You're planning a stay on the Aubrac plateau, and here comes the big question: where to set down your bags? Hotel, guesthouse, walkers' hostel, self-catering rental… and in which village? As hosts settled in the heart of the village of Aubrac for five generations, we see this question come up almost every day. So rather than simply telling you "come and stay with us" (we'll get to that, don't worry — we're no saints either), here's a real guide: the kinds of accommodation on the plateau, the villages to stay in, and how to choose to suit your trip.
First, get the lay of the land: the Aubrac is not a town
The Aubrac plateau spreads across three départements — Aveyron, Lozère and Cantal — between 1,000 and 1,400 metres of altitude. It's a high plateau of pastures, burons (old shepherds' huts) and scattered villages: no hotel district here, no avenue lined with hotels. Accommodation is concentrated in a handful of villages, each with its own character:
The village of Aubrac (in the commune of Saint-Chély-d'Aubrac): the historic and symbolic heart of the plateau, at 1,300 metres, on the route of the Camino de Santiago. A handful of houses around the former dômerie of the hospitaller monks, the Tour des Anglais, and the vast summer pastures all around. This is where we are — we may as well tell you straight away.
Saint-Chély-d'Aubrac: the valley town, at 820 metres, with its UNESCO-listed Pilgrims' Bridge, its shops and services. Practical, charming, a little lower than the plateau.
Nasbinals (Lozère): the key stopover for GR65 walkers on the Lozère side, a lively village with several walkers' hostels and simple hotels.
Laguiole: the "capital" of the plateau on the Aveyron side, famous for its knives and its cheese. More hotels to choose from, more going on, but you sleep in town — the vastness of the plateau is a few kilometres away.
The types of accommodation, no sugar-coating
The walkers' hostel (gîte d'étape): for hikers on a tight budget
On the GR65, walkers' hostels are plentiful and they're the most economical option: a dormitory or small room, a convivial pilgrim atmosphere, simple half-board. Perfect if your priority is to sleep and move on. The drawbacks: privacy (whether real or acoustic) and comfort vary from one place to the next. After 25 kilometres on foot, some couldn't care less; others dream of a proper bed and a bathroom of their own.
The hotel: standardised comfort
A few classic hotels are dotted across the plateau, mainly in Laguiole, Aumont-Aubrac and Nasbinals. There you'll find the predictability of the hotel trade: a front desk, standardised rooms, a restaurant. It's reassuring, and sometimes exactly what you need. What a hotel rarely offers in the Aubrac: the soul of a home, and hosts who have the time to tell you about the land.
The guesthouse (chambre d'hôtes): staying in someone's home, in the finest sense
This is the format we champion — and we know whereof we speak. A guesthouse in the Aubrac means sleeping in a lived-in house, run by local people, with a home-made breakfast and, often, a table d'hôtes dinner in the evening. The comfort can surpass that of many hotels (renovated houses of character are not in short supply), and above all you gain what money can't buy: the morning's walking tips, the story of the place, the aperitif that runs long. The honest drawback: you have to enjoy human contact. If you want complete anonymity, a hotel will suit you better.
Self-catering rentals and gîtes: independence
For families or longer stays, renting a house or flat gives you independence: a kitchen, your own pace, a budget under control. The flip side: everything is yours to organise, and in the depths of winter on the plateau, arriving at a cold house with no one to welcome you has less charm than you might imagine.
How to choose to suit your trip
Walking the Camino de Santiago: sleep right on the GR65 route — Nasbinals, Aubrac, Saint-Chély. If, after crossing the plateau, you're dreaming of a stopover with charm rather than a dormitory, our house welcomes pilgrims, with luggage taken in and breakfast served from 7:30 am.
Coming for nature and hiking: favour the altitude and the plateau itself over the valley towns. Waking at 1,300 metres with the summer pastures at your door changes everything — the Aubrac's finest light is at dawn and dusk, once the day-trippers have gone home.
Coming as a family or a tribe: look for places that combine rooms and apartments, or consider the private hire of a whole house — an option that's growing on the plateau and one we offer for up to 25 people.
Coming for the food: sleep where they cook. Aligot, Aubrac beef and the plateau's cheeses are best enjoyed at a table d'hôtes or in the fine restaurants of the area — our Discover the area page lists our favourite addresses, from the buron to the gourmet restaurant.
Coming in winter: check two things — the heating (seriously) and whether someone greets you on arrival. The plateau under snow is a wonder, provided you have a real refuge for the evening — fireplace essential.
And where does La Domerie fit in all this?
You saw us coming. Our house is a guesthouse in the village of Aubrac — five rooms and two apartments in a residence our family has run since 1870. We're neither the cheapest option on the plateau (the walkers' hostel will always win there), nor the most anonymous (that's what hotels are for). We're the stopover for those who want to sleep in the Aubrac rather than beside it: on the Camino de Santiago, facing the summer pastures, at the table of a family that has cooked this land for five generations.
And if you book, do it directly on our website: that's always where you'll find our best rates.
Safe travels on the plateau — and whatever address you choose, you'll be sleeping in one of the most beautiful places in France. On that, no host in the Aubrac will tell you a lie.
