Smart tips from Matt the Explorer

Dug into a lava flow and benefiting from pleasant outdoor spaces with beautiful views of part of the Chaîne des Puys, Vulcania offers several indoor and outdoor activities, which allow you to appreciate the park in any weather from March to November.

In spring and summer, the temperatures are generally above 20 degrees, which is the perfect heat to enjoy the outdoor shows. Beware however of the rain, which can occur occasionally in May, June and August.

Do not hesitate to consult the opening dates of the park in order to organize your visit according to the season which best suits you.

During school holidays, wednesday and thursday are the most busy days. As many student groups come to Vulcania, it is recommended to plan your family visits on week-ends.

During the opening dates, the park is accessible from 10am. As the park offer is rich in activities, we advice you to plan your arrival from the opening time in order to have plenty of time to enjoy as many attractions as possible.

Vulcania is located at an altitude of approximately 1000m. Weather may quickly change, and temperatures may strongly rise and then decrease during the day.

When assisting in the summer evenings: don’t forget to bring warm clothes.

The Geyser is a space where kids can run and have fun with water games: make sure to have extra clothes with you.

Check the Vulcania weather forecast for the next 5 days:

In order to welcome you with the best conditions of health and safety, we invite you to book your tickets on our online ticketing so that you will be ensured to enter the park on the day of your visit.

On your arrival at the park entrance, you can show your tickets printed or displayed on your smartphone.

You can enjoy a complete stay in Auvergne by booking a package including your accomodations, your entrance to the park, and your breakfasts directly on our packaged stays website.

Vulcania offers you a selection of hosting solutions suited to all tastes (hotels from 1 to 5 stars, campsites, hostels,…) as well as additional activities with the main touristic places of Auvergne (Panoramique des Dômes, Aventure Michelin, ASM Experience).

Good deal: take advantage of the 2nd night with a 50% discount, or get a 3rd night for free (offers available for some hosts)!

Unemployed people, students, adults and children with disabilities can get a reduced rate on their entrance ticket.

The reduced-rate tickets are available at the cashier, on the day of your visit, upon presentation of proof. They cannot be booked in advance on our online ticketing system.

However, accompanying persons must have their tickets in order to be ensured to enter the park on the chosen day of visit.

You can buy tickets with ANCV vouchers at the cashier, you can also use them at the different restaurants of the park. However, it is not possible to pay on the online ticketing with ANCV vouchers.

In order to make sure to enter the park with the best health and safety conditions, we recommend you to book your tickets on the online ticketing.

Access to car parks and entrance cashiers is possible until 2 hours before Vulcania’s closure.

Vulcania’s car park is free of charge. we advise you to note the name of the car park and the letter of the alley where your car is parked. You can write it down on the visit map that will be given to you at the park entrance, or localize your vehicle in the app.
It is authorized to use Vulcania’s car parks only during the opening times.

Vulcania also has a camper van area.

Pets cannot be accepted inside the park, except assistance dogs for visitors with disabilities. If you plan to come with a pet, we invite you to seek for a kennel near Vulcania.

Vulcania does not offer its own solution to keep your pet while you visit the park.

It is recommended to spend at least one day discovering the park if you want to fully enjoy it: the average time spent on site is more than 6h.

You may leave the park in order to come back later on the same day: to freely leave and reenter the park during the day, you will need to get your wrist stamped at the cashier or at the reception.

It is possible to plan your visit on 2 days by purchasing a second-day ticket directly on site on the first day of your visit. You will then have the opportunity to come back within 7 days for a second exploration.

Vulcania offers a one-hour guided tour to discover the park’s history (available only in French), its architecture and its content. We advise you to book a session as it will help you localize yourself on site. The guided tour can be booked online with your entrance tickets, at the cashier or at the information area (level -1) for €5.00 per person.

In Vulcania, you can freely visit all the spaces and attractions in the order that best suits you. You will find suggested visit routes on our website or in the app. On your arrival, a free visit map will be given to you, on which will be listed the access times to all the attractions.

The Vulcania teams remain at your disposal to advise you and help you organize your visit. On busy days, it is strongly recommended to call them.

Many activities are dedicated to children. You will find information about those animations on the website, the visit map, displayed on screens or by asking our teams. Beware: some activities are only available by online or on site booking (Cité des enfants, Rivière des minéraux).

We advise you to book your session at the Cité des enfants (Children’s lab) and Rivière des minéraux at the same time as your tickets. You can otherwise book your session (according to availability) at the cashier when the park opens.

Below 3 years old, toddlers will barely appreciate the content of Vulcania’s attractions.

Think of our “young kid solution“! In order to allow young parents to enjoy the attractions while staying in family, Vulcania gives the opportunity to access one after the other to the dynamic attractions when one or several kids are shorter than the minimum height. On the day of your visit, go to the reception located on level -1 to get more information about this solution.

For families with toddlers, Vulcania also lends out free strollers. We invite you to go to the reception at level -1 to benefit from this free loan with the deposit of an ID document (according to availability).

Vulcania has 5 catering areas with a wide offer from sandwiches to brasseries: the ‘Comptoir du cratère’, the “Cafétéria des Puys“, the ”Panorama“, the “Kiosque Namazu” and the “Magma café“. Take a look at our restaurants.

It is not possible to benefit from catering services in the evening, except on  “summer evenings”.

On busy days, we advise you to have lunch outside of peak hours. The “Cafétéria des Puys” opens from 11:30am to 3pm everyday during the French school holidays, and from 11.30am to 2.30pm only on weekends for the rest of the season. You can also buy your sandwiches at the ‘Magma café’ from the opening and until the closing of the park.

In order to help you plan your visit, the park offers lunch formulas for adults and kids, available for online booking, at 1 restaurant: the ‘Comptoir du cratère’.

Warning: the lunch formulas must be booked at least 48h before your visit so that our teams can welcome you in the best conditions.

It is possible to have a picnic indoor / inside the park which has dedicated areas (sheltered room and shaded outdoor pitches). You can therefore bring your own lunch to Vulcania.

If you want to leave your lunch in your car, you can get your wrist stamped at the cashier or at the reception desk (level -1) in order to get back to the park later.