Hike Mont-Dore, Puy de Sancy, and Pic du Capucin

Initially, we climbed a little, rewarded by the first beautiful view along the way.

Then we began our descent, passing by the “Grande Cascade”, the large waterfall.

By the time we reached the village of Le Mont-Dore, we had overcome about 300 meters in elevation.

In the village, we took a short break to wait for the bus that would take us to the cable car station of the “Téléphérique du Sancy”.

With the cable car, we quickly and effortlessly reached an altitude of 1790 meters and enjoyed the view over coffee and crêpes.

Then we set out for the final stretch of the ascent to Puy de Sancy, the highest peak of the Central Massif at 1885 meters.

The path led over many small steps and was filled with other visitors also striving for the highest point.

It was only once we didn’t head back to the cable car station but continued our way at the top that it got a bit quieter on the paths.

We traversed various mountain ridges and passed several peaks until we reached the “Pic du Capucin”.

By this point, we had already hiked quite a distance down but took the funicular to overcome the last 175 meters in elevation and return to Le Mont-Dore.

The funicular has been in existence since 1898 and the cabins still look as they did back then.