Discover Beaulieu

Beaulieu offers a range of ways to spend your stay: a Romanesque church, a signposted circular trail, guided tours focused on bees and plants, and a landscape shaped by hedgerows. There is also a connection to water sports on the Cantal shore of Lac de Bort-les-Orgues. If you are looking for a hotel in Beaulieu, these themes can help you decide what to focus on during your trip. The activities also differ in how they can be planned: the circular trail has a stated distance and approximate duration, while farm tours require advance reservations.

Church and local history

The Catholic Church of Sainte-Madeleine and Saint-Sébastien in Beaulieu is Romanesque in style. A bell from the Church of Sainte-Madeleine dates back to 1522 and is listed as protected heritage. This brings together two distinct historical aspects: the church’s architectural style and the bell’s date and protected status. If you are interested in heritage, this specific feature offers a focus alongside the area’s nature and leisure activities.

Circular trail to Plage de Beaulieu

Circular Trail No. 12, “Beaulieu–Thynières,” starts at Place de Beaulieu and is 8.8 kilometres long. The route takes approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes. It is classified as very easy and marked with yellow signs. These details give you a concrete basis for factoring the time needed for the trail into your plans. The route provides access to Plage de Beaulieu. A footpath also leads to castle ruins. The route therefore combines a clearly described walk with two different destinations, without the trail duration applying to the other visits in Beaulieu.

Bees, plants and gardens

The Maison du miel et des plantes offers guided tours where you can learn about the world of bees, as well as medicinal and aromatic plants. The house is surrounded by five gardens, including the Garden of Beliefs and a garden of poisonous plants. The tours therefore focus on bees and plants, while the gardens are another feature of the site. The Maison also produces honey and honey products, natural cosmetics and natural soaps.

Farm tours and seasonal growing

Les jardins de Beaulieu is an organically run microfarm. A wide variety of seasonal vegetables and herbs, as well as some fruit, are grown there. If you are interested in growing produce, you can arrange a farm tour by booking in advance. Advance booking is part of planning the visit. Unlike the themed tour focused on bees and plants, this visit centres on agricultural production and seasonal growing.

Hedgerows and the lakeshore

The “haies de Beaulieu” are carefully maintained, low hedges that are typical of the region. They divide fields over many kilometres and provide shelter for local wildlife. Their importance therefore lies both in dividing the fields and in protecting wildlife. Another connection to the water is Beaulieu Nautic: the water sports club is located in Beaulieu on the Cantal shore of Lac de Bort-les-Orgues. If you would like to include Beaulieu Nautic in your plans, check the latest information on services and availability, as both may change.

Planning your stay

The activities can be distinguished by their nature: the circular trail has a stated distance and approximate duration, the farm tour requires advance booking, and the Maison’s guided tour focuses on bees and plants. Factor in the farm tour reservation separately from the walking time for the circular trail, rather than planning both activities as equivalent blocks of time.

Discover more destinations: Neuvéglise, Sansac-De-Marmiesse, Polminhac, Chalvignac, Lascelle, Massiac, Parlan, Saint-Martin-Valmeroux.

Go to the regional travel overview: Cantal.