In-depth guide · CampingSpirit
From Rodez over the Millau Viaduct to the limestone plateau of the Larzac, to the Templar and Hospitaller villages, into the Roquefort cellars and the Dourbie valley: about 380 kilometres through karst, sheep pastures and gorge roads on which your motorhome is allowed to feel narrower than it is.
The spirit of the route
The Larzac is a land of wide horizons and low stone walls. Climb up from Millau on the old national road and you leave the valley with its glove-makers and kayaks behind; after a few hairpins you stand on a treeless plateau where the wind sweeps across unhindered. Sheep graze between juniper and box, stone-lined watering holes called “lavognes” glint in the hollows, and beside the road villages appear whose walls still bear the signature of the knightly orders. Far to the west the steel of the viaduct draws its line across the valley, pink in the evening light, in fog just pylon tips above a sea of cloud. At the foot of the Combalou, the cool scent of the Roquefort cellars awaits; in the Dourbie valley, the silence of tall limestone walls with circling vultures. This route demands no passes, but it does demand attention: for wind, for narrow village approaches, and for the desire to spend the evening on a quiet pitch on the plateau, counting stars.
Stage-by-stage plan
1Stage 1: Rodez to Millau (approx. 90 km)
- The drive
- From Rodez take the N88 east to Sévérac d’Aveyron, then the A75 south, which you leave before the viaduct at the exit towards Millau (follow the signs); the rest follows the old N9 (D809) down into the Tarn valley and on to Millau. Well-built roads, about 1 hour 15 minutes of driving; the descent from the plateau into the valley is long and calls for low gears. If you would like to drive the northern Aveyron with Conques and the Aubrac, you will find it in the CampingSpirit travel guide “Pilgrim bridges, basalt pastures and cowbells – by motorhome through the upper Lot valley and over the Aubrac”.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Rodez: a Gothic cathedral of red sandstone on the hill above the loop of the Aveyron, and the Musée Soulages, dedicated to the painter Pierre Soulages, who was born here.
- Aire du Viaduc de Millau (signposted “Site du Viaduc”) at the structure: free exhibition and viewpoint; opening hours change with the season, and whether a toll is charged for access, check in advance with the operator.
- First view of the viaduct from the plateau of the Causse de Sauveterre, before it shows itself in the valley: photo stops only at the Aire du Viaduc or at signed car parks, not on the verge of the A75.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: In Millau several campsites lie close together on the Tarn, such as Camping Paradis Le Viaduc or Camping Huttopia Millau, both within walking or cycling distance of the old town. There is also the Camping-Car-Park motorhome stopover “Millau, Ville” with electricity and service point. Book in high season.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): In the town of Millau, overnighting in car parks on the Tarn is not provided for; the stopover or a campsite is the easier solution. On the Causses around the town, farm tracks and meadows are almost always private or grazing land: without the owner’s consent, no camping there.
- Insider tip for campers
- The viaduct itself is the only toll section of the otherwise free A75. If you only want to see it, you save the fee by driving through the valley below (D992) and viewing it from the roads beneath the pylons. Fuel and shopping: Millau has big markets and supermarkets; after that, the Larzac offers only small shops.
2Stage 2: Millau to La Cavalerie (approx. 40 km)
- The drive
- From Millau take the D992 downstream to the viaduct (follow the signs for Creissels and Peyre) and back to Millau, then the D809 (old N9) in long bends up onto the Causse du Larzac as far as La Cavalerie. The climb is steady but long, with occasional lorry traffic; at the top the plateau begins, with wind and far views. About 1 hour of driving, noticeably longer with photo stops.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Millau Viaduct from below: the D992 leads close to the piers; the structure rises to 343 m, and at its highest point the roadway lies about 270 m above the valley floor.
- Peyre: a small village built into the slope, some of its houses leaning against the rock, directly beneath the viaduct; the lanes are narrow, so park at the village entrance.
- Larzac plateau from the climb onwards: first flocks of sheep, lavognes and wide views stretching south into the Cévennes.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Aire Camping-Car Park La Cavalerie on the edge of the village: electricity, water, waste disposal and payment at the Camping-Car-Park terminal; check prices and season before you travel. As a campsite alternative, the Éco-Camping du Larzac lies a few kilometres north on the plateau; the tourist office names further small sites.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): You may not enter the large military area of the Camp du Larzac (the access roads are signposted); on the rest of the plateau the pastures belong to farmers who do not open gates, and overnight parking by the roadside is unwelcome in many communes. In car parks the rule is: sleeping in the vehicle yes, where not forbidden; camping behaviour no.
