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Paléopolis, the dinosaur hill 25 minutes from Vichy

Published 21 February 2021

Paléopolis, the "dinosaur hill", is in Gannat, about 25 minutes' drive from Vichy. The park offers a full day themed around palaeontology: life-size dinosaurs, fossil-dig workshops, exhibitions and activities. It is one of the easiest family outings to organise from Vichy.

Getting there from Vichy

Gannat is about twenty kilometres west of Vichy. The road is direct and the park has a car park. Gannat also has a railway station, but it is in the town and the park is on a hill outside it: with children, the car is more practical.

Allow at least half a day on site, and preferably a whole day if your children enjoy the workshops. Being so close to Vichy also means you can split the visit, for example one afternoon, then come back with the season pass for a summer event.

The park is particularly well suited to primary-school-age children, who get the most out of the workshops. Younger ones mainly enjoy the large animals along the trail. For teenagers, the escape game and the summer evenings add a bit more of a challenge.

What awaits children (and parents)

• The outdoor trail with its reconstructions of extinct animals, on a wooded hill.
• The workshops: digs, casting, discovering prehistoric art. You touch, scrape and observe.
• The indoor areas, useful if the weather changes during the day.
• An escape game, bookable in advance, for older children.

The site also points out that the region is rich in fossils: a prehistoric rhinoceros around 23 million years old was discovered nearby.

Season, opening hours and prices

The park opens according to a seasonal calendar that changes every year. In 2026, it was open from 10 am to 6 pm on opening days, with late openings until 11 pm on Wednesdays in July and August. The dates for the 2027 season have not yet been published: check the calendar on the official Paléopolis website before planning.

As a guide, 2026 prices for dated tickets were €16 per adult, €14 for 5 to 15-year-olds and €8 for 3 to 4-year-olds, free for under-3s. A season pass is available for those who come back.

• Book your tickets online on busy days (school holidays, summer weekends).
• Bring a hat and water in summer: part of the trail is in the open.
• A picnic saves breaking up the day; ask on site about the areas set aside for eating.
• Dress children in clothes that can get dirty: the dig workshops can be a little messy.

Rounding off the day

From Gannat, several outings are easy to combine before heading back to Vichy:

• The Vélorail de la Sioule at Le Mayet-d'École, a few minutes away: our article on the vélorail.
• For more ideas with children in Vichy itself, our article Vichy with the family.

A family stay in Vichy

For a family, having a kitchen and several bedrooms changes the whole stay. Our holiday apartments and our large houses for group stays can be booked from one night, with cleaning and linen included.