There is a well-hidden belvedere in France which offers a view worthy of the most beautiful landscapes of the Amazon forest.
If we think of the most beautiful viewpoints in France, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Notre Dame de la Garde in Marseille, or the cliffs of Étretat in Normandy automatically come to mind. And yet, these postcard images are not the only ones to amaze you in France. There are natural places in France that are certainly a little less known, but just as breathtaking…
What if we told you that there is an exceptional panorama worthy of the most beautiful landscapes of the Amazon forest from a small village of no more than 300 souls less than an hour from Clermont-Ferrand? It is by accessing the belvedere of the village of Queuille, modestly called “Paradise”, that you can admire this wild and majestic site. The impressive Méandre de Queuille, which forms an immense loop, 2 kilometers long, dug into the rock over time by the Sioule river, is offered to the traveler from this panoramic observation point located more than 250 meters above above the river.
It is from this belvedere of Paradise that “we can best take the measure of the most majestic curves of the Sioule, perfectly rounded like a horseshoe and magnified by the reservoir of the small homonymous dam”, indicates Auvergne Destination, the Auvergne tourist information portal. If the most imaginative travelers see the head of a turtle there, the meander of Queuille entwines a peninsula, Murat, covered in forest but formerly inhabited. The omnipresent greenery on the slopes of the Sioule truly gives it an end-of-the-world feel, which is why the meander is now nicknamed the Amazon of Auvergne!
Quickly go and discover this little hidden treasure of Puy-de-Dôme, access to the belvedere is free! But how to get there? The town of Queuille, in Puy-de-Dôme, is certainly a small, very remote village in Combrailles, well away from the main roads, but if you go through Clermont-Ferrand or Vulcania, you will not be far away (40 kilometers by car). for one, 25 kilometers for the other)! To access the belvedere, there is no need to hike, just park at the village church which was the chapel of a castle which disappeared in the 13th century. You will then just have to go down a few steps from the small car park to access the famous belvedere and admire, 250 meters below, the breathtaking panorama. Finally, if you feel like it, you can extend your stay in Queuille by taking one of its many hiking trails.