Upon arrival in Arlempdes, a medieval village in Haute-Loire, 30 kilometres south of Le Puy-en-Velay, visitors are immediately charmed by the spectacular view afforded to them from a bend in the road: this typical little village with stone houses, classified among the most beautiful villages of France, is perched on a volcanic peak surrounded by a meander of the Loire.
Surrounded by basalt flows, this picture postcard spot full of timeless charm is a real gem of the Loire Gorges. In the heights of the village, at the top of the rocky spur, you can walk up a path to discover the remains of the castle built in the Middle Ages by the Lords of Montlaur, a site that still offers a beautiful view of the surrounding wild landscape.
Downhill from the old fortress, the village's 11th-century postern entrance, the Church of St. Peter, a 12th-century single-nave Romanesque building with a four-arched open bell tower, and the 15th-century carved stone cross are other unmissable attractions of Arlempdes.
