabeth (tel 04.73.92.47.41, fax 04.73.90.78.32).
Well-run family hotel, with pastel-decorated rooms; handy for the train
station. €34-46.
Foch
, 22 rue Maréchal-Foch (tel 04.73.93.48.40, fax 04.73.35.47.41). Tucked
away down a side street off place de Jaude, this is a good-value budget
hotel, with bright, summery rooms. €24-34.
Lyon
, 16 place de Jaude (tel 04.73.93.32.55, fax 04.73.93.54.33).
Tastefully furnished thoughout, though the lively bar and brasserie
below can get a little noisy at night ( plats around €8.38). €46-61.
des Puys d'Arverne , 16 place Delille (tel 04.73.91.92.06, fax 04.73.91.60.25,
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
). A good, modern, top-of-the-range hotel, offering spacious rooms,
some with balconies. Its first-rate gourmet restaurant has splendid
views of the town and Le Puy de Dôme (from €14.94). €61-76.
Ravel
, 8 rue de Maringues (tel 04.73.91.51.33, fax 04.73.92.28.48). Opposite
the old Marché St-Joseph, this friendly and recently refurbished hotel,
offers attractive rooms, with sunny, Mediterranean decor. Closed Jan.
€34-46.
Regina
, 14 rue Bonnabaud (tel 04.73.93.44.76, fax 04.73.35.04.63). Looks a
little grubby from the outside, but inside, an elegant spiral staircase
leads up to fresh, clean rooms. €34-46.
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