Even though I travel around France as much as I do, there are still corners I’ve never explored, which is great because our beautiful country is full of places for me to discover! Such is the case with the Aveyron department, located in the southwest of France in Occitanie, just north of the cities of Toulouse and Montpellier.
The department’s prefecture is Rodez, but we headed with my favorite photographer and a bunch of happy bloggers to Millau, a sub-prefecture of Aveyron, which happens to be in the heart of the Grands Causses Regional Natural Park. This part of the department, which boasts impressive landscapes, is surrounded by five causses (limestone plateaus) and carved by the Tarn gorges and valley. In short, it’s the ideal place to organize a stay with a wide variety of outdoor activities!
Practically speaking, to get from Paris to Millau, we took the train to the Montpellier Saint-Roch station, and from there, it takes about 1.5 hours by car to reach the city.
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5 outdoor activities to do in Millau and the surrounding area
Millau is known as the capital of outdoor sports, and it fully deserves its reputation! Indeed, the Grands Causses Regional Natural Park, created in 1995, spreads out all around for about 327,000 hectares.
It was an opportunity for me to face some fears (well, I didn’t manage to overcome them all, unfortunately) and try to push my limits! And I must admit, it’s a feeling that feels great. I wouldn’t call myself a great athlete, but I think I enjoy outdoor activities more and more, which are a complete change from my usual themes (more focused on gastronomy and culture), even though I haven’t abandoned them completely, so you’ll also find some good addresses and ideas for cultural visits in this article, don’t panic.
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Go hiking in the Grands Causses Regional Natural Park
I love hiking, and I must say I was blown away by the majestic setting of the Grands Causses Park! We specifically went for a walk on the Roquesaltes Natura 2000 site, which is located on the Causse Noir massif (which gets its name from the mainly wooded vegetation found there).
At the beginning of our hike, we notably passed by a traditional sheepfold of the region (a jasse), without a frame and with a roof made only of limestone (stone). Indeed, as there are few trees in the Causses, constructions had to do without wood as much as possible. Moreover, there are very few villages in the Causses because life is particularly hostile there, mainly because there are very few resources on these arid lands. To give you an idea, there are about 8 inhabitants per km2 in the Causses…
The rest of the path snakes through a chaos of limestone rocks with strange and poetic shapes that remind us that millions of years ago we were here under the ocean… It was the retreat of the water, little by little, that created these incredible landscapes that you would think came straight out of an artist’s imagination.
As we moved along this path and penetrated into the heart of the Causse Noir, this land of limestone completely engulfed us, and civilization seemed very far away. We didn’t cross anyone during our progress, and all of nature seemed to be communing in this remote place where we felt so small, so insignificant, but at the same time so grateful. I must say that this was really one of my favorite moments of the stay, and I cannot recommend enough that you go walk there to discover this preserved place and admire the fauna and flora that live there respectfully (we were lucky enough to see vultures quite closely). It was also the opportunity to admire the panoramic view of the valley, which is truly striking.
For your information, there are about 6,000 km of hiking trails to explore in Aveyron, so clearly if you like that, you’ll be well served! For its part, the Millau Tourist Office also organizes unusual hikes with a guide, such as nighttime or musical walks in the Causses.
Roquesaltes Site Trail
Causse Noir
free access (must leave your vehicle in the parking lot)
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Go canoeing/kayaking on the Tarn
Canoeing/kayaking is an activity that I appreciate more and more the more I do it! And if, on top of that, it’s in such a magnificent setting as the Tarn, I approve 100%, and I encourage you to also try this 9-kilometer trip during the months of the year when the weather is nice (it was perfect this September, for example, when the water wasn’t too cold).
The trip starts in the village of Creissels, and on-site, there is a place to change and restrooms so you can be ready before starting the adventure. You don’t need to be a great athlete for this descent, but there are still some sections with rapids that are quite fun (well, that’s not what I was saying at the moment when our canoe was facing the wrong way just before going down those famous rapids…). The currents are also quite strong, and maneuvering the canoe is less easy than in other conditions.
Along the route, you can sometimes stop to admire the landscape and take some pictures. We notably pass under the Millau Viaduct and finish the descent just after the pretty troglodyte village of Peyre, which is one of the most beautiful villages in France.
