Planning a trip to Aubusson

Getting There -- Aubusson has rail service, much of it indirect, from Clermont-Ferrand and Paris, among other cities. About 10 trains a day depart from Paris's Gare d'Austerlitz for Limoges, where passengers board an SNCF bus for the 90-minute ride on to Aubusson. Bus fare from Limoges is 13€ each way. For bus information, call tel. 05-55-66-13-28. Total transit time from Paris to Aubusson is about 4 1/2 hours; the one-way fare is 60€. From Clermont-Ferrand to Aubusson, an early-afternoon train departs daily for a nearly 4-hour trip (with at least three stops and at least three changes en route); the one-way fare is 24€. For information, call tel. 36-35 or 08-92-35-35-35. Most bus service into town originates in the area, with inconvenient connections from other parts of France. For information, call Aubusson La Gare Routière (tel. 05-55-66-13-28). If you're driving from Clermont-Ferrand, take D941 west to Aubusson. The trip takes between 1 and 1 1/2 hours.

Visitor Information -- The Office de Tourisme is on rue Vieille (tel. 05-55-66-32-12; fax 05-55-83-84-51; www.ot-aubusson.fr).