- Insider tip for campers
- In the evening, when the wind drops, the view from the edge of the plateau down into the Tarn valley is worth the stop. At around 800 m the nights are much cooler than in the Tarn valley; check heating and gas. In storms the viaduct may be closed to certain vehicles – the route through the valley then remains the alternative.
3Stage 3: La Cavalerie to Sainte-Eulalie-de-Cernon (approx. 35 km)
- The drive
- From La Cavalerie take minor departmental roads east across the open plateau to the fortified town of La Couvertoirade (about 13 km), and from there back west into the Cernon valley to Sainte-Eulalie-de-Cernon, which is only a few kilometres from La Cavalerie. Narrow but easily driven roads without gradient problems; oncoming traffic is rare, but sheep flocks on the road are possible. A good 1 hour of driving without sightseeing.
- Highlights & must-sees
- La Couvertoirade: a fortified village founded by the Templars and later held by the Hospitallers, with a largely preserved 15th-century defensive wall; only part of the wall walk can be visited, and access is part of a paid offer (guided tour, audio guide or self-guided walk).
- The lavogne of La Couvertoirade and the stone walls of the sheepfold: typical elements of the Larzac landscape, most beautiful in the early-morning light.
- Sainte-Eulalie-de-Cernon: a former commandery of the Templars, later of the Hospitallers, with a Romanesque church and a 15th-century village wall; the commandery can be visited seasonally (roughly April to early November), in the green Cernon valley.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Aire Sainte-Eulalie-de-Cernon on the edge of the village: electricity, water, waste disposal, marked pitches; check fees and season on site. In La Couvertoirade there is a paid car park at the village entrance with toilets but no service; overnight parking there was possible according to the trade press, but follow the current signs. As a campsite, Camping Au Tour de l’Aveyron lies between La Cavalerie and La Couvertoirade.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The village of La Couvertoirade can only be reached on foot. For motorhomes the municipal rules apply at the village car park; within the surroundings of listed buildings (500 m) wild camping is forbidden anyway. Sleeping in the vehicle outside the aire is possible only where signs do not prohibit it.
- Insider tip for campers
- Visit La Couvertoirade in the morning or after 5 p.m., when the coaches have gone. Fill your water tanks beforehand: on the plateau taps are rarely where you need them, and the aire in Sainte-Eulalie is the most reliable station on this stage.
4Stage 4: Sainte-Eulalie-de-Cernon to Roquefort-sur-Soulzon (approx. 30 km)
- The drive
- From Sainte-Eulalie go downhill through the Cernon valley towards Tournemire and on to Roquefort at the foot of the Combalou rock; follow the signs to Roquefort-sur-Soulzon. Winding, narrow roads in the valley with short bottlenecks under rocks and through villages; about 1 hour of driving. Roquefort itself lies on the slope, and the road through the village is steep and tight.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Cernon valley: a green valley floor between limestone slopes, with mills and bridges in between – a contrast to the bare plateau above.
- Roquefort cellars: in the “fleurines”, the natural fissures and air shafts of the collapsed Combalou slope, the sheep’s cheese matures in steadily cool air; several dairies offer guided tours.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Municipal Aire de camping-car of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon at the tourist office (Avenue de Lauras), about 800 m from the cheese cellars: about 10 pitches, drinking water and public toilets, no electricity; check fee and facilities on site. Alternative: the Camping-Car-Park aire in Saint-Affrique (Pays de Roquefort), about 10 km away, with electricity and service point.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The Combalou slope is pasture and nature area with small tracks not intended for motorhomes; park only in designated areas. Municipal bylaws may prohibit overnighting in village car parks – heed the signs and camper bans at the edge of the village.
- Insider tip for campers
- A dairy visit takes about an hour and leads into cellars with cool air (bring a jacket). Buy Roquefort at the dairy and ask for vacuum packing: that way it survives the heat in the vehicle. The motorhome stays at the aire; you walk to the cellars.
