Cantal

The climate of the department varies considerably.[4] Prevailing winds and mountain ranges divide Cantal into four climatic zones:

• The west is subject to oceanic winds which bring rains.
• The mountains of the Cantal and the Cézallier create a rain shadow: it rains and snows quite often.
• The Planèze of Saint-Flour and the region of Massiac receive less precipitation, owing to winds coming from the north and south.
• The plateaux of the Margeride and the Aubrac have harsh winters and pleasant summers.

Puy Griou in the winter season

Generally, the weather is mild and dry in the alluvial plain between Murat and Saint-Flour and around Aurillac, while summer storms and winters can be long and severe in the northern and central areas.[4] The west—nearer precipitation coming in from the Atlantic—is well watered. There is abundant snowfall which can remain up to six months on the mountaintops. Winter temperatures can fall to below −15 °C (5 °F), whereas in summer 25 °C (77 °F) is often reached. The southern part of the department, on its borders with Aveyron and Lot, is the hottest region. Aurillac averaged 2080 hours of sunlight per year over the period from 1991 to 2000. Fog is rare and disappears quickly. Wind is usually not very strong, but the lightning flashes in this department are among the most spectacular in France.

Televised French weather forecasts often note Aurillac as the coldest city in France in the mornings. This status should be understood in light of their derivation from temperature readings by Météo-France. Of the 30 cities included on its maps, Aurillac is by far the one with the highest altitude, at 640 m (2,100 ft) above sea level.

The most populous commune is Aurillac, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 5 communes with more than 3,000 inhabitants:[3]

After the 1790 Constitution Civile du Clergé, the Diocese of Saint-Flour in Cantal (whose bishop refused to swear the republican oath of allegiance, constituting a schism from Rome) was among the almost half of the French sees being abolished to realign the new bishoprics to coincide with the new departments, such as Cantal, where outsider parish priest Anne-Alexandre-Marie Thibault was elected Bishop. It was formally abolished in turn after the Napoleonic Concordat of 1801 (Thibault refusing to resign), in favor of the reinstated bishopric of Saint Poul, but actually retained the departemental borders.

Hôtel de préfecture du Cantal

The department counts several remarkable buildings. Among them, the Romanesque religious buildings like the churches of Cheylade (eleventh century), Dieno or Massiac. The area's Catholic cathedral—dependent on the archdiocese of Bourges—is the 15th-century St Pierre de St-Flour,[5] erected in the Gothic style.

• Castle of Val in Lanobre (36,500 visitors/year)
• Castle of Anjony in Tournemire (20,000 visitors/year)
• Castle of Pesteils in Polminhac (11,700 visitors/year)
• Castle de la Vigne in Ally (6,000 visitors/year)
• Castle of Clavières in Ayrens
• Castle of Carbonat in Arpajon-sur-Cère
• Chateau de Conros, near Aurillac

• International Festival of Street Theatre, Aurillac.
• World Music Festival, Murat
• 36 hours : Various little scenes with dances
• Festival International de Boogie Woogie, Laroquebrou

The characteristic folk dance in Cantal is La Bourrée. In the countryside it would be danced in folk costumes with accompaniment by accordion. The dance form was long ago adapted for use in courtly music and features prominently in the Baroque dance suites of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Prominent museums in Cantal include:

• Museum of Art and Arqueologia, Aurillac (34,100 visitors/year)
• The House of Fauna, Murat (23,500 visitors/year)
• Museum of the Géothermia, Chaudes-Aigues (20,600 visitors/year)
• Museum of the Volcanos, Aurillac (20,100 visitors/year)
• Museum of the ray, Marcenat (11,500 visitors/year)
• Museum of the "Haute Auvergne", Saint-Flour (11,100 visitors/year)
• The House of the Chestnut Mourjou (5,200 visitors/year)
• Museum of Georges Pompidou, Montboudif (3,500 visitors/year)
• Museum of the Accordion in Siran
• Museum of Agriculture in Auvernia, Coltines

The traditional articles of Cantalian cuisine were rye, buckwheat, and chestnuts,[4] as well as ham, cheese, and vegetables. The area's simple recipes were designed to satisfy hill farmers and herders. Notable dishes include:

• Aligot (also in Aveyron): Creamed potatoes, cheese (fresh tomme), butter, fresh cream and a little garlic.
• Truffade: Potatoes in slices with cheese (fresh tomme) and a little garlic.
• Pounti: A cake made with dough of wheat black flour, herbs, lard, prunes and Swiss chard.
• The typical cheese Cantal, which can be chosen young, old or "entre-deux".

In the 19th century, the hills and valleys abounded with game and the streams with fish, the countryside producing a "vast variety" of aromatic and medicinal plants.[4]

At present, the most visited places are Puy Mary, the Plomb du Cantal, the village of Salers, and the gorges of the Truyère (with the Garabit viaduct, the castle of Alleuze, and the towns of Boisset, Pierrefort). The Parc Naturel des Volcans d’Auvergne features several inactive volcanoes. Cantal also has numerous castles. Puy Mary can be accessed by car easily. and is accessible to hikers. It is also possible to hike to the nearby Puy de Peyre-Arse (1806 m). Le Lioran or Super-Lioran are the best places to start the hike. Le Lioran is accessible by rail or bus and Super-Lioran is just a kilometre away from Le Lioran. From Super-Lioran it is also possible to hike to Plomb du Cantal. There is also an option of taking the cable car to Plomb du Cantal from Super-Lioran. Super-Lioran tourist office has various hike routes in the region.[10] There are also various adventure courses, dirt bikes, summer luges etc. that run in Super-Lioran.

Among the various activities offered in this department, the "Massif Cantalien" can be discovered through walking, horseback riding or mountain biking excursions (tracks are especially designed for this). Aquatic sports are also common, due to numerous lakes. The department also offers activities such as mountaineering, canoeing and fishing. The landscape also allows the practice of free flight: base jumpers frequent the sector around the Puy Mary and the Brezon valley.

Thanks to its terrain, Cantal can count on a good snow level, which allows winter sports. The station of Le Lioran, largest ski-resort of the Massif Central offers alpine skiing (with specific adaptations for snowboard) and ice-skating. Excursions in snow shoes are also possible. The department has several hundred kilometres of cross-country skiing tracks.

• 
  Château de Val
• 
  Château de Pesteils
• 
  Truyère river and Château d'Alleuze
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  Lavigerie
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  Railway bridge designed by Gustav Eiffel (Garabit viaduct)
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  Cantal hills