By car, from Paris, Moulins can be reached within 2h30 via the RN7 road.
As for railway services, lines from Paris and Lyon, among others, stop at Moulins train station.

History
Moulins was first mentioned in a document dating from the year 990 regarding the gift of a chapel in “Villa Molinis”. Then, the History of Moulins is closely linked to the Dukes of Bourbon. The city became the capital of their territory and of their numerous attached lands in 1327.  

Activities
Moulins has an interesting city centre with the belfry of Jacquemart, the gothic Eglise Saint Pierre and the cathedral and Church of Sacre Coeur towering over its streets. The city’s architecture is a combination of different periods but Medieval and Renaissance style are dominant. Moulins was listed as “Ville d’Art et d’Histoire” in 1997.
The Tower of “La Mal-Coiffee” is a vestige of the medieval castle owned in the past by the dukes of Bourbon. It was also used as a prison and its renovation finished in 2007.
The traveller can visit the museum of Anne de Beaujeu which exhibits remarkable collections of Bourbon sculptures (12th-17th century), German and Flemish paintings from the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods, ceramics, Gallo roman coins, statuettes, terra cotta items...
The Musée de la Visitation consists of textiles, civil and religious goldsmith’s art, art and devotion items. This museum is the only in Europe to be dedicated to the history and heritage of a monastic order.

Food and Drink
Auvergne region produces a wide range of cheese, including 5 AOC (a label that testifies to the origin and quality of a product) : Cantal, Fourme d’Ambert, Salers, Saint Nectaire and Bleu d’Auvergne. In Saone et Loire department, Chevreton is made of goat and cow milk.
Auvergne is also famous for its candied fruits, its fougasse (a brioche from Cantal) and its lentils which were the first pulses to be granted the AOC label in France.
As for drinks, Auvergne has Saint Pourçain and Côtes d’Auvergne.

Restaurants
LES P’TITS PLATS, traditional cuisine. 13 rue du Pont, 03000, Moulins. Tel: 04.70.44.02.01
LE CAQUELON, cheese and fondues. 65 rue de Montilly, 03000, Moulins. Tel: 04.70.44.36.08
LE CLOS DE BOURGOGNE. 83 rue de Bourgogne, 03000, Moulins. Tel: 04.70.44.03.00