Biollet: Temple, School Museum and Walking Routes

Biollet offers a variety of reasons to visit: Buddhist temple art, insights into school life in the past, as well as walking routes and fishing opportunities. If you are planning a stay, you can choose a focus based on your interests. The Grand Temple and the Musée de l’école d’antan offer two different ways to explore cultural history; the trails and Étang du Cheix add opportunities for exercise and time outdoors.

Grand Temple and Visitor Activities at Étang du Cheix

The Grand Temple at Dhagpo Kundreul Ling is open year-round for self-guided or guided visits. A one-hour guided tour introduces the temple’s history and purpose and showcases various works of art, including numerous statues, murals depicting the life of Buddha and mandalas. You can therefore visit the temple on your own or as part of a guided tour.

Below the Grand Temple, the park features an Oriental-style bamboo grove. At Étang du Cheix, Les Ateliers du Temple offers visitors savory and sweet crêpes as well as hot or cold drinks. Visitors can also discover chocolate and candles made by the monastic and lay residents of the community.

School History at the Musée de l’école d’antan

The Musée de l’école d’antan recreates two classrooms from the 1940s and 1950s. Visitors can look for former pupils in old class photos and search old enrollment registers for familiar names. Upstairs, they can also explore the teacher’s room. The exhibition thus leads from the furnished classrooms to personal traces of former pupils and the teacher’s room.

Individual visitors and groups can explore the museum for free on a self-guided visit. Opening is seasonal; check which visiting days apply to your dates before travelling. The temple is open year-round, while the museum is open seasonally.

Walking Routes, Views and Fishing

The Temple Bouddhiste loop is an easy 4 km route and takes about one hour and 15 minutes. The 18.8 km Le Chemin du Temple loop passes near the Buddhist temple of Biollet and Étang de Cheix. In fine weather, the route offers views of the Chaîne des Puys and the Massif du Sancy, both part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The two loops therefore differ considerably in length; an approximate duration is also given for the shorter route.

Carp and trout fishing is possible at Étang du Cheix during the day; there is also a fishing platform. Fishing adds another waterside activity to the visits and walking routes.

Discover more destinations: Auzelles, Augnat, La Tour-d’Auvergne, Saint-Germain-Lembron, Dallet, Tauves, Clermont-Ferrand, Châteauneuf-Les-Bains.

For the broader travel overview: Puy-De-Dôme.