Lozère

Lozère is a department in Occitanie, France. Visitors come for caving and a variety of sports, such as skiing and kayaking. Lozère contains a part of the Cévennes National Park. Lozère is considered one of the best areas in France for trout fishing. Rivers such as the Lot, Tarn and Truyère are particularly noted for their trout populations.

Cities

Façade of the Gothic Cathedral of Mende

• Mende
• Florac
• Chirac
• Langogne

Other destinations

• 1 Cevennes National Park — a UNESCO World Heritage Site with beautiful landscapes and scenery.

Gorges du Tarn, taken near the point sublime (which can be seen on the far left). This picture features the Baumes cirque on the left, and the Causse Méjéan plateau in the centre

• 2 Sainte-Enimie — a former commune in the Gorges du Tarn, called one of the "Most Beautiful Villages of France".
• 3 Mont Lozère — the highest mountain in the region at 1,699m.

Understand

Lozère is mainly used for farming, with tourism as another economic activity in the area. The region has one of the lowest rates of unemployment in France, which may be attributed to the enforced long-standing tradition whereby young people emigrate to cities such as Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier when they reach working age.

The geography of Lozère is complicated, covering four mountain ranges. In the north-west, the basalt plateau of Aubrac rises between 1,000 and 1,450 m (3,280 and 4,760 ft), with a cold humid climate influenced by the Atlantic. The north and north-east of the department contains the Margeride mountains, which are formed of granite, and have peaks between 1,000 and 1,550 m (3,280 and 5,090 ft). The climate here is also cold, but drier than in Aubrac, with less snow.

It the least populated French department.

Tourist information

• Lozère Tourism website

Talk

As this region is in France, French is spoken; so learning a few words at least would be useful.

Get in

By plane

There aren't any airports in Lozère. But some nearby airports are:

• Montpellier Airport - serves London Gatwick, London Luton, Copenhagen, Rome–Fiumicino, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Paris Orly.
• Rodez Airport - serves London Stansted and Paris Orly.
• Le Puy Airport - serves Paris Orly.

By train

The nearest TGV train stations are at Lyon or Montpellier. Trains from Paris to Mende change once; from Paris-Gare de Lyon, you change at Nimes and the journey takes roughly 7 and a quarter hours. From Paris Bercy, you change at Clermond Ferrand and it takes about 6 hours and 40 minutes.

By car

• From Paris, take the A71, then the A75 which roughly takes 5 hours.
• From Toulouse, head north east along the N88 (Route Nationale) towards Lyon, taking roughly 3 hours.
• From Marseille, head north west towards Nimes, then take the N106 northbound, this takes about 3 hours.
• From Turin, head west towards the French border, then take the E70 towards Lyon then the N88 south west towards Mende.

By foot

Using the GR footpath system (Grande Randonée in French, a set of long distance footpaths in Europe):

• The GR65 (Chemin de Saint-Jacques) from Geneva in Switzerland to Roncevalles in Spain, it passes through Nasbinals in Lozère.
• The GR44 (Des gorges de l’Ardèche à la Margeride) from Champerboux in Sainte-Enimie to Les Vans.
• The GR700 (Chemin de Régordane) from Le Puy en Velay to St Gilles du Gard.

Do

• Caving
• Skiing
• Kayaking
• Trout fishing

Eat

• The area is praised for its cheese (eat when fresh)

Go next

• Head south east to the French Riviera for the glitz and glamour in the summer months.
• Go south and visit the rest of Languedoc-Roussillon, including Montpellier and Carcassonne.
• Head north towards the centre of France and visit Clermont-Ferrand or Vichy.