Le Puy de D么me: Picnic with view on the volcanoes – Road Trip in France #9
This is only the 2nd time I visit the Auvergne, but the landscapes are so breathtaking that I don’t understand why there aren’t more inhabitants. I hope that there will be more jobs to develop the region because both in terms of gastronomy and visits, we have been spoiled.
While researching the places to visit, I was completely overwhelmed because there are too many things to do and see here. Too many things to eat too 馃榾 So I chose the best of the best: the Puy de D么me.
Note: this blog article is part of the “Road Trip in France” made in August 2020. To read the previous parts, click here : #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7 and #8
Part 1: Travel Diary
Part 2: Practical Tips
Part 1: Travel Diary
It starts to make a lot, travel books for this road trip. As it lasts 4 weeks, I might bring out at least 20 travel diaries, I hope it doesn’t bother you too much. At the same time, it’s so nice in France that every nook and cranny deserves its own article I think 馃榾
Panorama of the Meander of Tail
We still benefit a little bit from the spa of our hotel in Vichy before taking the car. We add in more this stop on the way, which makes us make a detour but the view is so worth it.
The place is very well arranged, be careful to follow the arrow ” M茅andre 30m ” instead of ” Panorama ” on the other hand 馃檪 Before, it was not so beautiful, a lot of green spaces were used for agriculture, but since the installation of a dam, everything has been reforested, and it now looks like the Amazon.
OK, I’m going to take myself out of the picture because you can’t see anything with the artistic blur. See ? It looks too much like the Amazon, doesn’t it ? A little further on the right, it’s not visible on the picture, but on the spot, you’ll see the little dam.
Panoramic view of the Domes
To get to the Puy de D么me, you have to type ” Panoramique des D么mes ” which will direct you to the train station that will take you to the top. I think that if I hadn’t planned to go there, I would have had to go there anyway. The Puy de D么me dominates the surroundings, you can see it for miles around, you can’t miss it, you can’t ignore it, it’s like that. The Puy de D么me is a popular stage of the Tour de France.
It’s quite possible to go up and down on foot, but given the path to be covered, I’d rather not. There are two recommended hikes: one for the ascent (45 minutes for 1.9km), the other for the descent (along the train tracks, but with several lookouts, to be done in 1h30).
In addition, the fares do not leave you thinking for a long time: single trip at 11.5 euros vs. round trip at 14 euros. This project has cost millions (50 minimum) to the region and the State, but the site has been recognized by UNESCO + Grand site de France so it helps a lot. The site was recognized as World Heritage 11 years after its application. I think Vichy can still wait, their candidature is too recent.
The train is super modern too, with large bay windows, it’s not like the one for Macchu Picchu but it’s almost that (cheaper).
Once you get to the top, you can’t miss the huge antenna belonging to a small military base. Besides, we see a lot of soldiers on patrol, but their working conditions are rather pleasant, it’s nicer than walking around Parisian train stations all day long. We are at 1465m of altitude, there is a difference of 10 degrees between the summit & the parking lot, but we don’t feel them too much because we are in heat wave period, it’s hot everywhere we go.
We are starving and decide to settle down for lunch first. Before leaving on a road trip, I ordered 10 black pork sausages from Bigorre from my favorite butcher in Rouen. I can be obsessive sometimes, if I like something, I can eat it non-stop for weeks or even months. And it turns out to be an excellent decision ahaha. It keeps super well despite the heat in the trunk, it’s too convenient, you can have a picnic at any time without preparation, plus it doesn’t make you (too) fat because they contain very very little fat. Completed with the foie gras recently bought in Alsace, some p芒t茅 de campagne bought in excess during the confinement & the bread from the local bakery, it makes us a terroir lunch, with a view please.
We did not choose the location with the best view, but just behind the paragliding pros. Some jump alone, others in tandem. In a few seconds, they can launch themselves, it’s too beautiful. With the wind we have today, some fly even higher than the summit and land at the starting point. Only a few land at the very bottom, at the level of the parking lot where the train leaves from.
We don’t have a single place where you can have a 360 degree view, but several paths around the summit allowing you to observe the different landscapes.
The Puy de D么me is part of the Auvergne Volcanoes Park which has more than 80 dormant volcanoes. Even with good weather, you can’t see them all, some are hidden behind the other, but the orientation tables are full of names.
This view is my favorite:
You can even see Clermont-Ferrand from afar. If you look closely, you can guess the black cathedral of Clermont-Ferrand.
There are ruins (an ancient temple dedicated to Mercury) on the spot and a museum explaining the origin of these ruins but I confess that I didn’t have the courage to linger on it
The surroundings…
We stopped when we saw a “belvedere” sign, but I am unable to tell you which village it is.
We then visited Montpeyroux, a “most beautiful village in France”, very small but cute. The sloping alleys are only pedestrian, but they aren’t hard to climb. I really liked to have a drink at the Bistrot Zen, the setting is nice, we are in the shade with a little wind, it’s perfect in the middle of the heat wave.
When I told you that you could see the Puy de D么me from the surroundings, I wasn’t lying to you. From the village, look in the distance, you can see it well, as well as the other volcanoes that are superimposed at the bottom, it’s magnificent!
The program is super light, but it took us all day. We go to our bed and breakfast, just next to Clermont-Ferrand (link Booking). From the garden, we can see the black cathedral of Clermont-Ferrand, it’s magic. We have the whole first floor for us, it’s modern and comfortable.
Our next article, it’s this way
Part 2: Practical Tips
Useful links
- Our bed and breakfast in Ceyrat (next to Clermont-Ferrand) : link Booking
- 4 weeks Road Trip in France by car: program & detailed plans here
- These points of interest are part of the +800 tourist places in France that we recommend. To access free Google Maps of the 800 places in question, click here
- More info about our car rental at Leclerc here
Budget
- Panoramic Domes Panoramic Train: 15.5 euros per person, departures every 20 minutes (bring your masks)
- Our bed and breakfast in Ceyrat (next to Clermont-Ferrand): 35 euros/night, available on weekends only (link Booking)
