Exploring Chamalières from Beaumont

Start from the north car park of the Clinique de la Châtaigneraie, in Beaumont. Please note: car park available only on Saturdays and Sundays. Châtaigneraie stop on bus route no. 8.

(Start/End) With your back to the clinic’s northern entrance, head straight across the car park until you reach the properties bordering it, then follow the dirt track to the left, which very quickly joins the end of Rue de la Veyre. Do not follow this street but carry on straight ahead along the track. At the junction, continue straight ahead along the track (note the pretty wrought-iron gate of the house on the right). Continue along this track, which skirts the Puy de Montaudoux to the north, ignoring the paths that climb to the left, until you reach a street.

(1) Turn left onto it, then carry on straight ahead at the roundabout on Rue des Montagnards. Walk alongside the fence of Parc Bargoin. Ignore all the streets on the left to stay as close as possible to the park’s boundary until you reach its entrance gate (note the pretty houses in the vicinity).

(2) Enter Parc Bargoin (in the municipality of Chamalière) and choose your route (generally speaking, head more or less straight to the left) to make your way down to the very bottom of the park, where the second entrance gate is located. Exit and follow the street to the left. At the fork in the road, continue left onto Rue de Bellevue. You’ll come to Rue Jocelyn Bargoin; turn right here (there are some lovely houses lining this street in Royat). Ignore the side streets to reach Boulevard Barrieu (Royat).

(3) Turn left and walk as far as the former Hôtel Victoria, on the right-hand side of the boulevard (a beautiful building with yellow shutters; also note the former Hôtel Royal on the left-hand side). Cross the boulevard carefully and follow the narrow lane that leads down just to the right of the Victoria building. It ends in a flight of steps and leads onto Boulevard Vaquez.

Turn left towards the car park in front of the Hôtel Princesse Flore and note, just to the right of the hotel, the Villa La Chaumière (which once housed the Royat tourist office). Facing this pretty façade, turn right, cross Boulevard Vaquez again and enter the Parc Thermal.

Walk past the Buvette Eugénie on your left, then between two beautiful sequoias and the old (very beautiful) entrance to the spa, and continue straight on to reach the casino car park. Turn left, leaving the ruins of the Roman baths and the very pretty Pavillon Saint-Mart, on the banks of the Tiretaine, on your right. Carry on, leave the Parc Thermal and come out onto Avenue de Royat.

(4) Follow it to the right, pass under the viaduct, and carry on straight ahead to leave Royat and enter Chamalières. Note the building occupied by France 3 on the right-hand side of the avenue. At the Passage Général Frère, on the left-hand side of the avenue, the route offers a round trip to a fountain in the grounds of the Les Séquoias building. Further along the avenue, take in the pretty façades on either side and, in particular, a surprising row of small houses with highly original façades. Shortly afterwards, you’ll reach the Chamalières post office, on the left-hand side of the avenue.

(5) Walk past the post office on your left, then turn left and continue along a long right-hand bend in the heart of a modern shopping district. At the end of this bend, do not go down into the street but take the footbridge that crosses over it. On the other side, continue straight ahead through a small park, then turn left to go down a street and find the ‘Place de la Saigne’ hiking signpost.

Cross the street towards the small Bassin de la Saigne, bordered by a building featuring a mural depicting a mill, then follow Rue du Languedoc, to the right of this building. Turn into the first street on the left and head towards the Tiretaine. Follow the path to the right, passing to the left of the Wallace Fountain and the courtyard of a very beautiful old building, until you reach the end of the path ; note the washhouse on the other side of the Tiretaine, then return to the Wallace Fountain and turn left. Immediately afterwards, turn left to pass under the archway of the building and emerge onto a street.

Follow it to the right, then turn left onto Rue du Languedoc. You’ll soon reach Place des Sarrazins; position yourself as far to the left as possible so that, looking up, you can see the remains of the old Chamalières castle – known as the Mur des Sarrazins – above the rooftops on the opposite side of the square. Continue on until you reach the Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame on Place Sully.

(6) Walk round the building on the right, noting the fountain at the back, as well as the school’s slightly steampunk-style clock.

(6) Back at Place Sully, head straight ahead along Rue Lufbery (to the right of the patisserie). You’ll reach Rue de Royat, opposite Parc Montjoly, which is home to the town hall. Go round the junction on the right to reach the park entrance. Enter the park and choose a route (note the beautiful trees, fountains, the war memorial and the mole-themed art) to walk up to the town hall (a beautiful building), walk round it (there’s a small botanical garden on the right) and head back down to leave the park through the same gate as the entrance.

