Green and other colours in the Carmes district of Clermont

The walk starts at Les Carmes tram station.

(S/E) Cross Avenue Georges Couthon and go down the stairs to reach Place des Carmes. Head straight towards the main entrance of the Michelin headquarters and use the revolving doors to enter the building. When you reach the shop, turn right to cross the café and take the corridor that runs alongside the tropical greenhouse. Retrace your steps and exit the building.
Turn left, cross Boulevard Jean-Baptiste Dumas and continue straight ahead to arrive in front of the entrance to the former chapel of the Carmes-Déchaux convent, on a small forecourt where one of the entrances to the cemetery is located.

(1) Enter the cemetery, take the second path on the left, pass to the left of a cedar tree and continue along the path, which curves sharply to the right. Pass a path lined with cedar trees on your right. Between plots 4 and 9, turn left onto a footpath that joins a path, then turn left.

(2) Take the footbridge on the right that crosses the canalised Tiretaine. At the cedar tree, turn left, then follow the tree-lined path on the right. At the intersection, at the corner of plot 58, with another beautiful cedar tree, take another tree-lined path on the right, turn left between plots 85 and 60, then left again at plot 88.

Facing the boundary wall, turn right onto the tree-lined path, turn right at plot 92 and then immediately left. Continue straight ahead to reach the plot dedicated to French soldiers from the First World War. Continue to the plot for German soldiers from the same war, located behind it. Turn right, along an Israeli plot on your left, until you reach the gate of another Israeli plot and turn right. Then follow the first path on the left, then turn right at plot 67 onto a tree-lined path.

Turn onto the second wide path on the left, lined with cedar trees. You will come to the boundary wall. Walk about 20 metres to the left to the plot for RAF airmen, then retrace your steps and continue straight ahead along the tree-lined path.

Take the footbridge over the Tiretaine on the left, then turn right immediately on the other side and follow the grassy path lined with trimmed conifers on the left. You will come to a tarmac path. Follow it to the left, then turn right onto a tree-lined path, which leads to one of the cemetery gates. Exit the cemetery and you will find yourself on Chaussée Claudius (and the noise pollution of the city).

(3) Turn right, note the mural on the other side of the street, and use the first pedestrian crossings to cross Chaussée Claudius and the tram line. On the other side, follow the street to the left, which curves sharply.

You will come to an intersection with more murals (which may disappear in 2023 due to construction work). Turn right onto Avenue de la République, then take the first street on the left, Rue de Châteaudun. Notice the architecture of the GRDF group on the left as you reach a large crossroads. Go around it on the left, crossing Avenue Édouard Michelin to arrive at the foot of the building housing the Maison Solidaire, decorated with numerous murals. Turn right with the building on your left.

(4) At the corner of the building, turn left onto Rue de Châteaudun. Notice the murals on the left and then, a few metres further on, the beautiful murals on the right side of the street (new in 2023, replacing others). Turn right at the first street, Rue Pierre le Vénérable, at the corner of the building with the paintings, and note the continuation of the mural on the right.

Continue along this street, going straight ahead at the first two crossroads, then turn right onto Rue Victor Hugo. Join Avenue Édouard Michelin, follow it to the left, then go around the large crossroads on the left to reach the bottom of the stairs leading up to the tram line. Go up to Les Carmes station (S/E).

An urban walk that is easy and requires no special equipment.

Discover more walks in this area with a description or the Visorando app here and more generally in the Puy-de-Dôme here

Photo album here

Michelin is taking action against global warming in Clermont (!?!) by planting trees and installing fountains and pools for cooling your feet in the Place des Carmes, in front of its headquarters!
Discover this at the start of the walk, as well as the parts of the head office that are open to the public: the shop, the café and the tropical greenhouse.

Former chapel of the Carmelite convent.

Carmes Cemetery.
From¹ March to¹ November, 8.30am to 6pm.
From 2 November to 28 or 29 February, from 8.30am to 5pm.

There are very few parks and gardens in the centre of Clermont, so it's important to enjoy the peace and quiet and beautiful trees offered by the Carmes Cemetery. You can, of course, explore it without my trail, but this one takes you along the most tree-lined paths.

This cemetery is also the only place where you can see the Tiretaine in Clermont. This beautiful, lively river, which can be admired in Royat, is unfortunately either privatised by Michelin or buried alive downstream from Royat in the municipalities of Chamalières and Clermont-Ferrand. The section that can be seen in the cemetery, and also on a very short walk just upstream, accessible via Boulevard Jean-Baptiste Dumas, which you cross when leaving Place des Carmes, is canalised and rather sad.

Some fine examples of street art Rue de Châteaudun in the second part of the walk. Two buildings feature beautiful murals, which, as is the nature of street art, are not permanent but change over the years. A walk to be taken very regularly, then!