Le Puy de Dôme

The Puy de Dome is a dormant volcano in the chain of Puys, in the Massif Central. It is located about fifteen miles from Clermont-Ferrand and gave its name to the department of Puy de Dome.
The Chaîne des Puys in 2000 became a listed site.

The Puy de Dome is one of the most visited places of Auvergne with nearly half a million visitors a year. This is particularly a place of departure for many fans of paragliding.
Two methods can be used to climb it: first a broad footpath, said the mule trail, starting from the neck Ceyssat (1078 m) and leading by a series of switchbacks to the temple of Mercury (1450 m) and also a toll road 6 km to 12% of the Puy and wrapping around to get into a car (or bus in the summer to limit the traffic and the environment). The road is open to bikes that some days before 9 o'clock in the morning.
The pedestrian access north (the GR4) is facilitated by the installation of wooden steps that let you easily reach the road (to be continued to the summit of 200 meters) that will eventually bring you to the top.