Sightseeing in Clermont-Ferrand

Here's more on Clermont-Ferrand. (I previously wrote about the Jardin Lecoq) I think I covered almost all of the sights in a single evening after work.

I went first to the Place 1er Mai (1st of May Square). There were some weird structures on a man-made "island" (it would be an island if there were water in all the "compartments" around it)

the structures closer up

On the square itself, there were summer activities, they called it the Sable Show (sable = sand)

Place Delille, a square somewhere near the town centre

I should mention that I got off the tram at the 1er Mai stop on the way home, and walked towards town. I didn't have any specific location in mind, just a vague main direction. So I went into a rather "busy" (busy as in there were a little more people, Clermont is a small town so you can't really have a really busy street) street which happened to be the rue du Port where there was a historical church.

Notre-Dame du Port

the side entrance giving out to the rue du Port (by which I came in and took the two previous photos)

the front entrance

the stairs going down from the entrance (which is why the doorway looked so small, in case you were wondering)

From the front entrance I went back to the rue du Port (there were no other interesting roads :P ) and stumbled upon a lovely shop :P

La Boutique du Nounours (they have a website for online selling)

inside, downstairs (I didn't dare to take much photos, the shop owner was upstairs but I was afraid he'd notice the flash of the camera)

Place de la Poterne, a square at the end of the rue du Port

the town hall

Usually I don't go inside town halls, but I noticed the greenery inside and decided to check it out.

There turned out to be a garden in the middle.

After the town hall, I found the cathedral. (by the side as well :P )

So I walked to the front (no side door this time)...this is what's in front of the cathedral.

the front view (or façade, if you prefer ;) )

And then I don't remember where I went but I found a Michelin shop :P


I believe it was just beside this square, Place Victoire.

You can check out the, er, carvings if you're interested in that kind of thing.

On the ground there are a lot of these metal disks of three important people from Clermont-Ferrand. Here there happened to be the three side by side. There is Urbain (a pope if I'm not mistaken), Vercingétorix and Blaise Pascal.

Place Jaude, the biggest square in the town centre (I think...it's the most important, in any case)

a different angle, I couldn't decide which photo was better so I put both! :P

in front of the statue, with the opera in the background

Galeries Lafayette

the statue at the other end of the square

On Saturday I walked around town again (that was after going to the Lecoq garden to take photos), and got a few more photos of the Place Jaude.

the other side of the square ("side" as in not "end")

the side of the statue

the church beside the square (amongst others)

one of the pedestrian streets leading away from the square

some roundabout

the administrative branch of Michelin (where I didn't work...I didn't even need to come here)
This was where I met Albin to go to the Puy de Dôme...we needed an easy-to-find landmark :P

some building

And there you have it. Clermont in a nutshell. (if the nutshell is a blog post :P )

There are a few other photos I want to share, but those aren't really the "sights" of Clermont, and this post is already quite long, so I'll leave them for another time.