All around La Chaise Dieu or Casa Dei

In the heart of the Livradois-Forez Regional Park, a beautiful walk from hamlet to hamlet, through forests and fields, and an opportunity to discover or rediscover La Chaise-Dieu and its rich heritage.

Details

n°386293

Creation:
15 Oct 2016

Last update:
25 Oct 2016

Last review:
27 Dec 2025

Activity: Walking
Distance: 10.52 km
Average duration: 3h 40
Difficulty: Moderate
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 220 m
Descent: - 220 m
Highest point: 1,082 m
Lowest point: 918 m

Country: France
Area: Massif central
District: La Chaise-Dieu (43160)
Start/End: N 45.316303° / E 3.69677°
IGN map(s): Ref. 2734O
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Description of the walk

Parking at the station at the entrance to La Chaise-Dieu on the road from Le Puy-en-Velay (motorhome area at the back of the car park).

(S/E) Cross the road alongside the car park and turn right onto Avenue de la Gare, which leads down to the centre of the village.
500 metres further on, after passing the foot of the abbey's grand staircase, turn right onto the uphill lane (Rue de l'Aumône) that runs alongside the abbey.
Cross and exit Place Lafayette via the Porte du For (at the top left). Then take Rue Georges Cziffra on the left.

(1) After 500 metres, at the large crossroads, continue straight ahead (northbound) on the Thiers-Vichy road (D906). Follow this road for 300 metres.

(2) Turn left onto the small road towards the village of Baffour. Continue north on this road to reach Baffour, cross the village, staying on the main road, which then heads west towards the hamlet of Mozun. Just before the hamlet, ignore a first small grassy track on the left and then, immediately after, a second larger stony track on the right, and continue straight ahead to reach Mozun.

(3) Take the path that enters the forest, passing an unoccupied farm on the left side of the path. At the fork, turn right, ignoring the path on the right and staying on this well-marked path. You will then reach a three-way junction.

(4) Take the larger path on the left, which descends towards the south-west. At the next crossroads, continue straight ahead, crossing the track you come to. Reach Boissieux and descend into the hamlet, staying on the small main road.

(5) Pass under the old railway bridge to reach the Chaise Dieu-Saint-Germain l'Herm-Issoire road (D499). Turn right onto this road. Then take the first grassy path on the left (south-west) and continue straight ahead to reach a new track.

(6) Turn left onto this track and you will soon reach the^GRP® Robe de Bure et Cotte de Mailles trail, marked in yellow and red.

(7) Take this^{GR® trail} to the right and reach the hamlet of Lachaux. Keep right on the road that descends towards the bottom of the hamlet and continue following the markings until you reach a new fork.

(8) Leave the^GRP® and turn left towards the south to reach the hamlet of Valentin.

(9) Continue and, in front of the small Senouire stream, take the grassy path on the left which climbs eastwards and leads to a relay antenna.

(10) Take the wide track on the left and continue straight ahead, crossing the D4 twice to reach La Chaise-Dieu.

(11) Cross the road again and follow the small street on the left (no entry), then continue left along Rue Baniche to reach the centre of the village.
Opposite the large steps of the abbey church, take Avenue de la Gare on the right, but just after the bakery, take the small vaulted passage on the left. Walk along Place de l'Écho on the left, a small square on the right, then turn right into Rue Pablo Picasso to reach the station car park (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,082 m - Car park at the station.
1 : km 1.2 - alt. 1,066 m - At the crossroads, continue straight ahead, heading north.
2 : km 1.84 - alt. 1,054 m - At the fork, turn left towards Baffour.
3 : km 3.62 - alt. 1,043 m - In Mozun, take the path to the right of the houses.
4 : km 4.45 - alt. 1,058 m - Fork in the road: take the left path.
5 : km 5.26 - alt. 990 m - After the railway bridge, take the road on the right.
6 : km 5.81 - alt. 941 m - At the crossroads, turn left towards the south-east.
7 : km 6.12 - alt. 956 m - Junction: follow the GRP to the right.
8 : km 6.76 - alt. 950 m - Fork in the road: take the left fork.
9 : km 7.25 - alt. 918 m - At the stream, turn left.
10 : km 7.94 - alt. 962 m - At the crossroads (telephone mast), follow the track on the left.
11 : km 9.38 - alt. 1,047 m - D4, cross and continue to the left.
S/E : km 10.52 - alt. 1,082 m - Car park at the station.

Notes

Unmarked hike, except for a very short section marked in yellow and red (^GRP®).
The paths are in very good condition, so sturdy footwear will suffice. However, they can be quite muddy in the woods when it rains.

