France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

A75 autoroute The A75 is an '' autoroute'' (motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, mo ...

Puy-de-Dôme Puy-de-Dôme (; oc, label=Auvergnat, lo Puèi de Doma or ''lo Puèi Domat'') is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the centre of France. In 2019, it had a population of 662,152.A75 autoroute The A75 is an '' autoroute'' (motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, mo ...

Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand (, ; ; oc, label=Auvergnat, Clarmont-Ferrand or Clharmou ; la, Augustonemetum) is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, with a population of 146,734 (2018). Its metropolitan area (''aire d'attract ...

Issoire Issoire (; Auvergnat: ''Issoire'', ''Ussoire'') is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France. Geography Issoire is located on the river Couze, near its confluence with the Allier, SSE of Clermont-Ferrand on the ...

Haute-Loire Haute-Loire (; oc, Naut Léger or ''Naut Leir''; English: Upper Loire) is a landlocked department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of south-central France. Named after the Loire River, it is surrounded by the departments of Loire, Ardèche, ...

Cantal Cantal (; oc, Cantal or ) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France, with its prefecture in Aurillac. Its other principal towns are Saint-Flour (the episcopal see) and Mauriac; its residents are known as Cantalians (fren ...

Lozère Lozère (; oc, Losera ) is a landlocked department in the region of Occitanie in Southern France, located near the Massif Central, bounded to the northeast by Haute-Loire, to the east by Ardèche, to the south by Gard, to the west by Aveyron, ...

Aveyron Aveyron (; oc, Avairon; ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southern France. It was named after the river Aveyron. Its inhabitants are known as ''Aveyronnais'' (masculine) or ''Aveyronnaises'' (feminine) in French. The inhabitants ...

Hérault Hérault (; oc, Erau, ) is a department of the region of Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault River, its prefecture is Montpellier. It had a population of 1,175,623 in 2019.Aude * RD 900 in Pyrénées-Orientales

Route

Moulins- Clermont Ferrand- Béziers-

Narbonne Narbonne (, also , ; oc, Narbona ; la, Narbo ; Late Latin:) is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about from the shores of the ...

- Perpignan - ''

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

''

Moulins to Clermont Ferrand (0 km to 103 km)

The road begins at Moulins with a junction with the RN 7. The road heads Southwest over the river Allier. The road follows the West bank of the river to

Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule (, literally ''Saint-Pourçain on Sioule''; Auvergnat: ''Sant Porçanh de Siula'') is a commune in the Allier department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in central France. It is named after Saint Pourçain, a 6th century ...

crossing the river and following it South. At

Gannat Gannat (; Auvergnat: ''Gatnat'') is a commune in the Allier department in central France. Gannat was a sub-prefecture until 1926, with a population of around 5,800 inhabitants. There is a castle (the Château de Gannat), two churches of whic ...

the road meets the A 719, which connects

Vichy Vichy (, ; ; oc, Vichèi, link=no, ) is a city in the Allier department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of central France, in the historic province of Bourbonnais. It is a spa and resort town and in World War II was the capital of ...

, 20 km to the East, and the

A71 autoroute The A71 autoroute is a motorway in central France. It is also called ''l'Arverne''. It starts at Orléans and ends at Clermont-Ferrand. Orléans to Bourges The autoroute is 2x2 lanes and is operated by the Société Cofiroute (Orléans-Bour ...

. The RN 9 continues South to Riom and the volcanic region of

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label= Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Au ...

. The road is dual-carriageway for 10 km into the industrial city of

Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand (, ; ; oc, label=Auvergnat, Clarmont-Ferrand or Clharmou ; la, Augustonemetum) is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, with a population of 146,734 (2018). Its metropolitan area (''aire d'attract ...

.

Clermont Ferrand to Béziers (103 km to 444 km)

After Clermont the road heads through the

Massif Central The (; oc, Massís Central, ; literally ''"Central Massif"'') is a highland region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaus. It covers about 15% of mainland France. Subject to volcanism that has subsided in the last 10,0 ...

countryside. Much of the RN 9 has now been upgraded or replaced by the

A75 autoroute The A75 is an '' autoroute'' (motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, mo ...

between

Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand (, ; ; oc, label=Auvergnat, Clarmont-Ferrand or Clharmou ; la, Augustonemetum) is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, with a population of 146,734 (2018). Its metropolitan area (''aire d'attract ...

and Béziers. The original RN 9 has now been renumbered the RD 909,RD 809 and D 2009 and passes through small villages and towns bypassed by the autoroute ''La Méridienne'' which now takes the majority of through traffic. The route follows the upper Allier valley to Issoire before joining the ''Gorges de l'Allagnon'' and then climbing to cross the ''Col de Fageole'' (1114 m) and onto Saint-Flour and the ''Gorges de l’Ander''. The old RN 9 then follows the banks of the dammed river Truyère under the '' Viaduc de Garabit''. The countryside is very scenic consisting of rolling green wooded hills and steep sided river vallies. The road has a junction with the RN 106 at Saint-Chély-d'Apcher. The road then crosses the ''Col des Issartets'' (1121 m) after which the former route of the RN 9 passes to the East of the autoroute passing through the small town of Marvejols and into the Lot valley. The road then enters ''Causse'' country a series of barren

