Le puy de Pariou

From this puy, go on an adventure to discover an authentic, preserved but still wild nature and admire the view on the famous volcanoes nearby.

The puy de Pariou is a young volcano, about 8,000 years old, of the strombolian type. This youthfulness explains the freshness of its forms and makes it a magnificent site, much visited today.

This type of volcano is characterised by a fairly fluid lava that rarely overflows from the crater. There are still active volcanoes of this type in Italy, but not in the Chaîne des Puys (whose volcanoes are dormant).

It is considered to be the Vesuvius of Auvergne, as it bears a modest resemblance to the famous Italian volcano, only in appearance.

The Puy de Pariou is the most photographed of the Chaîne's buildings because of the regular shape of its slopes illustrating a perfect volcanic crater. It is also known for its performance in the Volvic water advertisement.

The ascent to the puy is pleasant and simple, and is made by recent wooden stairs.

At the top, the landscape opens up to the tranquil immensity of the volcano, the beauty of its crater and the entire Chaîne des Puys.