Sleeping at Vulcania by motorhome is not only possible but remarkably convenient: the park has its own motorhome stopover area, connected to the entrance by a direct 500-metre pedestrian path, right in the heart of the volcanoes of the Chaîne des Puys. Unlike a simple car park, this is a genuine service area, landscaped and enclosed, managed by the CampingCar Park network. We slept there ourselves during our trip through Auvergne and, in this article, we share our first-hand experience with all the practical information you need to plan your motorhome stopover at Vulcania.
Vulcania motorhome stopover area: where is it?
The Vulcania motorhome area sits right next to the park entrance, in Saint-Ours-les-Roches (Puy-de-Dôme), and offers 65 pitches in a landscaped setting surrounded by tall trees. It is managed by the CampingCar Park network: creating an account on the CampingCar Park app is mandatory, and access works with the PASS’ÉTAPES card or a unique code generated by the app. You can book your pitch online in advance, and beyond 3 days on the area, booking becomes compulsory. The app also shows the area’s occupancy rate in real time: handy for deciding whether it’s worth booking or whether plenty of pitches are free.
Address: 2 route de Mazayes, 63230 Saint-Ours-les-Roches
GPS coordinates of the area: 45.812405, 2.948699
The rate is around €17 per 24-hour period, tourist tax and all services included (rate observed in August 2026; it may vary by season). A reduced rate applies for stops under 5 hours. For up-to-date prices, check the official page of the area.
A few rules and good things to know:
- The area is open all year round, even outside the park season (in 2026, the park is open from 25 March to 1 November).
- Vehicles over 9 metres are accepted on the area.
- Tents and caravans are not allowed: the area is reserved for self-contained motorhomes and campervans.
- Barbecues of any kind, charcoal or gas, are strictly forbidden on the area.
- During your day at the park, the visitor car park is free for cars and motorhomes alike (charging stations for electric vehicles are also available there): the paid area is only needed for the night.
Services available at the Vulcania motorhome area
The Vulcania area is not a simple car park but a genuine service area:
✅ Service point for emptying grey water and the toilet cassette (black water)
✅ Drinking water supply
✅ Electric hook-up (available for 20 vehicles)
✅ Free WiFi
✅ CCTV surveillance
✅ Waste sorting bins: general waste, recycling (paper and cardboard, plastic, metal) and glass
✅ Enclosed, landscaped space with tall trees, quiet day and night
✅ Online booking via CampingCar Park
✅ Pets allowed on the area, on a lead
❌ No toilets or showers on the area
With electric hook-ups limited to 20 vehicles out of 65 pitches, arrive early if electricity is essential for you, or stay self-sufficient, as most regulars do.
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Getting to Vulcania park from the motorhome area
This is one of the great strengths of this stopover: a direct pedestrian path connects the area to the park entrance. Count 500 metres, about a 7-minute walk. The gate is open from 9:45 am to 7:30 pm: you’re at the ticket booths right at opening time, and you can easily walk back and forth to your motorhome during the day.
And on evening show nights? We asked the park directly: the pedestrian gate stays open on those evenings, so you can comfortably walk back to your vehicle after the show. Just note that the park’s car parks and ticket booths are accessible until 2 hours before closing, and that during summer night openings the visitor car park closes at 9 pm.
Vulcania: a perfect park for families (even without thrill-seekers)
Vulcania is not a theme park like the others: it is a science park dedicated to volcanoes and natural phenomena, where immersion matters more than adrenaline. The park has only one true roller coaster, Namazu, a family ride on the theme of earthquakes, accessible from 1.20 m and voted Best New Attraction in Europe at the Parksmania Awards 2021. Everything else is built on immersive attractions and dynamic cinema: fly over Auvergne with Premier Envol, face volcanic eruptions with Réveil des Géants d’Auvergne, join animated journeys with Dragon Ride or Volcans Sacrés, and board the brand-new Expédition Hawaï for 2026. The park is also home to two of the most impressive screens in Europe: the CinéMax theatre, with its 415 m² surface and Dolby Atmos 7.1 sound system, and the Astrodôme, the largest planetarium in France, opened in 2023: an immersive 22-metre dome equipped with a 10K laser projection system and 7.1 sound, to explore Space as if you were there.
