A one-week loop from Clermont-Ferrand through the volcanoes: the Puy de Dôme, the Sancy massif, Lac Pavin, Salers, the Puy Mary and Le Puy-en-Velay. Not a single toll on the whole loop, mid-mountain country roads, and two summits you cannot drive up: the Puy de Dôme is climbed by train, the Puy Mary on foot from the pass.
| Days | Stop | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Clermont-Ferrand | Start |
| Day 2 | Le Mont-Dore | 47 km · 55 min |
| Day 3 | Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise | 30 km · 40 min |
| Day 4 | Salers | 88 km · 1h25 |
| Day 5 | Saint-Flour | 66 km · 1h05 |
| Day 6 | Le Puy-en-Velay | 97 km · 1h45 |
| Day 7 | Back to Clermont-Ferrand | 128 km · 1h55 |
Road route calculated from the stops (OpenStreetMap). Driving times assume no stops and no traffic: add time for photo breaks.
From June to September: the Puy Mary roads are open (on average from 20 May), shuttles from 11 July to 23 August 2026. In winter, the Pas de Peyrol and the Col de la Croix-Saint-Robert are closed, and winter tyres or snow chains are required from 1 November to 31 March in designated mountain communes.
🚗 47 km · 55 min of driving from Clermont-Ferrand
Via the Panoramique des Dômes station (free car park), Orcival and the Col de Guéry (1,268 m) on the D983. No motorway.
🚗 30 km · 40 min of driving from Le Mont-Dore
D36 over the Col de la Croix-Saint-Robert, closed in winter, then down to Lac Chambon and Murol. In winter, the D996 via Murol.
🚗 88 km · 1h25 of driving from Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise
D978 via Condat, then Riom-ès-Montagnes and the D22 across the plateau. Minor roads, no motorway.
🚗 66 km · 1h05 of driving from Salers
D680 to the Pas de Peyrol (1,588 m), closed in winter, down to Murat, then the D926. In winter, detour via Aurillac and the N122.
🚗 97 km · 1h45 of driving from Saint-Flour
D990 and D590 via Langeac and the Allier valley, then the toll-free N102 to Le Puy.
🚗 128 km · 1h55 of driving from Le Puy-en-Velay
Sleep in Clermont, then in Besse via Orcival, Guéry and the Sancy, then in Salers and Le Puy-en-Velay via the Puy Mary, Murat and Saint-Flour. Back to Clermont on the toll-free N102 and A75.
| Cheapest month, November | ≈ €36 a day |
|---|---|
| Most expensive month, January | ≈ €51 a day |
| Offers surveyed over 72 hours, Sept. 2026 | from €22 a day (Kayak, airport) |
| Vehicle | City car or compact: the Pas de Peyrol roads are too narrow for two motorhomes to pass each other. |
|---|---|
| Where to pick it up | At Clermont-Ferrand Aulnat Airport, then the full loop: no one-way fee. |
| Age | At Europcar, from 18 with 1 year's licence; under 26, €40 a day extra. |
⚠️ At Aulnat Airport, some rental desks close at noon on Saturdays: time your car return to their opening hours.
All their departmental roads are limited to 90. Haute-Loire: 80, except 110 km of roads at 90.
The Puy Mary roads and the Col de la Croix-Saint-Robert are closed from the first snow until spring.
From 1 November to 31 March in the mountain communes designated by prefectoral order.
0.2 g/l for probationary licence holders. Up to 0.8 g/l: €135 and 6 penalty points; above that, a criminal offence.
Since 2012: Panoramique des Dômes train, or the Sentier des Muletiers from the Col de Ceyssat.
Depending on the time of day. In summer, no motorhome parking at the Pas de Peyrol from 09:00 to 18:00.
Privately driven speed camera cars everywhere except the Île-de-France. Detectors banned: up to €1,500 and 6 penalty points.
Between Coudes and Montpeyroux, south of Clermont: 90 km/h over 11 km of bends.
