There are five lakes in Aveyron, on the vast Lévézou plateau: Lake Pareloup (1290 ha), Lake Villefranche-de-Panat (192 ha), Lake Pont-de-Salars (182 ha), Lake Bages (53 ha) and Lake de la Gourde (16 ha). The biggest one, Lake Pareloup, has two landscaped beaches, in Arvieu and Salles-Curan, and offers numerous leisure activities like bathing, windsurfing, catamaran, canoe-kayak, pedalo, water-skiing and jet skiing. Fishing fans who love restful landscapes will find plenty to enjoy at the lakes of Bages and La Gourde, which are teeming with carnivorous and white fish! The area around the lakes is ideal for hiking, with circuits for walking, cycling and even horse-riding... A very pleasant area with something to suit every taste!

A picturesque medieval village in Aveyron, Castelnau-Pégayrols has the distinction of having five historic monuments, including three listed and two registered monuments: an 11th-15th-18th-century castle, the old Priory of St Michael, the Church of St Michael and Church of Our Lady from the 11th-12th centuries, and a 15th-century medieval hydraulic network. The walk along its typical side streets is also delightful!

Founded in the late 12th century, the old Grandmontine priory in Comberoumal is a place full of charm and serenity. Visitor attractions include the cloister courtyard, chapterhouse, and single-nave church with Romanesque windows.

In the month of August, it puts on a concert as part of the international sacred music festival in Sylvanès.

Don't forget to pay a visit to the medieval village of Saint-Beauzély, whose 12th and 16th-century castle now houses the interesting Museum of Stone Trades and Rural Life.

Located in Saint-Léons in Aveyron, Micropolis is a leisure park dedicated to the world of insects and biodiversity. Discover more than 70 living species in a fun, interactive way by following an indoor trail through fifteen exhibition rooms. From the butterfly house to the giant anthill, through the hives and vivariums, explore the fascinating world of infinitely small creatures!

Perched on a rocky peak at an altitude of 627 metres, the capital of Aveyron invites lovers of built heritage to discover its many architectural and artistic treasures.

The emblem of Rodez, the splendid Cathedral of Our Lady, built between the 13th and 16th centuries out of pink sandstone, is a masterpiece of Gothic art. Topped by a magnificent wrought bell-tower in the Flamboyant Gothic style, this fortress-style historic monument, with two massive towers on either side of the western façade, contains a stone jube and carved oak stalls from the 15th century, as well as a 17th-century organ case.

Near the cathedral, discover the many attractions of the old town: the bishop's palace and its horseshoe staircase, the 15th-century Corbières and Raynalde towers, the pedestrianised shopping streets and the superb medieval and Renaissance houses, like for example the houses of Benoît, Guitard, Armagnac and Annonciation. There's so much to see in Rodez's historic centre.

When it comes to culture, you have the choice between the Fenaille Museum, with its remarkable collection of statue-menhirs and exhibitions about Antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance; the Denys-Puech Museum of Fine Arts, with its collections of 19th and 20th-century sculptures and paintings, alongside temporary exhibitions of contemporary art; the Soulages Museum, with its collection of over 500 works and documents by the painter Pierre Soulages, who was born in Rodez.

The main event of the summer, the Estivada, an inter-regional festival of Occitan cultures which takes place in the last week of July, offers five days of music, singing, theatre, literature, storytelling, poetry, dance, cinema and conferences, all in a friendly atmosphere!

Based in a very well-preserved mansion in old Rodez, the Fenaille Museum, named after an industrialist who donated the Jouéry Mansion to house the collections, is a history and archaeology museum.

The centrepiece of its collections is a set of 17 statue-menhirs dating back 5,000 years, the oldest known monumental statues in Western Europe. The most famous of them, the "Lady of St. Sernin", has in fact been exhibited in various European capitals.

The Fenaille Museum documents the whole history of Rouergue, the historic name of the place now known as Aveyron. With over a thousand sculptures providing its central theme, come and discover the traces of the first people to live in the region 300,000 years ago, Ancient Rodez, and Rodez in the Middle Ages, the 16th century and the Renaissance. Scale models, drawings, audio-visual shows and interactive terminals allow for a personalised approach. There are also special activities for younger visitors.

