Camping Onlycamp Le Pré

If you’d like to explore locally, have a stroll through Montaigut-le-Blanc’s cobbled lanes and then head off along the Chemin des Caves to the 140 Caves (15 minutes’ walk), where wine was kept in the 19th century; some of them are used to store the local St Nectaire cheese today. There are more caves – this time troglodyte dwellings – at The Jonas Caves (15 minutes’ drive); some are open for visits and have faded frescoes on the walls. You can go castle-bagging too. Kids will enjoy the themed tours and archery sessions at Château de Murol (20 minutes). Who can resist visiting a volcano? Scramble up hiking trails to the top of Puy de Dôme (45 minutes) – or cheat and take the mini train – for spectacular views over the cones of several extinct volcanoes. When you’ve seen the real things, next stop could be Vulcania (also 45 minutes), a volcano-themed amusement park with interactive rides and 4D films in the planetarium.