I visited this WHS towards the end of June 2019 on a very hot and sunny day. Originally I had already planned to visit almost two years ago, prior to inscription, and I had already bought my Puy de Dome return train ticket online (valid for 2 yrs and getting more expensive every year!). However, after postponing my road trip several times, I decided to visit as a convenient stopover before heading to the Frejus border between France and Italy.

Although the train departures are officially every 20 minutes during the summer season, when we visited departures were only taking place every hour, officially due to the high temperatures. The fact that there's only one small train going up and down the Puy all the time, means that more often than not, the official timetable might not be followed to reduce the possibility of the train breaking down. So keep this in mind when you plan your visit.

The Puy de Dome is a pelean volcano, a specific term used to describe energetic eruptions similar to those of the Pelee mountain in Martinique. The volcano is characterised by the lack of a proper crater. The lava builds up underneath the dome and the subsequent explosions typically cause glowing clouds. If you have more time available, the hike to the Puy de Come (1253m) and the Puy de Pariou (1209m) are worth doing but it won't provide any further interesting panoramic viewpoints. The latter is a strombolian volcano which gives 'fairly regular' explosions with flowing lava that creates a stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano.

If you also want to visit a 'maar', the most iconic one is probably the Maar de Beaunit (not sure if it is in the core zone though). It's the site where phreatomagmatic eruptions took place which are explosions caused when magma comes into contact with water.

The Puy de Dome is also a favourite spot among paragliders so the train can easily get crowded and hot (no airconditioning, only heaters!). That said, the panoramic view of the different volcanic formations from the summit of the Puy de Dome (1465m) is still a very impressive sight to behold when blessed with sunny weather and to me clearly possesses OUV, if only for the remarkable diversity and sheer concentration of volcanoes in a relatively small area in Europe. The reconstructed temple remains are also worth viewing. To date, there is no UNESCO WHS inscription plaque but only an information board mentioning the recent inscription and thanking everyone who supported the nomination. Best light for photography is in the afternoon.