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
geocalia
Day itinerary · 45.77° N · 2.96° E
Two volcanoes on a Sunday, one by train and one on foot, two hours from Lyon.
Rack railway to the summit of the Puy de Dôme, Sunday lunch at an inn in Orcines and an afternoon on foot at the Pariou crater, about two hours from Lyon by car.
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 10
From SpainFlight to Lyon and hire car
Train€18.60 return from April to September
WalkingAbout 2 h at the Pariou
DifficultyEasy
DaysWednesday to Sunday; best on a Sunday
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 Clermont-Ferrand and the D941 towards Orcines
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1
Up the Puy de Dôme on the Panoramique des Dômes train
Panoramique des Dômes · €18.60 return from April to September · free parking
+33 4 73 87 43 00
- 10 min by car6,8 km
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2
L'Auberge de la Fontaine du Berger
book; €44 menu; on Sunday, at midday only
167 route de Limoges, 63870 Orcines · +33 4 73 62 10 52
Restaurant €€€Book - 3 min by car
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3
Climbing to the Puy de Pariou crater from the Les Goules car park
free Les Goules car park · about 2 h return
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Back home
in Lyon around 19:30
Approximate cost
About €50–75 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Up the Puy de Dôme on the Panoramique des Dômes train
The two best-known volcanoes of the Chaîne des Puys stand side by side, about two hours from Lyon. In the morning you go up the Puy de Dôme on the rack railway and see the whole line of volcanoes from 1,465 m. At midday you eat at a 19th-century inn at the foot of the Pariou. In the afternoon you walk up to its crater, the roundest in the chain, with the Puy de Dôme opposite. All within a radius of a few kilometres, around Orcines.
Getting there from Spain
Fly to Lyon: there are direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Málaga and Seville. Hire a car at the airport or in the city and take the A89 towards Clermont-Ferrand; the railway station is in Orcines, about two hours ten from Lyon. If you arrive the night before, sleep in Lyon and leave early, or go ahead and sleep already in Orcines or Chamalières. By car from Spain, the Chaîne des Puys is about 470 km from La Jonquera along the A75, without passing through Lyon.
The day, hour by hour
7:45 · Leave Lyon. By the A89 to Clermont-Ferrand and then the D941 towards Orcines. The station car park is free and large.
10:00 · Train up the Puy de Dôme. Fifteen minutes of rack railway to the summit. Walk round on the path at the top, look at the ruins of the Temple of Mercury and find the Pariou to the north: it is the round crater you will see up close in the afternoon. Bring a windproof layer, it blows up there. Return ticket, €18.60 from April to September and €17.20 the rest of the year.
12:30 · Lunch at L'Auberge de la Fontaine du Berger. Ten minutes by car, on the road to Limoges. Seasonal cooking with fish from Brittany and Auvergne produce: menu at €44, children's menu at €14. On Sundays it serves only at midday, from 12:00 to 13:45; book.
14:30 · Puy de Pariou crater. The Les Goules car park is three minutes away. Climb through the woods and the wooden stairs, walk round the crater along the rim and come down: about two hours in all, with about 200 m of ascent. Dogs on a lead.
17:15 · Return. By the same A89. In Lyon around 19:30.
With children or in bad weather
With children who already walk, the plan works as it is: the train is a delight, the Pariou is short and the inn has a children's menu. With fog on the summit do not go up: swap the morning for the Volcan de Lemptégy, a quarter of an hour away, and leave the Puy de Dôme for another day. If it rains hard, skip the Pariou too: wet ash is slippery.
Time2 h 30
Change the route
If you prefer to eat at the summit, April to November: €30 or €39 menu with views of the Sancy:
Le Resto d'Epicure, at the summit of the Puy de Dôme
If the summit is in fog or it rains: the visit inside the volcano, February to November:
Visiting the inside of the Volcan de Lemptégy, on foot or by little train
If you want a simpler lunch: truffade facing the Puy de Dôme, at Montrodeix; call beforehand:
Le Petit Graillou
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
Le Petit Graillou
What to order: the truffade with Auvergne ham, the local dish
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
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, Wednesday to Sunday, because the Fontaine du Berger closes Mondays and Tuesdays. On Sundays it serves only at midday, exactly what the plan needs. In winter the train runs, but there can be snow on the Pariou stairs.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Check the webcam before leaving Lyon
If the summit is covered, start with Lemptégy and go up the Puy de Dôme in the afternoon.
- 2Book lunch
On Sundays the Fontaine du Berger only opens at midday.
- 3Go up by train and walk down
If you are fit, buy only the single up and come down by the paths: you see the mountain up close.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does the day cost?
Between €65 and €80 per person with the train and lunch, excluding the journey and the car.
Can it be done on a Sunday?
Yes, it is the day it is designed for: the inn opens on Sunday at midday. Do not do it on a Monday or Tuesday.
Is it suitable for children?
Yes. The Pariou is a short climb and the train has no minimum age.
How long does it take from Lyon?
About two hours ten by car to Orcines.
And in winter?
The train runs all year, but the summit is often in fog or snow and the Pariou stairs can freeze.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/france/auvergne-rhone-alpes/chaine-des-puys/itineraries/puy-de-dome-and-pariou
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.