Head to the right, cross Rue Pasteur, then keep to the right to take Avenue de Royat on the right (there is no street sign at this junction). Continue along this avenue, which is lined with a few very fine houses (see the ‘Sights’ section for further details). You’ll reach the junction with Boulevard Berthelot (on the left) and Boulevard Duclaux (on the right), which marks the boundary between the municipalities of Chamalières and Clermont-Ferrand. Note the memorial on the right honouring those tortured by the Gestapo. Also note the fine mansions at this junction, in particular the Villa Pingeot opposite.

(7) Turn right to walk past the fine buildings of the Banque de France, but also note, on the left-hand side of the boulevard, some beautiful blocks of flats, including a superb example of Art Deco architecture, the Pincot building. At the end of the Banque de France buildings, keep to the right along a small car park, then, at the junction, carry straight on along a wide pedestrian walkway, under the arcade of a pink building. Turn into the first street on the right.

(8) Turn left onto Avenue Jean Jaurès. Walk past a university college and carry on until you reach a junction; continue straight on, still on Avenue Jean Jaurès. At the next junction, carry on straight ahead (Rue du Maisniel) and continue straight on at every junction (the pretty houses on the side streets are worth a few short detours, not shown on the map) until you reach the railway line.

(9) Do not cross the railway line, but turn left onto Avenue des Cottages, which is lined with some pretty houses. Go straight on at the junctions until you reach Avenue Marx Dormoy, on Place de Verdun. Note, on the right-hand side of this square, the Centre Victoire, which used to be a Banania factory. Turn right, walk past this building, then take the first street on the right, Rue de Volney.

(10) At the T-junction, turn left onto Rue André Theuriet, then follow Rue Riquet to the right, continuing straight on to cross the railway line. On the other side, carry on straight ahead (now in the municipality of Ceyrat). Turn left onto Rue du Guéry, ignoring the cul-de-sac of the same name on the left, until you reach a crossroads.

(11) Turn left onto Rue Aristide Briant. At the junction with Rue Pasteur, carry on straight ahead. At the next T-junction, turn right onto Rue du Docteur Lepetit and follow it to the junction with Rue de la Petite Morie. Follow this street to the left, then turn left onto Rue Montaigne.

Shortly afterwards, turn right into a pedestrian lane, turn left at the top and join Rue Henri Pourrat. Continue to the right to reach Rue de la Veyre immediately. Follow it to the right to return to the junction at the start of the walk. Turn left onto the path to return to the clinic car park (S/E).

An urban walk requiring no special equipment. In Montaudoux, the path is suitable for vehicles and presents no difficulty.
Please take care when crossing streets, avenues and boulevards!

Photo gallery here

Information provided by Clermont Auvergne Tourisme:

Bargoin Park. An 8-hectare English-style woodland park created in the 19th century, featuring nearly 60 species of trees and a total of 800 trees: century-old sequoias, Lebanese cedars, Ginkgo biloba and a maple listed in the Green Guide as one of the largest specimens in France (250 years old, 7.50 m in circumference).
Nearly 800 other different plant species have been recorded in the park.

Villa La Chaumière. This former holiday home was an annexe to the Hôtel Richelieu (now the Hôtel Princesse Flore), built in the early 20th century by the Clermont-Ferrand architect Louis Jarrier. The façade is remarkable for its richness and the polychromatic nature of its materials (mosaic).

The Buvette Eugénie, a symbol of the spa town, was named after the visit of Empress Eugénie and Emperor Napoleon III in 1862. This refreshment kiosk was originally a cast-iron structure. In 1913–1914, the spring was protected by a glass dome and surrounded by a circular counter decorated with sandstone and opaline slabs. In 1936, the cast-iron kiosk was replaced by a circular structure in the classical style. The restored counter was covered with enamelled lava in 1980. Today, the drinking fountain is closed to spa guests. The waters from the Eugénie and Saint-Mart springs can be drunk in the spa’s lobby.

The Roman baths. The origins of the spa date back to antiquity, as evidenced by the numerous remains discovered at the foot of each spring. Today, only a pool with tiered seating and semicircular benches is still visible.

The Pavillon Saint-Mart is a former leg-bathing establishment. Discovered in 1876, the Saint-Mart Spring gushes forth on the site of the monastery from which it takes its name. A simple refreshment bar was set up in 1880, followed by a small bathing establishment after the spring’s therapeutic properties were discovered. In 1912, Auguste Rouzaud, the resort’s owner, commissioned the architect Louis Jarrier to refurbish and expand the building. Jarrier retained only the façade and designed a new pavilion with a roof terrace and a dome. Protected by a roof in 1937, the pavilion was permanently closed for therapeutic use in 1980.

Built in 1880, the viaduct enabled the spa to accommodate an ever-increasing number of spa guests. In 2012, it was the subject of an illumination project.

On Avenue de Royat, there are around ten villas notable for their eclectic architecture (nos. 74 bis, 86, 101, 103, 105, 111, 111 bis, 115, 135). These villas were built along the avenue, which was opened in 1879 to provide a direct link between Clermont’s town centre and the very fashionable spa resort.