My equipment tips for canoeing: take the minimum amount of things with you; take clothes that dry easily (or even a swimsuit), and in terms of shoes, flip-flops are the most practical (anyway, assume that everything that is not in the waterproof containers will get wet); take spare clothes for the end of the trip when you return to the starting point; take a water bottle in the canoe; if you have a waterproof pouch to put around your neck for your mobile phone, that’s the ideal.
Canoe trip with Evolution 2 Millau
From Creissels to Peyre (9 kilometers) then return by minibus
Prices: 18 € per person on a two-seater canoe and 21 € per person on a single-seater canoe (includes rental of canoe + life jacket + paddles + helmet + waterproof container)
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Go electric scootering on the Larzac plateau
If you followed my adventures to Saint Céneri Le Gerei in 2018, you know that I had already tested the electric scooter, and I wasn’t a huge fan of this mode of travel… This new experience confirmed what I thought; I absolutely do not like this sport! After that, it’s just a very personal point of view and feeling because my little companions had a lot of fun, and the favorite photographer even did acrobatics worthy of a professional stuntman…
Personally, I think I am uncomfortable despite the protections provided with the rental of the machines (especially on small dirt and gravel paths), so I am tense, which makes the ride unpleasant, and on top of that, I do silly things… In short, the electric scooter is not for me, but it’s up to everyone to make up their own mind. No one will be able to say I didn’t try, in any case.
After the positive point, it’s that this ride allowed me to admire the superb landscapes of the Larzac plateau, which is the largest and southernmost of all the Causses and is dotted with rocks and grasses. It’s really a magnificent setting for this kind of practice!
Electric scooter trip with Duverbike
Prices: discovery hike package 1h at 25 € per person / Grands Causses hike package 2h at 45 € per person
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Go paragliding
Thanks to the cliffs that surround the town of Millau, the site benefits from air currents that facilitate paragliding and make it a dream spot for this kind of sport! This will be one of my great regrets of this stay, not having managed to beat my fear and not having done the flight that was planned. Especially since that same morning, seeing my companions take off, I really told myself that I should have done it… It will be for another time, because I promised myself that if the opportunity presented itself again, I would take the plunge this time!
I have always been afraid of falling into the void, of the feeling of falling, of the heart rising into your throat, and for that reason, I will never do a parachute jump or bungee jump. However, I love the feeling of flying. Remember, I had done an ULM flight in Valloire last year, and I really loved that experience! So, from what I could see, paragliding is closer to a flight than a jump, and so I think I would have really liked this discovery.
In the end, it was the favorite photographer who tested paragliding for you, and here is his opinion:
“I abandoned my camera to throw myself into the void. For a first time on board a craft where my feet move freely above the void, the experience was short but intense! Because of the expected winds, we took off early in the morning and only stayed in flight for about ten minutes. I was the first to set off (so hastily that mademoiselle didn’t have time to take out her phone to film me…).
After a few steps, we take off, my instructor and I, gently and without any jerks – yes, there is no feeling of free fall with paragliding! Moreover, all apprehension disappears the moment your feet no longer touch the ground, and the flight proves particularly soothing with the morning coolness. The only slightly sporty point: the landing! My instructor chose for us to do it running, which worked quite well, I must admit, but some of my companions landed – by choice – on their butts. A technique that probably has the merit of being safer for the passenger. In short, I don’t regret having done paragliding at least once in my life. Alright, I’m off… giving the keyboard back to mademoiselle!”
In addition, the “small morning flight” as the professionals call it, is perfect for a first time, because there is little wind, it’s calmer, and the flight only lasts 10 minutes because the winds don’t allow for going back up.
Paragliding flight with Air Zone Parapente
Price for small morning flight: 60 €
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Do a via ferrata at the Cité de Pierres
The Cité de Pierres is located on the Montpellier-le-Vieux site, made famous for having served as a setting for one of the most well-known films of French cinema: La Grande Vadrouille. It is a classified natural site with a tangle of rocks, faults, and cirques that creates an incredible and magnificent landscape in the heart of the Grands Causses Regional Park that I already told you about. The site was explored in 1884 by Edouard Alfred Martel, the father of speleology.
The site offers many activities, including a via ferrata that we tested, and it was a big first for me! There are 2 courses, a family and child course and an adolescent and adult course. We naturally did the one for adults, as you might expect.
I was extremely curious to discover this activity that I had heard so much about but had never tested. Basically, via ferrata is similar to tree climbing for the safety system; you wear a harness that connects us to a cable and allows us to follow a route along a rock wall. For the rest, it’s a bit halfway between climbing and hiking in steep areas with some zipline passages as well.