Worth a visit

La Chaise-Dieu and its rich heritage: the 11th-century Benedictine abbey, of which the 15th-century Gothic abbey church remains, with its famous danse macabre, numerous carved stalls and flamboyant Gothic rood screen.
In the village, there are numerous craft shops during the tourist season and an internationally renowned classical music festival in the abbey church at the end of August.
The Mont Bar peat bog and the medieval village of Allègre are 15 km away.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5

Based on 15 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5

Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5

Route interest
4.1 / 5

User 7988377

27 Dec 2025 at 16:46 3600

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Easy hike, suitable for dogs. Some sections are on roads, but these can easily be avoided by taking the paths that run alongside them. Be sure to wear sturdy footwear, as the trails are VERY muddy in places.

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senior rando

12 Jul 2025 at 16:28 7200

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

disappointed by our visit to La Chaise-Dieu. The abbey is beautiful, but the village surrounding it is really sad; it looks abandoned

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les ceyratois

24 Feb 2025 at 13:56 3600

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike, even if the start is a little disappointing because, to find the first path, you have to walk along the edge of a busy road.
The directions on the Visorando website are fairly clear.

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Robert_Claude

05 Sep 2024 at 17:09 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk in the woods and around La Chaise Dieu

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francois 38

22 Apr 2024 at 12:12 7200

the weather did not permit hiking

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Didgtt01

18 Oct 2023 at 12:22 7200

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

There is an alternative route at the start that avoids the road.

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PASC43

09 Oct 2023 at 21:17 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Very easy hike, with some road walking at the beginning, very nice view of the abbey.

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Manegore

18 Sep 2023 at 13:07 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant route on the Chaise-Dieu plateau. The only criticism is that between markers 1 and 2, the route takes a busy road, whereas there is an alternative route to Mozun, as suggested by another reviewer. It is also possible to avoid this section by taking the street on the left immediately after the level crossing, then the street on the right, which leads directly to the junction with the Baffour road.

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petite chose

05 Sep 2022 at 10:00 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike, but at the start, a little too much road for our liking.
So we changed the route at the railway line, taking a path that went directly to Mozun without passing through Baffour
We completed this hike with a marked route starting from the 'Le Serpent d'Or' fire station, which led to the Breuil and Senouire ponds.

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User 12502890

10 Jun 2022 at 18:59 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 10, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant, easy and short walk. We took our time and it took us three hours, with no particular difficulties. Bring water as there is no drinking water along the route. Lovely view of the front of La Chaise Dieu Abbey.

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Jardin27

08 Dec 2021 at 18:28 3600

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 08, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

I haven't used many of your routes yet. We'll see how it goes.

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Aristide MEGRELIS

31 Jul 2021 at 16:36 7200

See also: www.chemin-rando-hauteloire

You can download dozens of walks for free, then simply print them out.

These are the walks from the FFRandonnée guides, Haute-Loire committee (these guides are sold in bookshops and tourist offices).

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Aristide MEGRELIS

31 Jul 2021 at 16:28 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I really enjoyed this walk and would like to thank the author. Here are a few comments...

(1) Point 11 is incorrectly marked on the map. The intersection with the no-entry sign comes earlier (about 200 metres further west).

(2) Two paths are not maintained, which will not please everyone. To avoid crawling through tall grass, the paths between points 7 and 8 and 9 and 10 should be mowed (it would take less than an hour with a suitable tractor).

(3) The directions for getting from points 3 and 4 were rather misleading. I would say this... From point 3, continue straight ahead, staying on the well-marked forest road that enters the forest. After about 1 km, cross a wide track at a right angle and continue straight ahead. After 200 m, you will be in the hamlet of Boissieux.
I didn't see any forks or three-way junctions. I didn't see any unoccupied farms, just a simple house by the side of the road, which appeared to be unoccupied.

(4) At point 9, the mention of a relay antenna confused me. It is a very small relay antenna, a pole, and it is only visible in the last 50 metres before 10.

(5) At point 10, it says to go up to the district road and cross it once. At point 11, you cross it a second time and that's it. The way the text is written, I got the impression that you had to cross it three times.

(6) I completed the route in 3 hours, not counting breaks, at a moderate pace (I was a little tired after lunch that day, which I had in Baffour).

(7) I did not see a plaque on Rue Baniche (after point 11), but a little further up there was a plaque on Rue Sainte-Marie (the name of this street changes between the lower and upper parts).

(8) I didn't meet anyone.

(9) There was only one place where I made a mistake. At the bottom of Lachaux, I turned left onto a private road leading to a shed.

This experience was exciting and I will do it again. Best regards and thank you!

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anne-marie barreyre

15 Jun 2020 at 08:17 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 15, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Taken yesterday, 14 June, to enjoy a bit of sunshine...
A pleasant walk, good for getting your legs moving, but be careful, the grass was tall in one small section of the path, making it difficult to walk on with small children.
Also watch out for the woodcutting, which hides the start of a path at the telephone relay station.

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berniz

23 Jul 2019 at 22:22 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 23, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

We did this hike as a family on 18 July. It was very well signposted. Well done and thank you.

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Author

odile N.
18 Walks

Visorando member

District: Saint-Georges-Lagricol (43500)

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