5Stage 5: Roquefort-sur-Soulzon to Nant (approx. 60 km)
- The drive
- From Roquefort take the departmental roads (D93, D23, D999, D992) back into the Tarn valley to Millau, then the D991 upstream through the Dourbie gorge to Nant, about 33 km from Millau. A good road, but in places narrow, with rock overhangs and oncoming traffic from kayak buses and trailers; about 1 hour 30 minutes of driving. The Gorges du Tarn and the Gorges de la Jonte lie to the north and are not part of the route here: you will find them in the CampingSpirit travel guide “Limestone gorges, chestnut forests and soaring vultures – by motorhome from the Ardèche across the Cévennes to the Tarn”.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Dourbie gorge: tall limestone walls where griffon vultures circle, and swimming spots on the river.
- Cantobre: a village crowded onto a rocky spur above the confluence of the Dourbie and the Trévezel, with the Romanesque choir and apse of the church of Saint-Étienne; the approach is narrow, so park outside the village and walk up.
- Nant: the Romanesque abbey church of Saint-Pierre and the starting point for hikes on the Larzac and Causse Noir, for example to the Roc Nantais.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Camping du Val de Cantobre and Camping Le Vialaret near Nant: electricity, sanitary facilities, open seasonally; book in high season. Further sites lie around Nant, such as Les Deux Vallées; check status and opening times beforehand.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): In the Dourbie valley the riverbank spots are mostly private; wild camping in the riverbed is forbidden, also because floods in the gorges come suddenly. On the Causse Noir, track rules apply within the nature park; access roads to hiking car parks are narrow.
- Insider tip for campers
- Drive the D991 if possible before 10 a.m. and after 5 p.m.: the kayak shuttles are less on the road then. If you have a long vehicle, check the length of the bridges and of the turn-offs to the Causse beforehand; for hikes on the Causse, bikes or hiking boots are a more relaxed solution than driving the motorhome.
6Stage 6: Nant to Rodez (approx. 125 km)
- The drive
- To get back to Rodez you have two options. The Dourbie gorge in the opposite direction (D991) to Millau shows the same walls from another angle, but is a repeat. To avoid that, drive from Nant over the Larzac plateau (D999) to the A75 at La Cavalerie and take the motorway north from there. Both routes lead over the Millau Viaduct, across the plateau of the Causse de Sauveterre to Sévérac d’Aveyron and on the N88 to Rodez; you cross the viaduct here northbound, the toll is due at the toll booth, and the road is built to motorway standard. A good 2 hours of driving.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Crossing the Millau Viaduct: stopping on the bridge itself is not allowed; plan your photo stop at the Aire du Viaduc.
- Causse de Sauveterre: a quiet, wide plateau with villages of pale stone, which you can explore on minor roads if you wish.
- Rodez: back in the town with its old town, cathedral and Soulages museum, in case you had no time at the start.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Aire municipale pour camping-car in Rodez; check facilities on site. Alternatively the holiday complex Domaine de Combelles on the edge of town: whether and how motorhomes can park there, clarify beforehand.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): On the Causses north of Millau the same applies as on the Larzac: grazing land, prohibition signs and many municipal bylaws. In the town of Rodez you overnight legally at the aire or on the campsite.
- Insider tip for campers
- If you want to travel on west from Rodez, you will find the continuation in the CampingSpirit travel guide “Cave paintings, cliff villages and river loops – by motorhome through Périgord, the Dordogne valley and the Lot”, and east in the Auvergne travel guide “Cinder cones, crater lakes and mountain dairies – by motorhome through the volcanic landscape of the Auvergne”. Fill up gas and water before the journey home.
Camping practice & local rules
Wild camping & overnight parking
- French law distinguishes between parking and camping: a motorhome may park where parking is allowed, for a maximum of 7 days in the same place, provided no municipal bylaw (arrêté) forbids it. Camping behaviour – stabilisers, awning, table and chairs, draining grey water – is forbidden outside campsites and aires.
- Wild camping is forbidden in Sites classés, within 500 m of Monuments historiques (so around the order villages of La Couvertoirade and Sainte-Eulalie), near drinking-water abstraction points and in the core zones of national parks. On the Larzac, in the Cernon and Dourbie valleys, many tracks lie on grazing land and in the Grands Causses Regional Nature Park; blanket bans for whole communes are legally open to challenge, but you should still take signs seriously.