Listed among the most beautiful villages of France, Brousse-le-Château, at the confluence of the Tarn and the Alrance in Aveyron, charms visitors with its picturesque character. The old Gothic bridge over the Alrance, typical cobblestone side streets, pretty stone houses adorned with flowers, 15th-century fortified church, and remains of the castle fort at the top of the village are just some of the attractions you can admire on a walk around...

Now an unmissable part of any visit to the capital of Aveyron, this contemporary museum was inaugurated in 2014 on the former site of the Foirail public garden.

Starting with an initial donation of 250 works by the artist, an internationally-renowned painter born in Rodez, which includes all the work relating to the creation of the stained glass windows for the nearby Abbey Church of Conques, the museum's collection grew further when a second donation was received.

A total of around 500 works are on display to the public, including forty early works by Pierre Soulages, one of the most highly valued artists on the contemporary art market: paintings on canvas and paper, including the famous "Brous de noix", an Outrenoir polyptych from 1986, etchings, lithographs and silkscreen prints, films, photos and rare books make up the museum's permanent collections.

There are dedicated rooms for children to be creative and learn about art.

For a rest and some delicious food, be sure to stop by the museum's restaurant, Le Café Bras, then enjoy a stroll in the 3-hectare gardens that surround this museum housed in a fine example of contemporary architecture.

At the heart of Aveyron, in the Grands Causses Regional Nature Park, between Causse Rouge and the Larzac Plateau, the impressive Millau Viaduct, built from December 2001 to December 2004, blends in perfectly with the landscape. Known as the Gard Bridge of the 21st century, this stay bridge consisting of seven pylons is a real technical feat. Measuring 2 460 metres long and 343 metres tall, Millau motorway viaduct elegantly crosses the Tarn Valley. While this high-tech building, a listed Great Site of the Midi-Pyrénées, can be admired from many spots all around, two places are particularly worth a visit: the Viaduc Expo, located in the Aire du Viaduc de Millau, accessible via the A75 motorway or the Boulevard du Viaduc, with an exhibition on how the structure was built, complete with signs and scale models; and the Viaduc Espace Info, located under the bridge, with an indoor exhibition and guided tour of the Explorers' Garden (Jardin des Explorateurs) to find out more about the viaduct that broke all records!

Located in a very special natural environment at the heart of the Grands Causses Regional Nature Park, the welcoming little town of Millau invites you to discover all its attractions.

Overlooking old Millau from a height of 42 metres, the belfry, consisting of a 12th-century square tower and a 17th-century octagonal tower, offers a superb panoramic view over the roofs of the town, the famous Millau Viaduct and the unspoilt landscapes of the Grands Causses.

Continue your tour of the historic centre with picturesque side streets dotted with shops, Place du Maréchal Foch with its fountain and covered market, the Ayrolle washhouse, and the Museum of Millau and the Grands Causses. The latter, based in the Pégayrolles Mansion, has collections about palaeontology, prehistory, Gallo-Roman and medieval archaeology, as well as an exhibition about leather tanning and glove-making, two traditional activities the town is famous for.

Covering around a third of the department of Aveyron, with a surface area of 327 070 hectares, the Grands Causses Regional Nature Park is one of the wildest regional nature parks in France! Wild and unspoilt, this vast territory, made up of tall limestone plateaus, narrow gorges, brightly coloured hills and mountains covered with forests, encompasses six entities: the Causse du Larzac; the Causse Noir; the Causse de Sévérac; the Millavois and the Causse Rouge; the Lévézou Plateau and the Raspes du Tarn; the Rougier de Camarès, the Saint-Affricain and the Pays de Roquefort. The part of the park included in the "Causses and Cévennes" area of the site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site thanks to its Mediterranean agro-pastoral cultural landscape. The Grands Causses Regional Nature Park is the kingdom of the ewe, whose milk is used to make Roquefort, the famous blue cheese with an incomparable flavour, and offers a wide variety of fauna and flora. As well as the emblematic ewe, its wildlife includes griffon vultures, golden eagles, peregrine falcons, common cranes, deer, roe deer, mouflons, beavers and owls.

