Florac travel guide

Visit Florac (Occitanie, France)

The town of Florac is situated in the Parc National de Cevennes, in the Massif Central, in the Lozère department. The Cevennes are to the east of the town and the Gorges du Tarn to the west.

Explore Florac

France This Way review: it is true that most visitors to Florac are here to explore the scenery of the Cenennes National Park and the Gorges du Tarn, but allow time to explore the centre of Florac: the historic buildings, the setting with the mountains omnipresent behind the town and the presence of the Tarnon river in the town centre make it a very pleasant place to visit.

Florac is a pretty small town in an enviable position in the Tarnon river valley, and is the central 'visitor centre' for the Parc des Cevennes. Florac spreads out along the river and up the hillside and makes for a pleasant stopover town.

church in Florac town centre

Florac is quite a small town, but has two large open squares with restaurants and a few shops - the 'esplanade' is the larger of the two.

Around these main squares you will discover a few smaller streets and alleys to explore, to see more of the 'old' town of Florac. The oldest part of Florac, known as le Planet, is around the eastern end of the esplanade.

Florac castle is in the centre of the town and dates from 1652, although an earlier defensive castle stood on the same location until it was destroyed in the Wars of Religion.

The castle has an imposing facade with a large round tower at each corner. The castle was once used as a prison and then as a salt storage warehouse, then later had a role as the regional tourist information office, although this use has now ended.

If you continue west along the street running parallel to the esplanade, the old merchant's route, you will see the Church Saint-Martin.

The church has an interesting design, with one end of the building in the style of a traditional church with a belltower, and the other end of the building in a neo-classical style, copying the style of a Greek temple, with stone columns and a fronton (the triangle area above the entrance).

Inside, the church also classical style columns separating the main nave from the side naves.

You can also see the facade of the old convent here, an impressive 16th century renaissance building and now a listed historic monument.

A smaller river (le Vibron) runs down through Florac to join the Tranon, and is a centre for fish-breeding - baby trout are raised here to be released elsewhere. There are various ponds along the route of the stream, providing lots of 'pretty buildings reflected in the water' photo opportunities - this is the most attractive part of the town centre so be sure to follow the river course through the town.

On the edge of Florac there is a pleasant wooded park area with plenty of space for picnics and for children to run around, and a nice cool place to escape the heat (access from the parking behind Florac castle).

There is an attractive ironwork bridge across the Tarnon river to the east of the centre. From the bridge you get some attractive views along the river, and opposite the other end of the bridge you can see the new information centre for the Cevennes National Park.

Square in Florac town centre

Attractions nearby

The nearby village of Bédouès is worth a visit - you can't miss the unusual belltower as you approach the village - and Florac is also close to the many menhirs to be found around La Cham des Bondons.

Visitors hoping to explore the Cevennes National Parc more thoroughly find a great deal of information in the headquarters for the parc here in Florac.

A trip along the very scenic Gorges du Tarn to the west is also highly recommended.

Explore elsewhere in the Massif Central. You can find more travel ideas in the Lozere guide and the Languedoc-Roussillon guide.

To make travel arrangements to visit Florac see HERE