Riom is an elegant Town of Art and History and the former capital of the Duchy of Auvergne. Its historic centre has preserved much architectural evidence of its prestigious past, including the 16th-century town hall (Hôtel de Ville) with an attractive inner courtyard, the Flamboyant Gothic Sainte-Chapelle (holy chapel) with 15th-century stained-glass windows, the Hôtel Guymoneau mansion and its staircase with finely-detailed carvings, the clock tower (Tour de l'Horloge), which offers a beautiful panoramic view over the town roofs and the surrounding area, and Notre-Dame-du-Marthuret church, which contains a notable statue of The Virgin with a Bird.
Also not to be missed are the Mandet museum for its collections of paintings, sculptures, decorative objets d'art, gold- and silverware and ceramics, and the Auvergne regional museum, which focuses on 19th-century Auvergne folk arts and traditions.