With its countless signposted trails, this magnificent land is ideal for hiking, an invigorating activity during which you can admire our superb rural heritage, consisting of karst pools, jasses (sheepfolds), fountains, dolmens, cazelles (stone huts) and traditional farmhouses. Nature lovers will also find discovery trails marked with educational signs, as well as orientation tables offering superb panoramic views.

To find out more about the park and its treasures, head to the Park House (Maison du Parc), at 71 boulevard de l'Ayrolle in Millau.

Nestling on the banks of the River Lot, the small medieval town of Sainte-Eulalie-d'Olt has many attractions that visitors will love: charming side streets ideal for a leisurely stroll, many floral façades, 11th-century Romanesque church, 15th-century castle, 16th-century Renaissance mansion, art and craft workshops... Why not round off your visit with a trip to the museum dedicated to local painter Marcel Boudou, based in the town's old schoolhouse.

Listed among the most beautiful villages of France, Saint-Côme-d'Olt is a beautiful group of buildings by the river. A harmonious picture that you can take the time to admire from the bridge over the Lot... Boasting a Renaissance door, the Church of St Cosmas has another distinctive feature: a twisted bell-tower. Old houses, 16th-century mansions and fortified doors are some of the other architectural sights to see.

On high land not far from the village, you'll find an unusual site: the Roquelaure lava flow or Clapas de Thubiès, an extremely impressive basaltic scree slope!

Perched on the edge of tall cliffs overlooking a stream, the village of Bozouls in Aveyron occupies an extremely impressive natural site. A splendid cirque in the shape of a horseshoe, around 400 metres in diameter and 100 metres deep, which you can view from the terrace on Place de la Mairie. A superb viewpoint that's enough to make you feel dizzy!

A royal fortified town founded in the 13th century, now listed among the most beautiful villages of France, Sauveterre-de-Rouergue has preserved its typical character. It has a large square with archways, in the middle of which stand a well and a wrought iron cross. Other architectural attractions in the fortified town include beautiful timber-framed houses and corbels, the fortified doors of St Christopher and St Vital, the Gothic collegiate church...

The Heritage House (Maison du Patrimoine) at the heart of the historic centre regularly puts on temporary exhibitions.

18 kilometres south of Sauveterre-de-Rouergue, you can see the Viaur railway viaduct, a metal construction from the early 20th century which crosses the verdant Viaur Valley.

Dominated by its feudal fortress, converted into a Renaissance Palace in the 17th century, the medieval town of Sévérac-le-Château invites you to discover all its treasures.

In the old town, once you've passed through the Peyrou fortified door, take a walk along the picturesque paved streets, dotted with old stone houses... Take the opportunity to stop by the House of Jeanne (Maison de Jeanne), one of the oldest residences in Rouergue, which puts on medieval activities in July-August.

At the castle, you can enjoy a superb view over the roofs of the town and the Aveyron Valley from the terrace, then discover the medieval remains one by one, (small courtyards, watchtowers, chapel...) and the Renaissance façade of this historic monument built in the 13th and 17th centuries.

At the heart of the Causse Noir, in the Grands Causses Regional Nature Park in Aveyron, in the commune of La Roque-Sainte-Marguerite, lies the biggest blockfield in Europe: Montpellier-le-Vieux blockfield, a grand and unusual natural site, whose landscape of countless ruiniform dolomitic rocks offers a fantastical world...

Five signposted walks, from 1 to 3 hours' duration, are a great way to discover this superb place, which is accessible in spring, summer and autumn. Let your imagination run free as you admire the mysterious, differently shaped rocks.

At Montpellier-le-Vieux natural leisure park, you can also enjoy a ride in the little train, for those who want to see the thousand-year-old blockfield without too much effort... More intrepid visitors can try their hand at via ferrata, a unique activity which starts out underground, then carries on in the air!

Located in the commune of Gissac, in the Grands Causses Regional Nature Park, Montaigut Castle towers proudly over the Dourdou Valley and brightly coloured landscapes of the Rougier de Camarès from the top of its rocky spur.

