While you’re staying in our region, we recommend that anyone who enjoys the great outdoors goes to explore the Cévennes, a mountain range at the entrance to the Pays d’Uzès Pont du Gard destination. Here, you can expect a wide variety of landscapes: forests, valleys, gorges, limestone plateaus, rivers, etc. It is heaven-on-earth for walkers! And there is a wide range of other activities on offer too…

Explore Cévennes national park

Cévennes National Park is between the Gard, Lozère and Ardèche and is the ideal place to explore. Whether you are on foot, on a mountain bike or on horseback, you’ll experience a feeling of ultimate freedom at the heart of this wild natural environment and you’ll be surrounded by superb views!

Explore the vast stretches of land before you: much of this land has been shaped by man and his herds. This is because you are in a land of breeding: you are likely to run into a herd of sheep, goats or cattle.

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While you’re passing through the Cévennes, don’t forget you are in a protected region, listed as a Biosphere Reserve and classified as a World Heritage Site by Unesco. You must respect the natural environment here!

An encounter with local wildlife

Keep your eyes and your ears peeled: you might just be lucky enough to see or hear the wild animals living in the Cévennes. Since the National Park was created, a number of species have been reintroduced back into their natural habitat, including deer, mountain sheep, roe deer, beavers, and vultures.

The plant life here is also extremely rich and you will most likely see a wide range of flowering plants and ferns along your way, most of which are protected. The iconic tree of the Cévennes is the chestnut tree! For many years, this tree was an essential resource for the inhabitants of the Cévennes, who used it both for its wood and its fruit. This deciduous tree is easily recognisable thanks to its large leaves with serrated edges.

Explore the villages of the Cévennes

The Cévennes is not just about the landscapes! You can also explore the many charming little villages throughout the area, well-known for their authenticity and art of living. On the Gard side of the Cévennes, we recommend taking a detour to Anduze, well-known for vase production. And if you would like to really experience our destination, don’t miss Vézénobres, best known for silkworm breeding in the 19th century.

Here, the inhabitants are not only Cévenols born and bred: in the 70s, hippies left the big towns to come and settle in this natural region and blended in with the locals. The Cévennes region is still today a favourite destination for people looking for more authenticity and a simple life. Don’t hesitate to come and meet the local people!

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What can we do here?

Besides hiking, there is so much to do in the Cévennes. For example, you could visit the sites and museums of the area such as the Musée de la Soie, Maison de la Figue or the Distillerie Bel Air, or even go and explore a cave! Explore the Grotte de Trabuc or the Grotte de la Cocalière. And if you’d like to go caving, opt for the Abîme de Bramabiau.

Take a stroll through one of the most beautiful gardens in France: the Bambouseraie en Cévennes. In this garden, there are over 1,000 varieties of remarkable plants, bamboos, flowers and trees!

Finally, while you’re visiting the Cévennes, hop aboard the steam train, for a guided tour of the National Park.

We’ve made it pretty clear by now, that there’s a wide range of activities on offer in the Cévennes!