The perfectly round crater of the Chaîne des Puys: 45 minutes up, then a few hundred metres along the volcano's rim.
The Pariou is the volcano you've already seen without knowing it: its near-perfect cone was the backdrop for the Volvic water adverts. In the Chaîne des Puys, a UNESCO site since 2018, it's the youngster: under 10,000 years old, one of the youngest cones in the chain.
From the free car park at the col des Goules, allow about 45 minutes on a wooded path, then a wooden staircase put there to protect the slope from erosion. At the top, at 1,209 metres, the crater opens up all at once: 95 metres deep, the deepest in the whole Chaîne des Puys. The path follows the rim for a few hundred metres: walking all the way round is not allowed, so the high-altitude grassland can grow back.
You can no longer go down into the crater (access closed since 2021, path taken out). Stay on the waymarked path: the view runs across the whole Chaîne des Puys, all the way to the Puy de Dôme.
Our take: for the effort it asks, it's the most rewarding volcano walk around here. Short, doable with kids, and at the top you understand how a volcano is built. Bring a jacket, it's windy almost all the time up there.
What you will find
- The crater opening up beneath your feet, perfectly round, all at once
- The deepest crater in the whole Chaîne des Puys: 95 metres deep
- The Chaîne des Puys stretching out on either side from the summit
- The short climb that pays off fast, without wearing you out
Local tip
Free car park at the col des Goules (D941), fills up fast in summer: arrive early, or take the Navette des Volcans shuttle bus from Clermont station (2026 season: spring school holidays, weekends in May, 4 July to 30 August and 17 October to 1 November; €1.60 a trip, free at weekends). Constant wind at the top, bring a jacket. Dogs on a lead across the whole site.
Good to know
- Set off early in the morning in summer, the col des Goules car park fills up fast
- Closed-toe shoes are essential, the volcanic ground is unstable in places
- Walking all the way round the crater is not allowed: follow the waymarked stretch of rim, the view already changes a lot from one end to the other
- Access to the bottom of the crater is closed, stay on the waymarked path
Practical information
- Accessibility
- Not wheelchair accessible
