The Puy de Dôme: Paragliding, the Rack Railway and the Temple of Mercury
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
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400
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+100 France
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1 day
The Puy de Dôme: Paragliding, the Rack Railway and the Temple of Mercury
400 + 100 XP
The Puy de Dôme, a trachyte lava dome 550 m high and two kilometres wide at its base, tops out at 1,465 m and is reached by the Panoramique des Dômes rack railway. On its summit are the remains of the temple of Mercury, one of the largest mountain sanctuaries in Roman Gaul, built in the first or second century, abandoned by about the third or fourth and found again in 1872 when the weather observatory was being built. It was here, on 19 September 1648, that Florin Périer carried out the barometer experiment for his brother-in-law Blaise Pascal that showed air has weight. Since 2018 the whole Chaîne des Puys and the Limagne fault have been a UNESCO World Heritage site, and tandem paragliders launch from the mountain's slopes.
Required Activities
1
of 4
Take a tandem paragliding flight off the Puy de Dôme with a qualified pilot, and from the air pick out the line of cones and craters of the Chaîne des Puys running north and south below you, and the step of the Limagne fault dropping away east towards Clermont — the pair of them made this a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2018
2
of 4
Ride the Panoramique des Dômes rack railway up through the trees to the platform at about 1,415 m, then take the stepped path for the last 50 m of climb to the temple of Mercury and the summit mast at 1,465 m
3
of 4
Walk the excavated temple of Mercury on the summit, found by accident in 1872 when the weather observatory was being dug, and stand in the sanctuary where Pliny the Elder's colossal bronze Mercury by the Greek sculptor Zenodorus may have stood — no trace of it has ever been found. The observatory beside it, founded on 22 July 1876, was the first permanent mountain weather laboratory anywhere and is still recording
4
of 4
On the summit platform, work out what Florin Périer did up here early on the morning of 19 September 1648 — he repeated the mercury-tube measurement several times in front of witnesses for his brother-in-law Blaise Pascal, and the fall in the column between Clermont and this summit is what showed that air has weight
Take a tandem paragliding flight off the Puy de Dôme with a qualified pilot, and from the air pick out the line of cones and craters of the Chaîne des Puys running north and south below you, and the step of the Limagne fault dropping away east towards Clermont — the pair of them made this a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2018
Ride the Panoramique des Dômes rack railway up through the trees to the platform at about 1,415 m, then take the stepped path for the last 50 m of climb to the temple of Mercury and the summit mast at 1,465 m
Walk the excavated temple of Mercury on the summit, found by accident in 1872 when the weather observatory was being dug, and stand in the sanctuary where Pliny the Elder's colossal bronze Mercury by the Greek sculptor Zenodorus may have stood — no trace of it has ever been found. The observatory beside it, founded on 22 July 1876, was the first permanent mountain weather laboratory anywhere and is still recording
On the summit platform, work out what Florin Périer did up here early on the morning of 19 September 1648 — he repeated the mercury-tube measurement several times in front of witnesses for his brother-in-law Blaise Pascal, and the fall in the column between Clermont and this summit is what showed that air has weight
Before you go
The rack railway runs daily from late March to 1 November and then only on a restricted winter timetable, with no service for most of January and early February; check the calendar before travelling. A return ticket is about EUR 18 an adult and EUR 11 a child, with family fares. Adders live on the mountain, so keep to the paths and watch where children put their hands on warm rock.
If you would rather walk than ride, the Sentier des Muletiers from the col de Ceyssat is only 2 km but climbs 387 m, an average gradient of about 19 per cent, and takes 45 minutes to an hour; the department calls it short but hard. Cars can no longer drive to the summit.
Tandem paragliding off the Puy de Dome runs through the winter but weekends and French school holidays only, and has to be booked two or three days ahead on the forecast, with more cancellations than in any other season. The rack railway shuts for annual maintenance in the second half of November and again in late March, and the summit paths stay open and free even when the train is not running — the Sentier des Muletiers from the col de Ceyssat is the year-round way up.
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Challenge Location
XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
400 XP
France country bonus
+100 XP
Potential total
500 XP
Country bonus earned on completion of your first challenge in France.
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