At the start, I must admit that even though I don’t have vertigo, the first steps on the course with the void beneath my feet impressed me a bit… But as soon as I managed to overcome my fear, I must admit that I really loved this experience! First of all, it allows you to have great sensations and to climb rocks in complete safety, and then the activity offers a breathtaking view of the surrounding landscapes.
My equipment tips: especially for doing a via ferrata, wear comfortable clothes that you don’t care too much about (you risk damaging them); take a small backpack, obviously, to put your things in (especially water); long nails don’t go very well with climbing, for your information.
Prices: 29 € + discovery pass
Duration: 2h30 (depending on your level)
Ideas for visits to do in Millau
If you’re not too keen on outdoor activities, I also offer below some ideas for more cultural visits to do in Millau. And don’t worry, there are some too!
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Go to the Millau rest area
You might tell me that going to a highway rest area is a really strange idea when you want to discover a region, but I’m going to prove to you that this doesn’t apply to Millau, where the highway rest area is well worth a detour, and for at least two good reasons! For information, if you ever pass by the Millau Viaduct on the road for your vacation, you should know that there is an 11 € toll on this part of the highway… So if you are not in a hurry, you might as well make it worth it by stopping for a few hours at this slightly special rest area.
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Visit the Millau Viaduct
In response to the gigantism and enthusiasm around this construction, it is now possible to approach this structure on foot to discover its history through guided tours organized by Eiffage, which manages this edifice. The numbers are impressive: it took 3 years of work with about 500 people per day on the site (with no serious accidents to report during this period) to complete this construction in 2004, whose preliminary studies (which lasted 13 years) actually cost more than the construction itself! The Viaduct is 2,460 meters long and 343 meters high, and it was designed by the French engineer Michel Virlogeux and drawn by the English architect Sir Norman Foster.
The visit allows you to learn more about the history of the Viaduct but also about the technical prowess that had to be implemented for its realization. It also allows you to get as close as possible to the structure, although it is impossible for the public to go inside for obvious security reasons.
Guided tour of the Millau Viaduct
Information at the Millau Tourist Office counter located in the Highway Rest Area
Prices: 6 € adult / 4 € child / 14 € family rate
Duration of the visit: 50 minutes
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Lunch at Espace Gourmand Bras
This restaurant space set up in an old farmhouse is located in the Millau highway rest area, and it was conceived by the Aveyron starred chef Michel Bras. He started from the sad observation that people often ate poorly in highway restaurants and wanted to create a concept of quality fast food at very affordable prices.
And it’s a real success because I can tell you that you almost want to stop by there just to eat Capucins at the Millau highway rest area! This revisited Aveyron specialty consists of a thick buckwheat and rye pancake (the recipe of which is obviously secret) in the shape of a cone that you fill with a filling of your choice (there are hot or cold variants depending on desires and the season).
My recommendations for Capucins (count about 1 or 2 capucins per person depending on your hunger): in the hot version, the aligot/truffle (13.30 €) or the truffade/Aubrac beef (8.20 €); in the cold version, the roquefort/pear (7.40 €) or even the laguiole/apricot (6.60 €).
Also to taste: the rest of the menu also gives pride of place to regional products, and I advise you to taste the Bras elderflower lemonade, and for dessert, the walnut tart, which is to die for!
Millau Viaduct Rest Area
Accessible in both directions from the A75 “Millau Viaduct area”
open from early April to November 1st
Price of Capucins: between 5.90 and 16 € depending on the recipes
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Go up the top of the Millau Belfry
This 12th-century square tower is originally the old Tower of the King of Aragon to which an octagonal tower was added in the 17th century. The term belfry refers to a tower that houses bells, and its function is mainly civil. To get to its summit (42 meters high) and be able to admire the magnificent view that it provides, you have to climb its 210 steps, but fortunately, there are several landings that make the ascent easier.
Once at the top, we were able to enjoy the magnificent sunset over the Viaduct, and our guide had even planned a little “at the top” appetizer that was very pleasant and featured some local liqueurs.
16, rue Droite 12100 Millau
Prices: 4.50 € adult / free for those under 18
My good addresses in Millau and Aveyron
As usual, you will find below my selection of good addresses in Millau and Aveyron (accommodation and restaurants) that we had the opportunity to test during our stay with the favorite photographer. Just a general piece of advice regarding restaurants in this region: you should know that portions are very, very generous in Aveyron, so generally, for example, for me, a menu with starter + main course + dessert, and well, I absolutely cannot finish it… Obviously, after that, it depends on your appetite.
