45.82° N · 2.95° E · Chaîne des Puys
By extracting volcanic gravel for decades, the quarry exposed the inside of the volcano: conduits, bombs and ash layers. You tour it with a guide, on foot or by little train, in about two and a half hours.
Part of Chaîne des PuysMassif Central
Who offers it
Independent companies: you book with them, on their terms. Prices are as they publish them and may change.
Step by step
The introduction, before going down into the quarry.
Through the bottom of the volcano, on foot or by little train, with a guide.
From quarry to visitor site.
The last stage, designed for children and families.
In the rest of the Chaîne des Puys you see the volcanoes from outside, covered in grass and forest. At Lemptégy you see them from inside, because a quarry took away half the mountain and left its insides exposed.
Lemptégy is a volcano of the chain that was worked for decades as a pozzolana quarry, the red and black volcanic gravel used in building and gardens. As material was extracted, the conduits through which the magma rose, volcanic bombs, lava flows and ash layers from different eruptions were left exposed. Today it is a guided-visit site at Saint-Ours-les-Roches, about 15 minutes from Clermont-Ferrand and a few minutes from Vulcania.
It is the natural complement to the Puy de Dôme and the Pariou: up there you see the shape of the volcanoes, here you understand how they were made.
It lasts about 2 h 30 and goes in four consecutive stages. First, an immersive show of about 30 minutes. Then, the guided visit through the bottom of the quarry, 1 h 15, on foot or on a little train. Then, 15 minutes on the history of the place and, to finish, half an hour of attractions. Visits have fixed times that you see when booking. In July and August there is also an evening tour.
In 2026 the visit on foot costs €14 per adult, €14.50 in July and August, and €11.50 for ages 4 to 12. By little train, €18 and €15. Children under 4 do not pay. Outside July and August there is a pass combining Lemptégy with the Grotte de la Pierre de Volvic, from €21.60 per adult. Book on its website, up to three hours before: you cannot book by phone or email.
The 2026 season ran from 10 February to 1 November; the 2027 dates are not yet published.
It is at 31 route des Puys, at Les Maisons Rouges, about 5 minutes from exit 26 of the A89. Parking is free, also for motorhomes. From April to November there is a shuttle from Clermont-Ferrand, free at weekends.
Who it's for
What to bring
More to do
Itineraries
Tips
Visits have fixed times and fill up in summer.
It saves the walk over the gravel and the visit is the same.
They are a few minutes apart: Lemptégy in the morning and the park in the afternoon.
Questions
About 2 h 30 in total.
In 2026, €14 per adult on foot and €18 by little train; children aged 4 to 12, €11.50 and €15.
They recommend it, on their website and up to three hours before.
No. In 2026 it opened from 10 February to 1 November.
Yes, the site is accessible; one train carriage takes a wheelchair if you book by phone.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/france/auvergne-rhone-alpes/chaine-des-puys/things-to-do/lemptegy-volcano