The installation on Place de la Saigne evokes the presence of the paper mills. The trompe-l’œil mural is the work of Slobo. The Bassin de la Saigne operates using phytopurification, a method of water treatment that enables the ecological management of the basin through a lagoon-based water filtration system. Phytopurification utilises bacteria present in the root systems of plants to purify the water and enables the ecological management of waste.

Rue du Lanquedoc. The Via Agrippa forms part of one of the four major roads established by the Romans from Lugdunum, the ancient capital of Gaul. The Via Agrippa passed through the Col de Ceyssat. This route was frequently used to reach the Temple of Mercury situated at the summit of the Puy de Dôme. Today, Rue du Lanquedoc is lined with old winegrowers’ houses, featuring wine-making rooms on the ground floor, cellars and living quarters on the upper floors.

The Tiretaine leat. The Maison des Associations in Chamalières is housed in former water mills. From medieval times onwards, the mills were used for grinding grain, fulling (to full cloth) and ‘arnoix’ (ironworking). Paper mills were established during the second half of the 15th century. Chamalières thus became the third-largest paper-making centre in Auvergne after Ambert and Thiers. On the other side of the Tiretaine, you can see a washhouse built in 1834. It was supplied with water by the Fontmaure Spring.

The Saracen Wall. Visible from Rue du Languedoc above the rooftops, the Saracen Wall is the remnant of the former feudal keep of the Lordship of Chamalières, built in the 10th and 11th centuries.

Notre-Dame Collegiate Church. Of Carolingian origin, the Church of Notre-Dame underwent numerous alterations in the 13th century, notably with Tuscan pillars replacing the Romanesque ones. It was crowned by a dome until the Revolution, when the dome was replaced by the present bell tower. It has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1840.

Montjoly Park. This leafy park comprises three terraces and several classical flowerbeds, and is a recreational park much loved by young and old alike. A Gallo-Roman necropolis was discovered during works carried out along the edge of the park. The estate was established in the 16th century through the consolidation of land by the wealthy Gayte de Clermont family.

Town Hall. The building housing the current town hall dates from 1760, commissioned by Canon Michel Girard de La Batisse. Inspired by classical architecture, this beautiful building features a Mansard roof and decorative elements in Volvic stone, and became Chamalières Town Hall in 1960.

Avenue de Royat. Villas listed as Historic Monuments between 1998 and 2001, located at nos. 26, 60, 62, 64 and 74.

Information from other sources:

Bargoin Park. Formerly the Domaine de Bellevue, this park was owned until 1815 by the former mayor of Chamalières under Napoleon I. It was then purchased by Jocelyn Bargoin, a former chemist who made his fortune with his business partner and friend Henri Lecoq by setting up a coffee substitute factory: Gland-Doux.
On his death in 1882, he bequeathed this large 7-hectare park to the Puy-de-Dôme General Council, much to the delight of walkers and spa-goers, who can discover unusual tree species there such as the California redwood and the ginkgo biloba.

OnAvenue de Royat. The road to Clermont (now Avenue de Royat) was opened in 1879. The foundations of the house were laid around 1885 (discovery of the Biturige gold stater). Location of the villa: on the corner of Avenue de Royat and Rue d’Assas, between Clermont and Chamalières. The neighbourhood was developed with middle-class houses surrounded by gardens. These buildings, constructed between 1880 and the Great War, are now being replaced one by one by blocks of flats, which are increasing the housing density in this area.
Pezon House, nos. 11 and 13. A representative example of late 19th-century middle-class architecture in Auvergne.
Gauthier House, No. 7. A villa built in the late 19th century by Louis Bruyerre. Constructed from brick and stone in a Neo-Renaissance style, it incorporates numerous architectural references that differ from local architecture in both style and materials
Villa Marie-Antoinette, 2 Rue d’Assas. This opulent bourgeois villa displays an eclectic style combining measured asymmetry – a feature much favoured by 19th-century architects – a Neo-Louis XIII silhouette emphasised by the proportions of the volumes and the rhythm of the openings, and Neo-Renaissance décor.
Villa Lafond, No. 12. A villa characteristic of early 20th-century bourgeois architecture. The birthplace of Pierre Schœndoerffer.

Villa Pingeot. This house is a fine example of the bourgeois residences of the late 19th century built between Clermont-Ferrand and Chamalières. It was extended in 1920 by Jarrier.

The Banque de France printing works was established in Chamalières between 1916 and 1918, right in the centre of France, far from the borders (particularly the German ones). Follow the link for more information.

The Pincot Building. Designed in 1932–1933 by the architect Ernest Pincot. The building combines Art Deco style with seaside regionalism.

Former Banania factory, Place de Verdun.