The 10th-15th-century feudal fortress has now been restored as a cultural activity centre, and you can learn all about its history and the life of its inhabitants during the medieval era on an independent or guided tour of its various rooms. Why not round off your visit with a look at the rural house of 1914, which houses a plaster museum, and the medieval garden

Nestling at the heart of the Aveyron Valley, the superb village of Belcastel, listed among the most beautiful villages of France, looks like something from a picture postcard, with its stone houses and their thackstone roofs, old bridge reflected in the peaceful water of the river, and the imposing form of its medieval castle standing next to a square keep. You can also enjoy a lovely walk along on the banks of the Aveyron and long the charming paved side streets!

Dating from the 15th century, the village church located on the left bank contains the tomb of Alzias de Saunhac, lord of Belcastel.

At the heart of the Lot Valley, discover the charming little town of Espalion, whose riverbanks remain delightfully picturesque! Between its two bridges over the Lot, you can admire its old tanneries, known as calquières, typical houses with wooden balconies, with tiles on which the hides used to be washed... A listed Historic Monument, the 11th-century Old Bridge (Pont Vieux) made of pink sandstone adds to the charm of the place.

At the heart of the Grands Causses region, on the Lozère-Aveyron border between Causse Méjean and Causse Noir, the River Jonte springs forth in the Mont Aigoual massif and runs through a region that's both wild and spectacular. Between Meyrueis and Le Rozier, follow the gorges road, a superb itinerary of around twenty kilometres, dotted with picturesque hamlets like Le Truel and La Caze, and overlooked by a multitude of cliffs and limestone dolomite rocks. An impressive canyon, whose countless cavities are a favourite spot for griffon vultures, a protected species reintroduced to this area in the 1980s. You can sit and watch them from the belvedere at the Vulture House in Saint-Pierre-des-Tripiers...

On the activities side of things, fans of outdoor pursuits can choose from rock climbing, fishing and hiking!

This small pink sandstone building in the commune of Bessuéjouls has a magnificent Romanesque chapel on the first floor of its bell tower. The latter, known as the aerial chapel, contains figurative capitals, lintels sculpted with interlaced designs, and a 12th-century altar.

The Ambialet peninsula nestles in the bend of a 3-kilometre meander in the Tarn Valley, with a priory towering over it. The charm and natural beauty of this spot are a lovely surprise.

During your visit, you will discover several churches: the fortress-like Romanesque church of the Priory of Our Lady of the Oder, built in the 11th century; the Church of Our Lady of La Capelle, a former castle chapel built in the 15th century; and the 11th-century Church of St. Giles, which hosts art exhibitions during the summer. As well as this rich built heritage there are some remarkable views over the Tarn Valley. These superb viewpoints are not to be missed, and you can appreciate them from the priory esplanade or, for the more athletic among you, from the hilltop ruins of the castle fort!

Ambialet is a perfect starting point for exploring the wonders of the valley. On foot, by bike, in a canoe or kayak, or even on a stand-up paddleboard, set off to discover the beautiful landscapes for which this part of Tarn is famous.

In the Grands Causses Regional Nature Park, between La Roque-Sainte-Marguerite and Nant, travel along the D991 to discover the Dourbie Gorges. A route of 18 kilometres on which you can admire superb wild landscapes dotted with picturesque sites like La Roque-Sainte-Marguerite, the gateway to the canyon, or the hillside hamlet of Saint-Véran. Also don't miss the romantic site of the Corp Mill, which is very photogenic with its humpback bridge over the Dourbie!

In Saint-Jean-du-Bruel, Noria, the House of Water on the banks of the Dourbie, based in an old 13th-century mill, invites you to learn all about water-related issues on a fun, interactive educational trail.

A stopping place on the Way of St James at the heart of the Lot Valley, the medieval town of Estaing forms a harmonious whole, with its old houses, castle and keep, and old Gothic bridge over the Lot. You can of course admire this magnificent scene from the opposite riverbank. While this view of the whole town is particularly remarkable, the historical centre is also worth a closer look, if only to see the Church of St Fleuret, the Cayron Mansion - which is now the town hall - and Estaing Castle, where you can learn about the history of its various owners on a tour, guided or otherwise.

