Discover Champagnac: mining history, culture and activities

Champagnac offers several themes to consider when planning your trip: mining history, culture, cycling, hiking and horse riding. When choosing a hotel, you can think about which themes you would like to shape your stay. The Musée de la Mine explores the history of mining, while the Église Notre-Dame and La Pierre Noire each offer their own cultural highlights. The bike park and PR 25 offer different outdoor activities.

Mining, architecture and art

The Musée de la Mine de Champagnac was inaugurated in 1991 and traces the key stages in the history of one of the Auvergne’s most significant mining centres. Its focus is the historical development of mining across several stages.

The Église Notre-Dame de Champagnac is a Romanesque church dating from the 12th century. It is usually closed, but you can visit it by collecting the key from the town hall during secretariat opening hours. The key can be collected Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 12:00 and from 13:30 to 17:30. Plan your visit around these times and check the opening hours in advance. Unlike the museum, which traces the stages of mining history, the church is notable for its Romanesque origins.

The La Pierre Noire cultural centre has an exhibition space for modern and contemporary art. Its programme includes rock, jazz, pop, electronic, world music and classical concerts, as well as theatre, dance, conferences and cinema. The exhibition space and programme offer different cultural highlights: visual art on the one hand, and music, stage performances and film on the other.

Cycling, hiking and horse riding

The bike park is in Champagnac, near Lac du Bois de Lempre. The intercommunal website, updated on 20 November 2024, lists it as freely accessible all year round. Check current access arrangements before your ride. The park has a green practice area and three downhill trails graded green, blue and red.

The PR 25 – Le Pont de Vernéjoux hike starts at Champagnac’s church square and leads from the Plateau du Champagnaguès to the Dordogne gorges. It is 10.6 km long, marked in yellow and listed as taking 3 hours and 15 minutes. The distance and stated duration are two separate planning details; the route description also identifies the landscape landmarks along the way.

For Champagnac, the tourism listing for Les Cavaliers de l'étang, updated on 3 March 2026, mentions horse rides and pony rides. If you plan to take part in either activity, confirm with the provider in advance that it is currently available.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Montgreleix, Vic-Sur-Cère, Le Falgoux, Labrousse, Virargues, Loubaresse, Polminhac, Ferrières-Saint-Mary.

Go to the main travel overview: Cantal.