The low emission zone (ZFE) targets vans and lorries, not private cars.
Probationary licence: 110 on motorways, 100 on expressways, 80 elsewhere.
Since April 2024, insurance has been checked via the number plate. Keep your licence and the vehicle registration document.
≈ €2.15 per litre of SP95-E10, €2.40 for diesel (23 Sept. 2026)
Price recorded in September 2026: it changes every week, sometimes by 10 to 20 cents in a month. Today's price: prix-carburants.gouv.fr →
⛽ 456 km at 7 l per 100 km: about €70 at September 2026 prices, to share between passengers.
National averages from French ministry data. Prices vary a lot between stations: compare on prix-carburants.gouv.fr.
| A75 and N102, across the whole loop | Toll-free |
|---|---|
| A71 Paris to Clermont, if coming from Paris | ≈ €43.40 per journey by car (Ulys) |
| Panoramique des Dômes, adult return | €18.60 from April to September, €17.20 otherwise |
| Panoramique des Dômes car park | Free, 1,000 spaces |
| Pas de Peyrol car park (Puy Mary) | €5 a day, all summer |
| Puy Mary shuttles (Lignes du volcan) | €1.80 per journey, from 11 July to 23 August 2026 |
| Vulcania, adult online | €28 to €33 depending on the period (2026) |
| Pas de Peyrol roads (Puy Mary) | From the first snow until spring, reopening around 20 May |
|---|---|
| Col de la Croix-Saint-Robert (D36) | Closed in winter |
| Puy de Dôme summit road | Closed to cars since 2012 |
| Panoramique des Dômes | Open all year except 25 December |
| Vulcania | 2026 season until 1 November |
| Puy Mary shuttles | From 11 July to 23 August 2026 only |
Allow a week for this loop of 6 stages and 6 nights from Clermont-Ferrand: the Puy de Dôme, the Sancy, Lac Pavin, Salers, the Puy Mary, Saint-Flour and Le Puy-en-Velay. In 5 days, sleep in Clermont, Besse, Salers and Le Puy. Add a night in Clermont to spend a day at Vulcania.
No tolls on the loop, the A75 and N102 are free. Petrol: around €65 at September 2026 prices for some 500 km. On site: Panoramique des Dômes €18.60, Puy Mary parking €5, Vulcania €28 to €33. Car hire at the airport costs €36 a day in November, €51 in January. From Paris, the A71 costs around €43.
No. The summit road has been closed to traffic since 2012. You go up on the Panoramique des Dômes cogwheel train: 15 minutes, €18.60 adult return from April to September, €17.20 the rest of the year, with a free 1,000-space car park in Orcines. On foot, the Sentier des Muletiers starts from the Col de Ceyssat.
The three roads to the Pas de Peyrol (1,588 m) close every winter, from the first snow until the thaw; over 50 years, they have reopened on average around 20 May. In season, parking costs €5 a day, then it is one hour return on foot. From 11 July to 23 August 2026, shuttles at €1.80 run up from the valleys.
From 1 November to 31 March, winter tyres with the Alpine symbol or snow chains on board are compulsory in the mountain communes designated by prefectoral order: check the list for the Puy-de-Dôme, the Cantal and the Haute-Loire. In any case, the Puy Mary roads and the Col de la Croix-Saint-Robert are closed in winter.
From June to September: the Puy Mary roads are open, the shuttles run from 11 July to 23 August 2026 and Vulcania is open until 1 November. In spring and autumn, snow can still close the Pas de Peyrol: check before you set off. In winter, winter tyres or snow chains, and closed passes.
Driving rules, prices and closures checked in September 2026; hotels checked on OpenStreetMap and then on Booking. Rules change: read the official source before you leave, and check your own government's travel advice for the country. Stop photos: Wikimedia Commons, authors and licences under each image.
Off We Gooo road trip guide · offwegooo.com/en/road-trips/auvergne · by Pierrick, updated 1 October 2026
