In celebration of my husband's birthday, I found myself searching for a fun weekend getaway within a couple hours of where we live in Southern France. Along the highways of France, many towns have signs promoting stopping for a visit, including nearby attractions and châteaux. After having driven from Angers to Severac-le-Chateau several times, I remembered seeing a roadside sign for a town named Le Puy-en-Velay. The sign for Le Puy-en-Velay particularly caught my eye, as it showed little mountains that were directly in the middle of the town with structures built on top. I decided this would be an intriguing place to visit together - and I was right!
We arrived at our Bed & Breakfast, La Gourmantine, Friday night. It is located in Polignac, which was only a 10-15 minute drive away from the center of Le Puy-en-Valay. I had booked this place in favor of somewhere closer to the city, as it was relatively cheap (75€ a night + tourist tax) and located near a medieval fortress. What I didn't realize is that it was situated directly next to it! You can see the main tower of the fortress overlooking where we stayed below. The free parking and breakfast were appreciated too.
After meeting with our host and dropping our things off, we headed directly to dinner, which I had reserved for us at Merry & Pippin. Fans of the Lord of the Rings will immediately recognize this restaurant name as being called after two of the more boisterous hobbits that embarked on the journey of the fellowship. And indeed, this restaurant was rightfully Lord of the Rings themed, and as Lord of the Rings fans ourselves, we were blown away. Everything from the aptly named dishes, to the hand carved wooden signage, to surrounding memorabilia which was impeccably placed throughout. It's almost like a mini museum!
We ordered the Beren and Luthien menu (33€ per person), which included an appetizer, main, and dessert. We splurged a bit and added on a cheese course too (+5€), since we're both fans of trying new cheeses. Their menu is seasonal, and they source many (if not most) of their ingredients locally. We both ordered the same appetizer and main but went our separate ways for dessert. Everything was absolutely phenomenal!
[Appetizer] Le Radagast - A savory blue cheese and chocolate chip muffin with a delicious nut cream
[Main] Le Tournedos de Pippin - Duck with a blueberry sauce, honey, lentil bread and eggplant caviar (Fun fact : Le Puy-en-Velay is known for their protected designation of origin green lentils!)
[Cheese] Clockwise starting from the top right - Reblochon, Bleu d'Auvergne, local mold-ripened cow's milk cheese, Comté
[Desserts] Le Moelleux Tom Bombadil - A chocolate lava cake with blueberries and white chocolate ; Crème Brûlée de la Moria - Self-explanatory
After dinner, our adventures continued to several of the buildings around Le Puy-en-Velay which were displaying fantastical light show projections. This is an annual event, Puy de Lumières, that is held every evening during the summer, which is pretty incredible. Our favorite projection was that for the Crozatier art museum - dinosaurs, mummies, and lava, oh my! (you can see a full video that I found of it Here) It is impressive how well the animations and projections match the facades of the buildings; it probably took them a little while to figure out how to do it all so seamlessly!
The next morning we had breakfast provided by our host. He explained that he had made the brioche himself the day before as well as the rhubarb and apricot jams that were on our table. We also enjoyed some hot chocolate and some crunchy baguettes with salted butter. With having had our fill of food and conversing with the other patrons, we embarked on our hike up to the medieval fortress, which has an amazing view! If you look closely, you can even see Le Puy-en-Velay in the distance.
Before our next hill climb, we went into town and stopped for lunch at Apollonel, a Greek restaurant specializing in mezze dishes. We ordered an assortment of things to try : mixed Greek olives, tzatziki, a creamy roasted pepper feta spread, moussaka, and eggplant braised in tomato sauce. They were served with a never-ending supply of fresh bread, which made for quite a satisfying lunch. Unfortunately, we were so excited to dig in that we forgot to take pictures...
On our way up the hill, we stopped at the Cathedral Notre-Dame du Puy. And I know what you're thinking, wait, isn't the Notre-Dame in Paris?! Well, here's the thing, practically every city in France has a Cathedral Notre-Dame. To my understanding, the title of Notre-Dame for cathedrals is basically the distinction as the main Cathedral of that city, while there might be other smaller ones named after other important saints. This particular cathedral is situated at the top of a long, steep flight of stairs, which makes it just that much more imposing. Pictures can't capture that sensation. A surprising element of the building is that the main entrance is INTO the building. The staircase you take actually ends in the middle of some pews in the center of the cathedral. It was a very unique feature of this cathedral that I had never seen before. That's certainly one way to convince people not to be late for Mass?
One of the most famous sites of Le Puy-en-Velay is la Notre-Dame de France, which is a huge statue of the Virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus. It was made from the iron of 213 Russian cannons confiscated during the Crimean War, which were offered by Napoleon III to the city. And yes, it is very specific with this exact number. It is over 70 feet tall, and like the Statue of Liberty, you can climb up inside of it! However, unlike the Statue of Liberty, it sits on a steep hill that's over 400 feet tall! Since it is on the tallest hill within the city, you can gaze out over the entire valley - a truly spectacular sight. If you look closely, you can see the fortress of Polignac!
While Le Puy-en-Velay is not truly a hidden gem, as there are still plenty of tourists and sightseeing to that the city is known for, I would say it is one of the most beautiful towns I have visited. It is also the starting place for one of the Santiago de Compostela trails, which leads to the burial place of Saint James the Apostle, so you will see many backpackers and pilgrims readying to set-off on the journey.
Tips and links:
La Gourmantine Official Site : www.gourmantine.fr
- To book a room, the site will redirect you to send a message to the host on a different site dedicated to B&Bs in France. When he has confirmed that your date(s) are available, there will be a small deposit required to hold the room. Via PayPal will be the easiest coming from outside of France. Unfortunately, cards are not accepted, and you will have to pay for the remaining balance either by PayPal again or in cash. There is also a tourist tax applicable in this area which was about 1.5€ per person per night, if I remember correctly, so plan for that too.
Merry & Pippin Official Site : www.merrypippin.fr
- I highly recommend reserving a table at Merry & Pippin in advance (can only be done by phone, they speak some limited English). We were lucky and it happened to be pretty calm with there being a major soccer game the night we went, but this restaurant is popular!
- Check the starting times and dates for Puy de Lumières on the official site Here
- Most French cities and towns that have paid street parking will have free parking after 7pm and all day long on Sundays. Sometimes, such as in Le Puy-en-Velay, there is free parking on Saturdays too! Always check the paid meters before leaving your car! The regulations vary from town to town, but the meters will tell you when the area you have parked in is paid/payé or free/gratuit.
- In order to enter the fortress, you have to purchase an entry token at the office of tourism of Polignac. It is located at the base of the main path to the fortress (not at the main entrance to the fortress), but you shouldn't miss it. They also offer combination tickets discounted with other sites in Le Puy-en-Velay, such as the art museum, Notre-Dame statue, etc., but we didn't purchase this as our student/under 26 discount was better in this scenario.
- There are two main cathedrals in Le Puy-en-Velay that are both at the top of hills. The one on the way to the statue of Mary is free and is the one we chose to go to. The other is on its own separate hill a little further away and requires a paid admission. We chose not to go to the other one as climbing two hills in one day was enough for us.
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