French Property Location Hotspot: Auvergne

Get back to nature in this scenic and historic corner of the region, where the Dukes of Bourbon left their mark.

Between the Loire and Allier rivers, two small mountain ranges – the Bois Noirs and Monts de la Madeleine – form the Bourbonnais Mountains. It’s the highest terrain within the Allier department, featuring rounded hills, rocky peaks and green valleys. The Forest of Tronçais is home to centuries-old oak trees and other natural sites include the Chouvigny Gorges and the Piserotte waterfalls, the largest of which is four metres high.

Close to Vichy, the area offers plenty of options for hiking, horse riding, fishing, canoeing, winter skiing and other outdoor activities. It has France’s largest mountain bike area (Destination Grand Air) and the St-Clément lake is a popular watersports destination.

There are historic buildings too, the Fortresses Trail includes the 15th-century underground city Cusset, 12th-century Billy Fortress and 13th-century Château de Montgilbert, a stronghold of the Dukes of Bourbon, who ruled these parts in the Middle Ages. You can visit their necropolis at Souvigny Priory, founded in 916, and their ducal castle in the medieval town of Montluçon on the River Cher. Spa town Bourbon-l’Archambault was the origin of the House of Bourbon, while the quaint village of Souvigny was the first Bourbon capital.

Seat of the Bourbons and modern-day prefecture of the Allier department, Moulins is a Ville d’Art et d’Histoire on the banks of the River Allier. It has an old town, cathedral, 18th-century bridge and belltower which once formed part of the town’s defenses.

There are many pretty medieval villages, including hilltop Châtel-Montagne, which has an outstanding Romanesque church, Charroux, a fortified village, and Hérisson, a Petite Cité de Caractère. St-Pourcain-sur-Sioule produces AOC wine.

There’s a mythical twist to the area too don’t miss the alley of tortuous beeches or witches’ path, the fairy’s grotto or the legendary stones of Jour and Druidiques.

This once-remote rural heartland of France has some of the country’s most affordable property. Allier has an average house price of just €1,253/m², rising to €2,343 in spa town Vichy. In Moulins it’s €1,511/m² and Montluçon €1,109/m². But the real bargains can be found in the southeast of the department around Châtel-Montagne at just €769/m².

Lead photo credit : Shutterstock