At the heart of the Grands Causses Regional Nature Park, at an altitude of around 800 metres, the Causse du Larzac, a UNESCO World Heritage Site thanks to its Mediterranean agro-pastoral cultural landscape, is an immense limestone plateau with a lunar landscape. Its dry grasslands, dotted with moors and ruiniform rocks, are the kingdom of the ewes whose milk is used to produce the famous Roquefort.

The Larzac plateau is also a land steeped in history. Reminders include the Templar and Hospitaller villages of La Cavalerie, La Couvertoirade, Sainte-Eulalie-de-Cernon, Viala-du-Pas-de-Jaux and Saint-Jean d'Alcas. An amazing built heritage made up of towers, ramparts and fortified doors, well worth a look!

In the summer, La Jasse - Maison du Larzac, based in an old sheepfold between Millau and La Cavalerie, offers themed exhibitions, activities and local products.

And for a fun, original way to admire the landscapes of Larzac, nothing beats a velorail trip, departing from the station at Sainte-Eulalie-de-Cernon!

Founded in 1136 by a lord of Le Larzac, Sylvanès Abbey, nestling at the heart of a woodland valley in the Grands Causses Regional Nature Park, is an old Cistercian abbey which has been restored as a cultural and spiritual centre. Reminders of the abbey's monastic past include a beautiful Romanesque church with fabulous acoustics, part of the cloister, as well as the sacristy, chapterhouse and scriptorium.

A renowned international music festival takes place there in July and August.

At the heart of the Causse Méjean, near to Meyrueis in the commune of Hures-la-Parade, the Aven Armand cave, discovered in 1897 by Louis Armand, Martel's second-in-command, has a forest of over 400 stalagmites in its immense underground chamber! This exceptional group includes the Grand Stalagmite, which stands 30 metres tall and is the biggest known stalagmite in the world today!

In the south-west of Lozère, between the Causse Méjean and Causse Sauveterre (limestone plateaus), the River Tarn emerges at Mont Lozère and runs down the slopes of the Cévennes before crossing 53 kilometres of spectacular landscapes - between Quézac and Le Rozier - dotted with remarkable sites and amazing views! Dizzying limestone cliffs as tall as 500 metres, the course of the Tarn with its alternating calm waters (planiols) and rapids (rajols), blockfields and wild cirques, as well as castles, Romanesque churches, typical villages and hamlets are all among the wonderful sights that have made this unspoilt area famous.

There are many ways to admire the gems of the Tarn Gorges: by car, motorbike or bicycle along the D907 bis; by foot along the trail that runs along the left bank; or by canoe-kayak on the waters of the Tarn - strongly recommended! - departing from Sainte-Enimie or La Malène. As well as the impressive rock faces that overlook the emerald river, along the way you can see unique sites such as the medieval bridge in Quézac, the troglodytic village of Castelbouc, Prades Castle on its rocky spur overlooking the Tarn; the little town of Sainte-Enimie, listed among the most beautiful villages of France; the cirques of Saint-Chély and Pougnadoires; the romantic 15th-century Caze Castle; the picturesque village of La Malène and its manor, at the foot of the Barre rock; the Détroits, the narrowest part of the canyon, accessible by raft or canoe from La Malène; Les Baumes cirque... As well as these sightseeing destinations, you'll find superb belvederes with plunging views of the Tarn, like the listed site of Point Sublime, on the Causse Sauveterre, and Les Hourtous rock, on the Causse Méjean. There's plenty for lovers of wild countryside and typical heritage buildings!

Located in Causse Noir, in the commune of Meyrueis, the pink cave of Dargilan is famous for its varied concretions and is the biggest cave in the Causses and the Cévennes. In a kilometre-long maze of underground passages, discover a multitude of stalactites, stalagmites, columns and draperies in superb colours, from the big blockfield chamber to the bell tower chamber, through the big petrified waterfall... A magical world!