- The military area of the Larzac is signposted and off limits; firing exercises are possible. Stay on the public roads.
- Forest fire: in summer, access and fires in the forest massifs may be restricted; you will find the warning level for the Aveyron département (no. 12) on risque-prevention-incendie.fr, usually updated from 6 p.m. for the following day. At an elevated level, fires and barbecues are taboo.
- Pitch apps: park4night, Campercontact, Camping-Car Park and the directory service “Aires de camping-car”; check user reports especially for small village aires.
Waste disposal & supplies
- Aires in Aveyron communes are mostly municipal: water and waste disposal at a post or floor drain, often for coins, a token or a card; Camping-Car-Park aires work with the payment card. Empty the cassette and grey water only at the station.
- Tap water in France is drinkable unless a sign says “eau non potable”. On the Larzac water points are rare: fill up in La Cavalerie and Sainte-Eulalie.
- Gas: French exchange bottles (butane, propane) are available everywhere; foreign bottles are not exchanged. LPG pumps (Dish adapter or Euronozzle) are thin on the ground in this region – plan your fuel stops in Millau and Rodez.
- Small shops and bakeries on the Larzac have rest days and tight lunch breaks; do the big shop in Millau.
Vehicle size & traffic rules
- Speed limits: motorhomes and combinations up to 3.5 t as cars (130/110/80 or 90 where signed, 50 in built-up areas; in rain 110/100/80). Motorhomes over 3.5 t up to 12 t: motorway 110, dual carriageway expressway 100, other roads 80, speed disc at the rear. Combinations over 3.5 t: 90 on motorway and expressway, 80 otherwise. In some départements 90 applies again for cars on signed sections – the signs are what counts.
- Toll: the A75 is toll-free except for the Millau Viaduct. For the viaduct the ASFA classes apply: class 2 for over 2 m and under 3 m height up to 3.5 t, class 3 for two axles and a height of 3 m or more or over 3.5 t, class 4 for three or more axles over 3.5 t; in summer a higher tariff applies. Payment by card or Télépéage; check current tariffs on the operator’s site.
- Low-emission zones (ZFE/Crit’Air): there is no known ZFE on this route. The Crit’Air sticker also applies to foreign vehicles. If you arrive via Toulouse: ZFE within the Périphérique and the Rocade Arc-en-Ciel, excluding Crit’Air 4, 5 and vehicles without a sticker, motorhomes too. Check Montpellier and other cities with the Métropole before you travel.
- Vehicles over 3.5 t, expressly including motorhomes, need the “Angles morts” blind-spot stickers (fine of €135). A high-visibility vest for the driver and a warning triangle are compulsory.
- Wind: strong wind often blows on the viaduct and the plateaus; crosswinds can make motorhomes and combinations sway. Reduce your speed, secure bikes and roof loads and follow the operators’ instructions in case of closures.
- Winter: the Larzac lies at about 800 m. Snow and black ice are possible from November to March, and strong wind builds snowdrifts. Under the Loi Montagne, from 1 November to 31 March, in the communes of the Aveyron designated by prefectural order (Aubrac and Larzac are named), winter tyres or carried chains or textile snow socks are compulsory; the signs B58/B59 at the commune boundaries are what counts. Check the prefecture’s order before a winter journey.
- Alcohol limit 0.5 per mille (0.2 for newly qualified drivers); using a hand-held mobile phone and wearing headphones while driving are forbidden.
CampingSpirit packing & preparation checklist
- Wind and rain jacket plus fleece: on the Larzac the temperature drops noticeably at night even in summer, and the wind hardly eases.
- Cool box or ice packs for Roquefort, sheep’s cheese and sausage from the Aveyron: the journey back leads through warm valleys.
- Levelling ramps: village aires and farm pitches on the plateau are often sloping or uneven.
- Binoculars and head torch: griffon vultures above the gorges, a dark night sky on the Larzac, cool cellars and cave spaces.
- Offline maps and a printed route map: in the gorges and on the plateau the mobile signal drops out.
- Two full gas bottles or one full refillable tank: refill stations are rare in the region.
As of 2026-10. Closures, fees and booking rules change: check official sources before you go.
