Puy de Dôme

Puy-de-Dôme is located in central France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, with Clermont-Ferrand, an industrial-academic city and birthplace of the tire manufacturer Michelin, as its capital. The department has a unique landscape shaped by the dormant volcanic peaks of the Chaîne des Puys (a UNESCO World Heritage site), visible in and around the city. Its economy combines industry (Michelin), universities, and volcanic-nature tourism. With a reasonable cost of living and nearby mountainous nature, Clermont-Ferrand is an attractive destination for students and researchers.

Clermont-Ferrand, Issoire, Riom

• Université Clermont Auvergne (UCA) - The region's main university, with several campuses in Clermont-Ferrand and other towns in Auvergne.

Clermont-Ferrand is mainly a student city and relatively safe; nightlife is lively, but as always, you should be a bit more careful in the cheapest neighborhoods or around the train station.

Clermont-Ferrand has a bus and tram system (the T2C network) covering the city and its suburbs. TER and Intercités trains connect Puy-de-Dôme to Lyon, Paris, and the rest of Auvergne.