# The Puy de Dôme and the Pariou crater in a day from Lyon: rack railway, lunch at the Fontaine du Berger and a volcano on foot

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.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/france/auvergne-rhone-alpes/chaine-des-puys/itineraries/puy-de-dome-and-pariou · Revisado: 2026-11-13

## El día
- 07:45 · Salida: 2 h 15 by car (by the A89 to Clermont-Ferrand and the D941 towards Orcines)
- 10:00 · Up the Puy de Dôme on the Panoramique des Dômes train (Panoramique des Dômes · €18.60 return from April to September · free parking) · Panoramique des Dômes, From €17 per adult
  - 10 min by car, 6,8 km
- 12:30 · L'Auberge de la Fontaine du Berger (book; €44 menu; on Sunday, at midday only) · L'Auberge de la Fontaine du Berger, €€€
  - 3 min by car
- 14:30 · Climbing to the Puy de Pariou crater from the Les Goules car park (free Les Goules car park · about 2 h return)
- 17:15 · Vuelta (in Lyon around 19:30)

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.

## Cómo llegar

### By car
It is the practical way: from Lyon to Orcines by the A89, and there are only a few minutes between the station, the inn and Les Goules.

### Without a car
There is a train from Lyon to Clermont-Ferrand and a bus to the Panoramique station, but the Pariou and the inn are far from the lines. If you do not drive, keep the morning at the Puy de Dôme and eat at the summit.

## Consejos

### Check the webcam before leaving Lyon
If the summit is covered, start with Lemptégy and go up the Puy de Dôme in the afternoon.

### Book lunch
On Sundays the Fontaine du Berger only opens at midday.

### Go 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.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### 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.