De Moulins à Saint-Pourçain
The Allier, one of Western Europe’s last-remaining great wild rivers, has managed to preserve its free, ever-shifting character. The Allier River has shaped a mosaic of different environments along its meanders around these parts, especially south of Moulins, an area that merits in-depth exploration. Leaving from Moulins, the Via Allier allows cyclists to get to the Réserve Naturelle Nationale du Val d’Allier, an exceptionally unspoilt Eden covering 1,450 hectares. After a little climb through Moladier Forest, you come to an area of bocage bourbonnais, with typical hedge-divided fields, before the first vines of the Saint-Pourçain wine-producing area appear, adding another aspect to the journey.
A costume ball in Moulins
Visit the Centre National du Costume de Scène in Moulins
Some 10,000 costumes, and c.20,000 items overall, are kept in the reserves of the Centre National du Costume de Scène. These have all been kept from live shows, be that theatre, opera, ballet, dance or street theatre. Selected pieces are brought out on show again for the splendid temporary exhibitions put on at the CNCS every year. So, immerse yourself in this world of sumptuous frills, lace, embroideries and sequins. On a visit here, you can enter a land of make-believe in a magical place.
Moulins all dressed up in lights
Savour a glass at the Grand Café before exploring Moulins at nightfall
Make the most of a gentle summer’s evening to savour a glass at the Grand Café on Place d'Allier. Locals know this venue as the Grand Jus. In its ever-popular bar, at one time, regulars would have heard Gabrielle Chanel singing here – she would become known as Coco Chanel. Take a seat on one of the red sofas and loose yourself in the infinity of reflections created by the rows of mirrors. Prolong your enjoyment, come nightfall, heading out to contemplate the town’s most iconic buildings all dressed up in lights. Every night, in summer and in winter, this colourful light show adds a new aspect to Moulins’s main monuments, putting the tower known as La Mal Coiffée, the town hall and its Jacquemart figures, Moulins’s Sacré-Coeur, its theatre and the Centre National du Costume de Scène in the spotlight.
Le Grand Café Moulins en habits de lumières from 1 june to 30 september and in winter
A road trip in the vineyard
What about enjoying a vineyard tour in an open Citroën Méhari? The Domaine des Bérioles, in Cesset, has put together a gourmet outing around the area of its estate, with stops at local producers (a honey producer, a safron producer, an organic veg produer and a miller). This outing provides a different way to explore the local vineyards, enjoying a unique, convivial experience.
Map of the route
Map of the route
