Vulcania Tickets: Prices, Season Dates & Smart Booking Tips

Inside Vulcania: what you’re paying for

Vulcania is a science-led theme park about volcanoes, natural phenomena and the Earth in space, set in the Chaîne des Puys about 20 minutes west of Clermont-Ferrand. It grew out of a dream of the volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft, was designed by the Austrian architect Hans Hollein and opened on 20 February 2002. The Auvergne regional council owns it, and it has welcomed more than eight million visitors since opening.

Much of the park is dug into a lava flow, beneath Hollein’s landmark cone. Your Vulcania tickets cover everything inside: dynamic rides, giant-screen films, shows, exhibitions and activities with the park’s scientific team. The rides that anchor a visit:

• Namazu — a family coaster themed on earthquakes and a team of seismologists; voted Best New Attraction at the 2021 Parksmania Awards. Minimum 120 cm.
• Dragon Ride — one of the headline dynamic rides; minimum 110 cm.
• Réveil des Géants d’Auvergne (Awakening of the Auvergne Giants) — the eruption of a new volcano in the region; minimum 110 cm.
• Terre en colère (Angry Earth) — relaunched in a new version in 2025; minimum 110 cm.
• Abyss Explorer — a journey under the ocean; minimum 90 cm.
• Premier Envol (First Flight) — a family-friendly flight experience; minimum 90 cm.
• Volcans Sacrés (Sacred Volcanoes) — the gentlest dynamic ride, from 80 cm.

Beyond the rides, the planetarium is the largest in France, with a 22-metre dome seating up to 314 people. The film Regards sur les volcans plays on a 415 m² screen, and a giant-screen film about the Kraffts joined the line-up recently. The outdoor shows include free-flying birds of prey and Professor Yapadrisk’s explosive experiments, and on selected summer evenings the park stays open for shows and a sound-and-light finale.

Families with children of about 5 and up get the most out of it, and curious adults will happily spend a day here without children. For small children there are the Cité des enfants, the Maison Pitoufeu, the Forêt des dragons woodland trail and the Geyser water-play area. On Tiqets it was rated 4.3/5 from 274 reviews at the time of checking.

Timing is everything

Vulcania opens seasonally, usually from late March to early November. The 2026 season runs from 25 March to 1 November; the park is then closed from 2 November to 31 December 2026. In autumn the park was also closed on Mondays and Tuesdays from September to mid-October, so check the calendar for shoulder-season visits.

Prices and programmes follow colour-coded periods: green (low season), blue (French school holidays and bank-holiday weekends), yellow (special events and evening openings) and purple (the Astronomiales astronomy evenings). The green period is cheapest.

• Busiest days: Wednesdays and Thursdays during French school holidays, according to the park itself.
• Families in term time: the park recommends weekends, because school groups fill weekdays.
• Arrive at 10:00: the park opens then, and a full programme of rides, films and shows needs every hour you can get. Car parks and ticket desks close two hours before the park does.
• Weather: at around 1,000 metres the weather changes quickly. Bring warm layers for summer evenings and spare clothes for children heading to the Geyser.

Insider tip: Download the Vulcania app before you arrive and plan your day around the film and show times — the planetarium and giant-screen sessions run on a schedule, so fixing two or three of those first and fitting the rides around them avoids long gaps.

How to save on tickets

• Choose a green-period date. An adult dated ticket costs €28 in low season, against €31.50 in school holidays and €33 on event dates.
• Book a Smart ticket. Buying online at least five days ahead saves up to €2 per ticket; it is valid only on the chosen day.
• Know the age bands. Children 6–16 pay a reduced rate, 3–5-year-olds pay from €7.50, and under-3s go free.
• Split it over two days. A 2-day ticket works out at about €21.50 per adult per day in the green period, and you can add a second-day ticket at the park on your first day and return within seven days.
• Ask about reduced rates on site. Students, jobseekers and visitors with disabilities get reduced prices at the ticket office on the day with proof; these cannot be booked online.
• Bundle a stay. Vulcania’s package site combines nights with partner accommodation, park entry, breakfasts and extras such as the Panoramique des Dômes rack railway, with offers like a discounted second night at some hosts.
• Pay as you like. The ticket office accepts cards including American Express, cash and French holiday vouchers (ANCV).

Getting there without the hassle

Vulcania’s address is Route de Mazayes, 63230 Saint-Ours-les-Roches, in the Puy-de-Dôme.

• By car: take the A89 towards Bordeaux and leave at the Vulcania/Bromont exit; from the north, join it from the A71, and from the south from the A75. The car park is free, with a separate campervan area.
• By train: the nearest mainline station is Clermont-Ferrand.
• By shuttle: during French school holidays a public shuttle runs from Clermont-Ferrand station via the city centre, Chamalières, Royat and Orcines to Vulcania, taking roughly 50 minutes; it runs daily in summer, and in spring and autumn holidays you may need to reserve 48 hours ahead. It is priced as a standard local bus fare.
• By air: Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne airport is the closest.
• By taxi: the Clermont-Ferrand tourist office lists local taxi drivers.

Pets are not allowed inside, except assistance dogs, and the park offers no kennel. Re-entry on the same day is possible with a wrist stamp from the ticket office or reception.

Make it a trip

Vulcania sits in a UNESCO World Heritage landscape — the Chaîne des Puys–Limagne fault — so plan at least one extra day outdoors:

• Puy de Dôme is 15 minutes away by car. Walk up the old mule path from the Col de Ceyssat in about an hour, or ride the Panoramique des Dômes rack railway.
• Puy Pariou and Puy des Goules are reached from the Parking des Goules, 4 km from the park, on family-friendly trails.
• Clermont-Ferrand adds a city half-day, including the Michelin story at L’Aventure Michelin.
• For another science-driven park, Futuroscope near Poitiers makes a good partner on a central France road trip, while Walibi Rhône-Alpes, east of Lyon, adds a classic ride park on the way to the Alps.

More French ideas are on our France destinations page and the theme parks hub.