Clermont-Ferrand · Self-guided audio walk

The Black Cathedral Climb

A short, steep loop through Clermont-Ferrand's lava-stone old town, from Place de Jaude to the black Gothic cathedral and a UNESCO Romanesque basilica.

9Stops
1.9 kmDistance
35+ minTime

Photo by Thibdx on Wikimedia Commons

Walk the steep spine of Clermont-Ferrand's old town, where streets climb in dark Volvic stone from the wide Place de Jaude to the black Gothic cathedral. You pass a covered market that has fed the city since 1873, a Renaissance fountain, and a photography centre inside a 16th-century town house.

The route follows the official Parcours du Port, marked by bronze medallions of Urban II set into the pavement, passes the UNESCO-listed Romanesque basilica of Notre-Dame-du-Port, and ends on Place Delille. The cathedral's Bayette tower has been closed since 2018, so expect no tower climb, just a street-level walk of about an hour and forty minutes.

Hear it on the street

Get the turn-by-turn audio guide in the app. The narration plays itself as you reach each stop, hands-free and offline.

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

Stop by stop

The route

Interactive map of the route. The full stop list below works without it.

Must see

Photo by Florent Pécassou on Wikimedia Commons

Place de Jaude

0:00

Clermont-Ferrand's wide modern square, where the tram glides past café terraces and the old town begins its climb.

You're on Place de Jaude, Clermont-Ferrand's wide modern square, with the tram running north to south through its centre and café terraces spread along the edges. The square has been a marketplace since Roman times, when it was known as Galde, then Jalde, before settling on Jaude. Behind you stands the equestrian bronze of Vercingétorix, raised in 1903, and a little further off the old department stores that became Galeries Lafayette. The square was relaid between 2003 and 2005 with 141 trees and a mostly pedestrian surface, so what you're standing on now is a recent layer of a very old site.

Now look east, uphill. The dark buildings rise toward the cathedral. That is the old town, built in Volvic stone, a volcanic rock so black it gives the whole climb its colour. Your way in is Rue des Gras, the steep lane directly ahead.

It was once the Roman decumanus, the main east-west street, and its name comes from the Occitan word for steps. When you're ready, head toward the covered market on your left. Keep the dark stone ahead of you.

Open in Google Maps

≈6 min walk to the next stop

Must see

Photo by Aavitus on Wikimedia Commons

Halle Gourmande Saint-Pierre

0:00

The city's covered market since 1873, where about forty traders sell cheese, meat, fish and Auvergne wine.

You're outside the Halle Gourmande Saint-Pierre, the covered market that has stood on this square since 1873. The first hall was a Baltard-style iron and glass pavilion, torn down in 1931 and rebuilt, then demolished again in 1985. The present building opened in 1987, with an underground car park beneath it. Inside, about forty traders run butcher counters, fish stalls, cheese stands and wine shops, and long shared tables let you eat what you just bought.

The square itself is older than all of it. It takes its name from a parish church that once stood here, the church where Blaise Pascal was baptised on 27 June 1623. The mathematician and philosopher was born a few streets away, and his house no longer survives. The market opens Monday to Saturday, so on most days you can step in for a slice of Saint-Nectaire or a bag of local fruit before the climb ahead.

When you're ready, leave by the south side and find Rue des Gras, the lane rising in dark stone just behind the hall.

Open in Google Maps

≈2 min walk to the next stop

Local pick

Photo by Aavitus on Wikimedia Commons

Rue des Gras

0:00

The steep old lane that climbs in black Volvic stone, tracing the Roman main street.

You're on Rue des Gras, the steep spine of the old town. The street climbs in dark Volvic stone, and its name comes from the Occitan word for steps or marches, a reminder that stairs once led the way up to the cathedral. It follows the line of the Roman decumanus, the main east-west street of Augustonemetum, and it has been a shopping street ever since. Feel the slope in your legs.

In the late 15th century, after tremors damaged the quarter, the whole street was raised by about four metres, which turned old ground floors into cellars. The stone steps that gave the street its name were finally removed in 1796, but the climb remains. As you go up, look at the doorways and windows around you. Numbers 22 and 26 are listed historic buildings, and the lava blocks under your feet are the same rock the cathedral uses.

Stop where you can look back down. The wide open space below is Place de Jaude, and the steep drop is why this lane was once a staircase.

Open in Google Maps

≈1 min walk to the next stop

Free preview ends here · stops 4 to 9 continue in the app

Hôtel Fontfreyde

A 16th-century town house that now holds Clermont-Ferrand's photography centre, free to enter.

in app

Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption

The black Gothic cathedral built in Volvic stone from 1248, with two spires by Viollet-le-Duc.

in app

Place de la Victoire

The café-lined square over the Roman forum, where the Parcours du Port begins.

in app

Fontaine d'Amboise

A Renaissance fountain in Volvic stone, begun in 1511 and restored in 2019.

in app

Basilique Notre-Dame-du-Port

A 12th-century Romanesque basilica, UNESCO-listed on the Santiago de Compostela routes.

in app

Place Delille

The tree-lined square where the loop ends, named for a Clermont-born poet.

in app

Good to know

Before you go

Do I need tickets for the cathedral and the basilica?

No. Both are free to enter. The cathedral opens Monday to Saturday from 7:45 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 18:00 with visits from 9:00, and the basilica opens every day from 9:00 to 18:00.

SourcePuy-de-Dôme TourismePuy-de-Dôme Tourisme

Can I climb the cathedral tower?

No. The Bayette tower has been closed to visitors since February 2018 by municipal order, which also suspended access to the treasury. This walk stays at street level.

SourceCathédrale catholique de Clermont

How steep is the old town walk?

The walk climbs from Place de Jaude up Rue des Gras in dark Volvic stone. It is short but genuinely steep, and it ends at street level because there is no tower climb.

Keep exploring

More of Clermont-Ferrand

Keep exploring

More walks in Clermont-Ferrand

The essentials

Royat's Valley of Water and Lava

A Belle Époque spa town, a lava cave and a fortified church, up the Tiretaine gorge.

7 stops1.4 km25+ min

The local mix

Montferrand, the Rival Bastide

From the Michelin museum to a 900-year-old town that refused to join Clermont for six centuries.

8 stops1.7 km30+ min

← All tours in Clermont-Ferrand Browse every city →

Provenance · last verified August 21, 2026

Built from the Wayside route itself: the stops, their order, and the walk between them.

Photo by Thibdx on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0

Photo by Florent Pécassou on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo by Aavitus on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo by SM63 on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo by Aavitus on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0