Puy de Dôme
1,465 m
France
Also known as Пюи дьо Дом, Πυί ντε Ντομ, +4Also known as
Пюи дьо Дом · Πυί ντε Ντομ · პიუი-დე-დომი · Puèi de Doma · Дом · Puy-de-Dôme
- Elevation
- 1,465 m
- Prominence
- 485 m
- Difficulty
- 2/10
- Hike
- Best Season
- May–Jun
- Routes
- 1
Lift closedReported 5 Oct 2026 · until 16 Oct 2026
The Chemin des Muletiers is closed for works from Monday 5 to Friday 16 October 2026 (including the weekend of 10–11 October), and the Col de Ceyssat car park is inaccessible. Walkers can reach the summit only by the Chemin des Chèvres from the Panoramique des Dômes car park; the rack railway runs as normal.
volcan.puy-de-dome.frWorksReported 3 Feb 2026 · until 20 Nov 2026
Panoramique des Dômes maintenance week from Monday 16 to Friday 20 November 2026: no trains run and the reception buildings at the base and summit are closed.
volcan.puy-de-dome.fr
Routes
1The shortest and steepest way up the volcano: a 2 km stony path of 15 numbered hairpins, said to follow the old Roman road, climbing about 390 m from Col de Ceyssat (1,078 m) to the summit plateau, the Temple of Mercury and the rack railway's top station. 45 minutes to 1 hour up.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 2.4 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +384 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 1,465 m
- Time Up
- 1h 35m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 1h 04m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the car park at Col de Ceyssat (about 1,078 m) on the D68, the yellow-waymarked Chemin des Muletiers (mule-drivers' path) heads straight up the south-west flank of the dome. It climbs about 350–390 m in 15 numbered hairpins over roughly 2 km, on a wide, eroded and in places stepped path with interpretation panels; it is short but steep and relentless. Tradition holds that pilgrims climbed this way to the Gallo-Roman Temple of Mercury. The path tops out on the summit plateau beside the temple ruins, the visitor centre, restaurants and the TDF antenna. The highest point (1,465 m) is a few minutes away; paved walkways circle the summit with views over the whole Chaîne des Puys, the Monts Dore and Clermont-Ferrand. Descend the same way (about 40 minutes), by the Chemin des Chèvres on the north side past the Nid de la Poule crater (part of the GR 4) to make a loop back to Col de Ceyssat, or take the Panoramique des Dômes rack railway down to its base station in Orcines. The road beside the railway is closed to walkers. The path is regularly closed for maintenance for one or two weeks at a time; check the Département's site before going.
Start
Col de Ceyssat1,081 m
- Panoramique des Dômes rack railway (Orcines base station to summit), year-round apart from maintenance weeks
- No regular bus service to Col de Ceyssat was confirmed. The Panoramique des Dômes rack railway runs from its base station in Orcines (car park) to the summit in about 10 minutes; check the current timetable on panoramiquedesdomes.fr.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Col de Ceyssat → Puy de Dôme | 2.4 | 384 | 0 | 1h 35m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Col de Ceyssat1,081 m
- Summit: Puy de Dôme1,465 m
Key Passages
- Steep hairpins of the Chemin des Muletiers
- Temple of Mercury on the summit plateau
Equipment
0/3 packedDownloads
Route confidence 85%Overview
The highest and best-known volcano of the Chaîne des Puys (1,465 m), a 10,700-year-old lava dome above Clermont-Ferrand. A steep 45-minute path or a rack railway leads to the ruins of a Roman temple and a view over some eighty extinct volcanoes.
Puy de Dôme is a lava dome formed by an explosive Peléan eruption about 10,700 years ago, one of the youngest volcanoes of the Chaîne des Puys, about 10 km west of Clermont-Ferrand. It rises some 400 m above the surrounding plateau and gives its name to the département. Since 2018 it has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage site 'Chaîne des Puys – Limagne fault tectonic arena', and with nearly half a million visitors a year it is one of the most visited sites in Auvergne.
This is a walk rather than a climb. The Chemin des Muletiers from Col de Ceyssat is the shortest and steepest way up; the Chemin des Chèvres on the north side passes the Nid de la Poule crater, and the GR 4 crosses the mountain using both. The summit plateau is developed: a visitor centre, restaurants, the top station of the Panoramique des Dômes rack railway, a large TDF antenna and the excavated Temple of Mercury. The road beside the railway is closed to private traffic.
What makes it worthwhile is the view along the line of cones and craters of the Chaîne des Puys to the Monts Dore and, on clear days, the Alps. It is also a major paragliding site. Combine it with neighbouring puys such as the Petit Puy de Dôme or Puy de Pariou for a fuller day.
Climbing Notes
No special skills are needed; the Chemin des Muletiers is short (about 2 km, 350–390 m) but steep and stony, so allow 45 minutes to an hour up and wear proper footwear. The summit is exposed and the weather changes quickly — the Département recommends checking the summit webcam. In winter the path can be icy; microspikes help. The Col de Ceyssat car park (about 200 places) is often full by mid-morning in high season, so arrive early. Keep dogs on a lead (livestock graze on the slopes), stay on the paths to limit erosion, and check volcan.puy-de-dome.fr for path closures, which happen for one or two weeks at a time during maintenance.
History
The summit was a place of worship in pre-Christian times; the ruins of a large Gallo-Roman temple of Mercury, discovered in 1872, are now partly restored. In 1648 Florin Périer, at the request of his brother-in-law Blaise Pascal, measured a mercury column at several heights on the mountain and confirmed that atmospheric pressure falls with altitude. A physics observatory was built on the summit in 1875 and a TDF transmitter in 1956. The road to the top hosted Tour de France summit finishes, including the 1964 Poulidor–Anquetil duel and the 2023 stage won by Michael Woods. The Panoramique des Dômes rack railway opened in May 2012, after which the road was closed to general traffic.
Season
Best May–Jun- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Good
- May: Best (best window)
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Good
- August: Good
- September: Best
- October: Good
- November: Possible
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Snow and ice on the path; summit often windy and in cloud
- Feb
- Snow and ice on the path
- Mar
- Path maintenance closures have been scheduled in March
- Jul
- Very busy; car park full by mid-morning
- Aug
- Very busy; car park full by mid-morning
- Oct
- Path maintenance closures have been scheduled in October
- Nov
- Short days; railway maintenance week in November
- Dec
- Winter conditions; railway runs on a reduced timetable
Access & Permits
- Fees
- Panoramique des Dômes rack railway: return and one-way fares (children under 4 free); see panoramiquedesdomes.fr
- Rules
- The road to the summit beside the rack railway is closed to private vehicles and walkers; open to cyclists only during limited, announced periods
- Dogs must be kept on a lead; stay on marked paths, close gates, no fires, no picking plants
- Part of the Chaîne des Puys – Limagne fault UNESCO World Heritage site and the Volcans d'Auvergne Regional Natural Park
- Getting There
Clermont-Ferrand; Orcines
Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne Airport (CFE)
- Car: from Clermont-Ferrand via the D941 and D68 to the Col de Ceyssat car park (about 200 spaces; often full by 10:00 in high season)
- Rack railway: Panoramique des Dômes from its base station and car park in Orcines to the summit in about 10 minutes
- On foot: the GR 4 crosses the mountain via the Chemin des Chèvres and the Chemin des Muletiers
Hazards
- Weather