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

plateaux divided by deep river valleys. The road passes between the ''Causse de Sévérac'' and ''Causse de Sauveterre'' before reaching Sévérac-le-Château and the RN 88 which heads to the West. The road passes the source of the Aveyron and into the ''Parc Natural Régional des Grandes Causses''. After crossing the ''Col d'Engayresque'' (888 m) the RN 9 re-appears and drops into the

Gorges du Tarn The Gorges du Tarn ( oc, Gòrjas de Tarn) is a canyon formed by the Tarn (river) between the Causse Méjean and the Causse de Sauveterre, in southern France. The canyon, mainly located in the Lozère ''département'', and partially in the Aveyro ...

and onto Millau where the road crosses the river and climbs up to the ''Causse du

Larzac The Larzac, also known as the Causse of Larzac (French: ''Causse du Larzac''), is a limestone karst plateau in the south of the Massif Central, France, situated between Millau (in the département of l'Aveyron) and Lodève (in the départe ...

'' offering views of the valley and viaduct. The RN 9 provides a trunk road route avoiding the toll on the Autoroute A 75 as it crosses the valley on the Viaduc de Millau. The RN 9 has again been replaced by the A 75 for this section. At the ''Pas de l'Escalette'' just South of Le Caylar Roches the road enters a gorge leading South off the Causse du

Larzac The Larzac, also known as the Causse of Larzac (French: ''Causse du Larzac''), is a limestone karst plateau in the south of the Massif Central, France, situated between Millau (in the département of l'Aveyron) and Lodève (in the départe ...

and on toward the coastal plain and the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

. Historically, RN 9 used to cross the river Lergue at Pegairolles de l'Escalette and follow what is now the treacherous D 149 and D 151 right through the city of Lodève. After a series of improvements starting in the late 1960s, the road now stays on the left bank of the Lergue and by-passes Lodève through the Tunnel de la Vierge. It skirts the Lac du Salagou (which it once ran right through) before reaching Clermont L'Hérault and a junction with the RN 109 to Montpellier. The RN 9 demerges from the

A75 autoroute The A75 is an '' autoroute'' (motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, mo ...

again at Clermont-l'Hérault, and follows the

Hérault Hérault (; oc, Erau, ) is a department of the region of Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault River, its prefecture is Montpellier. It had a population of 1,175,623 in 2019.Pézenas Pézenas (; Languedocien: ''Pesenàs'') is a commune in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region in southern France. Name The name "Pézenas" is derived from the older name ''Piscenae'', probably from the Latin word ''piscenis'', meanin ...

. The roads run parallel to each other until just to the North-East of Béziers when the A75 turns South-East to intersect the

A9 autoroute The A9 autoroute (La ''Languedocienne''/''La Catalane'') is a motorway in southern France. The road forms part of the European route E15, as does the A9 road (Scotland). The road runs between Orange and Perthus, in the Pyrénées-Orientale ...

.

Béziers to Perthus (444 km to 574 km)

After Béziers the

A9 autoroute The A9 autoroute (La ''Languedocienne''/''La Catalane'') is a motorway in southern France. The road forms part of the European route E15, as does the A9 road (Scotland). The road runs between Orange and Perthus, in the Pyrénées-Orientale ...

runs parallel to the route of the RN 9 and takes the majority of through traffic from Béziers. There the road crosses the Canal du Midi and river Orb and continues over the river Aude to

Narbonne Narbonne (, also , ; oc, Narbona ; la, Narbo ; Late Latin:) is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about from the shores of the ...

. The section south of Béziers is reclassified as the ''D 6009''. Thereafter the road heads along the ''Étang de Bages et de Sigean'' as the mountains push further East. The road is overlooked here by the ''Massif de Fontfroide'' and thereafter heads through the vineyards of Fitou. The road passes round the shores of the ''Étang de Leucate ou de Salses''. The road enters Northern Catalonia at the ''Fort de Sales''. The road is downgraded to the D 900 and passes through the plain of Roussillon to the city of Perpignan where it crosses the rivers Têt and

Tech Tech or The Tech may refer to: * An abbreviation of technology or technician * Tech Dinghy, an American sailing dinghy developed at MIT * Tech (mascot), the mascot of Louisiana Tech University, U.S. * Tech (river), in southern France * "Tech" ...

. The plain is dominated by the

Pyrénées The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...

to the South and the Corbières Massif to North. It then passes Le Boulou where it enters the ''Monts Albères'' which form the Eastern ridge of the Pyrénées. The road climbs to the frontier at Le Perthus and the Col du Perthus where the road enters

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, in the village of

Els Límits Els Límits () is a Spanish village, a civil parish of the municipality of La Jonquera, situated in the province of Girona, Catalonia, in Spain. As of 2005 its population was of 115. Its Spanish name is Los Límites. History The origins of th ...

. The road continues as the

N-II N-II was the former name for the Route Nacional from Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million ...

/A-2 in Spain. The adjacent autoroute A 9 becomes the

Autopista AP-7 The ''Autopista AP-7'' (also called ''Autopista del Mediterráneo'') ( ca, Autopista de la Mediterrània) is a Spanish autopista (controlled-access highway). It runs along the Mediterranean coast of Spain. AP-7 has two different sections (911+ ...

. {{Authority control 009

Reclassification

Route

Moulins to Clermont Ferrand (0 km to 103 km)

Clermont Ferrand to Béziers (103 km to 444 km)

Béziers to Perthus (444 km to 574 km)