Le Petit Graillou
What to order: the truffade with Auvergne ham, the local dish
geocalia
Day itinerary · 45.77° N · 2.96° E
A day inside the volcanoes, the Lemptégy quarry, a truffade and Vulcania.
A guided visit inside the Volcan de Lemptégy, truffade facing the Puy de Dôme at Montrodeix and the afternoon at the Vulcania park, about two hours twenty from Lyon.
Leaving from
Direct flight to Lyon fromBarcelona 1 h 30Valencia 1 h 45Madrid 2 hMálaga 2 h 30Sevilla 2 h 30Lanzarote 4 hGran Canaria 4 h 15Tenerife Sur 4 h 15
Part of Chaîne des PuysMassif Central
Add to my trip
Total time12 h
By car2 h 15 each way
From LyonBy car, about 2 h 20
From SpainFlight to Lyon and hire car
Lemptégy€14 adult · €11.50 ages 4 to 12, on foot
VulcaniaFrom €28 adult · €23 ages 6 to 16
DifficultyEasy
With childrenYes, from age 3–4
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Lyon 2 h 15 by car
by the A89 to exit 26, about 5 minutes from the volcano
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1
Visiting the inside of the Volcan de Lemptégy, on foot or by little train
Volcan de Lemptégy · 2 h 30 · book online; from €14, or €18 by little train
+33 4 73 62 23 25
- 15 min by car10,4 km
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2
Le Petit Graillou
book by phone; truffade and Auvergne ham, €18
9 place des Parsières, Montrodeix, 63870 Orcines · +33 4 73 69 37 13
Restaurant €€Book - 15 min by car10,5 km
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3
Vulcania, the volcano theme park at Saint-Ours-les-Roches
ticket bought online; check the day's closing time
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Back home
in Lyon around 21:00
Approximate cost
About €35–50 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Visiting the inside of the Volcan de Lemptégy, on foot or by little train
A day to understand volcanoes from the inside, designed for children. In the morning you go down with a guide to the bottom of Lemptégy, a volcano that a quarry cut open. At midday you eat truffade on a terrace facing the Puy de Dôme. In the afternoon, Vulcania, the volcano park, five minutes from Lemptégy. It is a full day: if you travel with small children, consider sleeping nearby and leaving Vulcania for the next day.
Getting there from Spain
Fly to Lyon: there are direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Málaga and Seville. Collect the hire car and take the A89 towards Clermont-Ferrand to exit 26: Lemptégy is about 5 minutes away, roughly two hours twenty from Lyon. By car from Spain, along the A75 from La Jonquera, it is about 470 km to the plateau.
The day, hour by hour
7:30 · Leave Lyon. By the A89 to exit 26. The Lemptégy car park is free.
10:00 · Volcan de Lemptégy. Two and a half hours in four stages: immersive tour, guided visit through the bottom of the quarry, the history of the place and the attractions. On foot it costs €14 per adult and €11.50 for ages 4 to 12; by little train, €18 and €15. Book your visit time online.
13:00 · Lunch at Le Petit Graillou. A quarter of an hour by car to Montrodeix, in Orcines. Ask for a table on the terrace, facing the Puy de Dôme, and the truffade with Auvergne ham, €18; for the children, the Auvergne burger. Book by phone and confirm that it is open that day: its website does not publish opening hours.
15:00 · Vulcania. Head back towards Saint-Ours-les-Roches. With the afternoon you have time for the planetarium, a giant-screen film and whichever attractions interest you most. In 2026 admission was from €28 per adult and €23 for ages 6 to 16; ages 3 to 5, from €7.50. Opening hours change by the day: check before you go.
18:30 · Return. In Lyon around 21:00.
With small children or out of season
With children under 6, take the little train at Lemptégy and check carefully which Vulcania attractions are for their age. If you travel from November to March, Vulcania is closed and Lemptégy opens from February: swap the afternoon for the Puy de Dôme train, which runs all year.
Time2 h 30
Change the route
If Vulcania is closed (November to March, or a Monday or Tuesday in September): the train to the summit of the Puy de Dôme:
Up the Puy de Dôme on the Panoramique des Dômes train
If Le Petit Graillou is not open that day: €14 children's menu in Orcines, Wednesday to Sunday at midday:
L'Auberge de la Fontaine du Berger
If your children prefer walking to screens: the Pariou crater in two hours, free:
Climbing to the Puy de Pariou crater from the Les Goules car park
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
Le Resto d'Epicure, at the summit of the Puy de Dôme
What to order: the €39 three-course menu, and the Auvergne cheese board if you are hungry
L'Auberge de la Fontaine du Berger
What to order: the €44 menu with the Saint-Nectaire supplement, or the godaille, the fish of the day as it arrives
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Chaîne des Puys
From April to October, when Lemptégy and Vulcania are both open. Avoid Mondays and Tuesdays in September and early October, when Vulcania closes, and call Le Petit Graillou to confirm the day's hours.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Buy both tickets online
Lemptégy asks for a booking up to three hours ahead and some Vulcania tickets are only sold on its website.
- 2Call Le Petit Graillou
The hours change with the season.
- 3If you can, stay the night
Vulcania needs a whole day; with a night in Orcines or Nébouzat you enjoy it without rushing.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does the day cost?
Between €65 and €85 per adult and between €50 and €65 per child, with both tickets and lunch, excluding the journey.
Is there time to see Vulcania in an afternoon?
Part of it. The park sells one-day and two-day tickets: with children, an afternoon falls short.
Is it open in winter?
Not entirely: Vulcania opens from late March to early November, and Lemptégy from February to early November.
From what age?
Lemptégy is free up to age 4 and Vulcania up to 3; both work with small children.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/france/auvergne-rhone-alpes/chaine-des-puys/itineraries/inside-a-volcano-from-lyon
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.