For families whose children are wary of intense rides, this is the ideal configuration: minimum heights vary by attraction, activities are available from age 3, spaces for the youngest visitors are plentiful (Cité des enfants, Forêt des dragons, outdoor playgrounds), and the “young children solution” lets parents take turns on the attractions when a child doesn’t meet the height requirement. An experience genuinely suited to all ages.
A park born from the passion of the Kraffts
Vulcania has a story worth knowing before you visit. It was Maurice and Katia Krafft, the most legendary volcanologist couple of the 20th century, who first imagined a centre dedicated to volcanoes in the heart of the Chaîne des Puys back in 1986. Nicknamed the “volcano devils”, they travelled the world to film and photograph eruptions at close range, until 3 June 1991, when a pyroclastic flow on Mount Unzen, in Japan, proved fatal to them. The project was revived after their death and the park opened its doors in 2002; it has since welcomed 8 million visitors. Today, Vulcania pays tribute to them with the film Les diables des volcans, screened at the CinéMax, and an exhibition dedicated to their collections: a moment of the visit that takes on a whole new dimension once you know their story.
Visiting Vulcania: tickets, duration and practical tips
Count one to two days to enjoy the park. For our part, we visited the park in a single day and managed to do almost all of the most important attractions, without feeling we had missed out on anything. A second day mainly lets you go deeper into the workshops with the science team, which genuinely deserve your time. What to know before buying your tickets:
- Ticketing works by pricing periods: in 2026, the adult ticket ranges from €28 in the normal period to €33 on night opening days. Up-to-date prices are on the official Vulcania ticketing page (in French).
- The “Billet malin” (smart ticket), booked online at least 5 days before your visit, saves up to €2 per person.
- A 2-day ticket exists, and a second-day ticket can be bought on site, an interesting option by motorhome since you sleep right next door.
- You can leave the park during the day and come back in by getting a stamp at the ticket booth. You can even picnic inside the park, in dedicated areas, and go fetch your picnic from your vehicle, a real plus when your motorhome fridge is 500 metres away. And if you prefer to travel light, several fast-food outlets are available on site.
- During the “Soirées de l’été”, the park stays open into the night and the day ends with Primordia, an open-air show of sound, light and pyrotechnics. The day ticket gives access to the park until closing time, evening included.
One clothing tip that matters: the park sits at 1,000 metres of altitude, and the weather changes quickly during the day. Even at the height of summer, bring a warm layer, especially if you stay for the evening.
Crowds and waiting times: nothing like the big parks
This is perhaps what surprised us most, in the best way. We visited Vulcania on a Sunday in late August, at the peak of high season, and the queues were minimal: between 5 and 15 minutes for most attractions, essentially the time for the current session to finish. Only the Namazu roller coaster, the park’s most popular attraction, displayed an announced 30-minute wait. A useful detail: the park’s official FAQ confirms that during school holidays, Saturdays and Sundays are generally the quietest days; our August Sunday proved it. The park’s free app, available in French and English, also shows waiting times in real time, handy for planning your day (WiFi is free throughout the park).
Our typical day: 15 activities with a lunch break
To give you a concrete idea of what a single day allows, here is our actual programme, lunch break included: six dynamic attractions (Expédition Hawaï, Terre en colère, Premier Envol, Volcans Sacrés, Réveil des Géants d’Auvergne, Dragon Ride), three films on giant screens (Les diables des volcans, Ouragan, Ce soir dans le ciel at the planetarium), three exhibitions and immersive spaces (Terre de volcans, Séismes quand la Terre tremble, Vulcania Story) and three activities with the park’s science team (Dans la peau d’un volcanologue, les séismes racontés, Expériences c’est show). Fifteen activities in one day, without rushing: that’s the pace this park allows.
Visiting Vulcania in English: what about languages?
Good to know for international visitors: audioguides with 43 commentaries about volcanoes and Vulcania are lent free of charge on arrival, at the ticket booth, against the deposit of an ID card, in five languages: English, Italian, Spanish, German and Dutch. The park’s app is available in French and English, the brochure exists in an English version, and the dynamic attractions, highly visual, can be enjoyed without any language barrier. Only the live activities led by the park’s science team are held in French only.
Travelling with your dog to Vulcania by motorhome
Pets are not allowed inside the park, with the exception of assistance dogs, and Vulcania offers no pet-sitting service during your visit. The park points to kennels in the surrounding area, but for a motorhome traveller passing through, that is not the simplest solution. The good news: dogs are allowed on the motorhome area, on a lead, which makes it easy to walk them during the day.
