Clermont-Ferrand: know before you go

Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne airport sits in Aulnat, about 6 km east of the centre. There is no dedicated airport shuttle: the regular T2C bus line B does the job, running every day from the Aulnat Aéroport stop to Jaude in about 30 minutes. The same airport area also has a small rail halt for a faster train into town. The main SNCF station is on avenue de l'Union Soviétique south-east of the centre, about 15 minutes on foot from Place de Jaude, with tram A at the door.

The city is compact and hilly, so walk the old town and use transit for the gaps. Tram A is the spine, running from La Pardieu Gare in the south-east to Les Vergnes in the north-west through Jaude. Buses cover the rest, including line B to Royat and line P36 out to the Puy de Dôme. A single ticket covers tram and bus with transfers; there is no metro. For food, the covered Halle Gourmande Saint-Pierre near the cathedral is the daily anchor, and Montferrand's Friday market fills Place de la Rodade from 7 am to 1 pm.

Clermont-Ferrand's churches are the cheap part of the trip: the cathedral, the Romanesque Basilique Notre-Dame-du-Port, and the photography centre in the 16th-century Hôtel Fontfreyde are all free to enter. The main added cost is the local tourist tax, which accommodation adds per adult per night at checkout. For currency, card, and tipping norms across France, see the country guide.

Clermont-Ferrand is a safe, walkable mid-sized city, and the busy axis between Jaude and the cathedral stays lively into the evening. Use the usual care around the SNCF station late at night and keep a hand on your phone and wallet in the tram and at the Friday market, where pickpocketing is the realistic risk rather than anything more serious.

Tap water is safe to drink and soft, so refill your bottle rather than buying it. Pharmacies are easy to find in the centre, and there is no particular altitude issue in town. If you go up the Puy de Dôme, the summit is 1,465 metres, high enough for a cooler, windier change from the city, so take a layer even in summer.

Mobile coverage is strong across the city from the main French operators, and free wifi is common in cafés and at the tourist office. Download the T2C Clermoov app before you arrive so you can buy transit tickets and check live times without hunting for a machine.

French is the language of the city, and English is less universally spoken here than in Paris or Lyon, though you will find it in hotels, at the Michelin museum, and with younger staff. A bonjour on entering a shop or café is the expected opener, and a merci at the tram barrier is enough. Knowing the Auvergne classics like truffade and aligot helps at the market and in the old town.

The tram is low-floor and step-free, and line A is the easiest way to cross the centre with a wheelchair or a pushchair. The old town is the hard part: the lanes between Jaude and the cathedral climb steeply in worn lava stone and are not suited to wheels, so plan the flatter route along the boulevards or ride the tram to the top and come down.

The three walking tours are the core of the city, but three things beyond them are worth planning. L'Aventure Michelin at 32 rue du Clos Four tells the tyre company's story on the Cataroux site, and the ASM Experience does the same for rugby at the Stade Marcel-Michelin; both are timed visits, so book on non-match days. The Puy de Dôme is a half-day excursion, not a walk: take bus P36 to the lower station and ride the Panoramique des Dômes rack railway up. One thing not to plan is a cathedral tower climb, because the Bayette tower has been closed to visitors since 2018.