Aveyron specialties to taste: aligot; roquefort; farçous or pounti; lamb sweetbreads; flaune.
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Where to have lunch in Millau? Restaurant Quai 23
This address, located in the town of Millau and on the banks of the Tarn, offers modernized regional cuisine that makes the most of local products. In the kitchen, we find chef David Lassauvetat. I particularly appreciated the very nice elevated terrace of the establishment where we were very well seated and with a beautiful view of the surroundings!
Specialties to taste: lamb sweetbreads, which are one of the specialties of Aveyron with its Aligot galeton; the Pounty salad (a specialty of Aveyron and Auvergne, a kind of terrine or savory/sweet flan because it contains prunes, made from chard and pork) with prunes; the hake fillet with Millau saffron.
23 Rue du Pont de Fer, 12100 Millau
Menu card at 21 € with starter + main or main + dessert and 29 € with starter + main + dessert
The good plan: daily menu at 16.50 € for lunch with starter + main + dessert + a glass of wine
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Where to have dinner in Millau? Restaurant Au Jeu de Paume
This restaurant, located in the heart of the old Millau district, has a superb setting with a charming and tree-lined indoor terrace. If you go there and the weather is nice and mild enough, I recommend booking a place on the patio, which really does not lack charm. The establishment also acts as a wine bar, and I advise you to follow your server’s tasting recommendations. On our side, we tested a wine that, even if it is not from Aveyron, is still local since it comes from the AOC Terrasses du Larzac in Coteaux du Languedoc, from the Domaine de Familongue.
Specialties to taste: for meat lovers, you can take the Aveyron-style mutton with its aligot pancake (absolute lightness); as a starter, the warm Galédou, local sheep’s cheese melted with toasted bread and salad, is very nice.
4 Rue Saint-Antoine, 12100 Millau
Menu starter + main + dessert at 30 € / starter + main at 27 € / main + dessert at 24 €
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Where to eat in the Tarn Gorges? Restaurant Alicanta
This gastronomic restaurant, which has a Bib Gourmand (Gault & Millau guide), is nestled in Le Rozier, opposite the classified village of Peyreleau and overlooking the Jonte river. It is certainly the best table we experienced during this stay, and the chef Guillaume Follenfant offers refined cuisine that revisits regional recipes. A small point that is always pleasant: the quality/price ratio of this address is extremely advantageous. And then, another very pleasant little extra: the establishment (housed in a hotel) also has a charming terrace with a view of the river where we were able to have our coffee in the sun (height of happiness!).
To taste: pan-fried lamb sweetbreads with herb risotto; Aubrac snails; roasted lard-wrapped rabbit saddle and confit legs; for dessert, the revisited lemon tart or the verbena and raspberry panna cotta in sparkling wine jelly with Bulgarian yogurt ice cream.
Hôtel Doussière 48150 Le Rozier
Menu card starter + main + dessert at 29 € and tasting menu starter + fish + meat + dessert at 39 €
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Where to sleep in Millau? Domaine Saint Estève
This 3-star hotel residence located on the heights of Millau offers rentals of individual chalets. The establishment also has a swimming pool for sunny days, as well as a restaurant and a bar with a very beautiful view of the Viaduct.
To taste at the restaurant/bar: if you like meat, you can try the butcher’s piece (Aubrac breed meat) with its aligot (21 €) or the aligot sausage version as well; for drinks, I recommend you test the beers of the Aveyron brewery La Muze; for dessert, we were advised to try the Flaune, a Millau specialty made from sheep’s milk and orange blossom.
Avenue de Millau Plage, 12100 Millau
Price of renting a chalet for 2 people starting from 80 € per night
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Thanks to the Aveyron department, the Millau Tourist Office, and the aiRPur agency for this invitation to this cool stay that pushed me to test and exceed my limits. And thanks also to my travel companions for their good mood (don’t hesitate to take a look at their articles on Aveyron): Prépare ta Valise, Copines de Bons Plans, Mes yeux sur le Monde and Jdroadtrip.
I hope that with all this I will have made you want to discover Aveyron and Millau, and if you also have your good addresses and advice for this destination, don’t hesitate to share them in the comments below!
Photo credits: Nicolas Diolez Photos not royalty-free, photographer's authorization mandatory before any use