Our personal experience with our dogs
We chose to leave our dogs in the motorhome during the visit, but with real vigilance, and this is the important point to share. The area is surrounded by tall trees, but no pitch stays in the shade all day long. In late August, it was around 23°C with a light breeze: seemingly comfortable conditions. We nevertheless went back regularly to check the temperature, via the pedestrian path, and at midday it had risen too high inside the vehicle. We had to move the motorhome to a shadier pitch, and one of us stayed behind while the interior cooled down.
If your vehicle is equipped with air conditioning, the area’s electric hook-up lets you run it during your visit. Still, go back and check regularly: in case of a power cut or an A/C failure, you would never know from inside the park. This is our personal experience, based on the day’s temperatures, the characteristics of our vehicle and the temperament of our dogs: it is up to each traveller to assess their own situation, keeping in mind that at 1,000 metres of altitude, the midday sun heats up a vehicle quickly, even when the air feels cool.
Exploring the Chaîne des Puys from the area
The Vulcania area is also an excellent base camp for discovering the Chaîne des Puys, a volcanic ensemble listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Information panels provided by the Maison du Parc naturel régional des Volcans d’Auvergne help you plan your hikes, and the puy de Dôme, the region’s emblematic summit, is only a few kilometres away. With water, electricity and a service point on site, you can easily chain two or three days between the park and volcanic hikes. And since the area is open all year round, it remains a convenient stopover even outside the park season.
FAQ: Vulcania by motorhome
Can you sleep in a motorhome at Vulcania?
Yes: a 65-pitch CampingCar Park area, open all year round, sits right next to the park entrance. It offers water, electricity, a waste disposal point, free WiFi and CCTV, for around €17 per 24 hours, tourist tax included.
How far is the motorhome area from the park?
A direct pedestrian path connects the area to the park entrance: 500 metres, about a 7-minute walk, through a gate open from 9:45 am to 7:30 pm, which stays open on evening show nights. It is one of the most convenient stopovers we have ever tested outside a major park: no shuttle, no long walk.
Are dogs allowed at Vulcania?
No, pets are not admitted inside the park, with the exception of assistance dogs, and there is no pet-sitting service on site. Dogs are, however, allowed on a lead on the motorhome area.
Is Vulcania suitable for children who don’t like thrill rides?
Yes, it is even one of its great strengths: the park has only one roller coaster (Namazu, from 1.20 m), and everything else is built on immersive attractions, films, exhibitions and play areas accessible from the youngest age.
Are the queues long at Vulcania?
Very short, even in high season: during our visit on a Sunday in late August, waiting times were 5 to 15 minutes for most attractions, and an announced 30 minutes for Namazu, the most popular attraction. During school holidays, Saturdays and Sundays are generally the quietest days.
Can you visit Vulcania without speaking French?
Yes: audioguides with 43 commentaries about volcanoes and Vulcania are lent free of charge at the ticket booth, against an ID card deposit, in English, Italian, Spanish, German and Dutch. The park’s app exists in English, the dynamic attractions carry no language barrier; only the live activities with the science team are in French only.
Do you need to book the Vulcania motorhome area?
Online booking is possible via CampingCar Park and we recommend it in July-August and on night-opening weekends. Beyond 3 days on site, it becomes compulsory. The CampingCar Park app shows the area’s occupancy rate in real time: one glance is enough to know whether to book or whether plenty of space remains.
How long should you plan for a visit to Vulcania?
One day is enough to cover the essentials: we managed to enjoy almost all of the main attractions in a single visit. A second day lets you add the workshops with the science team. Sleeping on the area, the 2-day ticket is easy to organise, night opening included.
Conclusion: an ideal motorhome stopover in the heart of the volcanoes
The Vulcania motorhome area ticks every box of a successful stopover: direct pedestrian access to the park in 7 minutes, genuine services (water, electricity, waste disposal, WiFi), a quiet landscaped setting under CCTV, open all year round, and an exceptional volcanic territory to explore all around. It is exactly the kind of stopover we love: sleeping as close as possible to the experience, with all the comfort and freedom of life on the road.
To keep the journey going, discover our complete guide to travelling in France by campervan and our article on Disneyland Paris in a motorhome. And to multiply authentic stopovers with French producers, winemakers and farms all along your route, the France Passion guide is available in our shop.
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