Drôme, Ardèche and the Cèze

6 days · ~10 h 50 driving ·Perched villages, Rivers, Castles

Six days down the Rhône valley, from Lyon to Marseille, through the villages on either side of the river. The trip starts at the abbey of Saint-Antoine-l'Abbaye and at Châtillon-en-Diois under the cliffs of the Glandasse, then follows the Drôme provençale through Mirmande, Le Poët-Laval with its Hospitaller castle, Grignan, where Madame de Sévigné is buried, and La Garde-Adhémar above the Rhône. Across the river come Vogüé and Balazuc on the Ardèche and, in the north of the Gard, Lussan, La Roque-sur-Cèze, Montclus and Aiguèze at the mouth of the Ardèche gorges.

6 days · ~10 h 50 driving · Perched villages, Rivers, Castles

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3 · ·
Day 4 · ·
Day 5 · ·
Day 6

Day by day

Driving times are approximate, from OpenStreetMap roads without traffic; long legs are rougher estimates. The Google Maps links give up-to-date times.

Day 1
~1 h 20 driving · 2 h visiting
1. Lyon AirportLeaving from
2. ~1 h 20 driving · 102 km
  Saint-Antoine-l'AbbayeAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes
3. Overnight in Saint-Antoine-l'Abbaye
Day 2
~1 h 50 driving · 2 h visiting
1. ~1 h 50 driving · 94 km
  Châtillon-en-DioisAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes
2. Overnight in Châtillon-en-Diois
Day 3
~2 h 30 driving · 6 h visiting
1. ~1 h 15 driving · 72 km
  MirmandeAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes
2. ~45 min driving · 36 km
  Le Poët-Laval Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
3. ~30 min driving · 26 km
  Grignan Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
4. Overnight in Grignan
Day 4
~1 h 20 driving · 6 h visiting
1. ~20 min driving · 18 km
  La Garde-Adhémar Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
2. ~50 min driving · 49 km
  VogüéAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes
3. ~10 min driving · 9 km
  BalazucAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes
4. Overnight in Balazuc
Day 5
~1 h 50 driving · 6 h visiting
1. ~1 h driving · 54 km
  LussanOccitania
2. ~30 min driving · 24 km
  La Roque-sur-Cèze Occitania
3. ~20 min driving · 15 km
  Montclus Occitania
4. Overnight in Montclus
Day 6
~2 h driving · 2 h visiting
1. ~20 min driving · 15 km
  Aiguèze Occitania
2. ~1 h 40 driving · 131 km
  Marseille AirportReturning to

What you'll eat

Châtillon-en-Diois

Clairette de DieWineSparkling wine of the Diois
Châtillon-en-Diois (FR)WineLocal AOC wine
Châtillon lambLocal produceLocal sheep farming

Grignan

Grignan-les-Adhémar wineWineAOC wine, formerly Coteaux du Tricastin
TrufflesLocal produceGrown locally and celebrated at a February truffle weekend
HoneyLocal produceMade by many local beekeepers

La Garde-Adhémar

Truffe du TricastinLocal produceBlack truffle from the Tricastin production zone

Also typical of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Typical of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
AligotDish
Typical of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
TruffadeDish
Typical of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Green lentil of Le PuyLocal produce
Typical of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
CantalCheese
Typical of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Saint-nectaireCheese
Typical of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Fourme d'AmbertCheese
Typical of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Bleu d'AuvergneCheese
Typical of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Potée auvergnateDish

Also typical of Occitania

Typical of Occitania
Petit pâté de NîmesBread and pasta
Typical of Occitania
Fish soup of SèteDishFish cooked with vegetables, white wine and olive oil, served with rouille croutons
Typical of Occitania
Pain paillasse de LodèveBread and pasta
Typical of Occitania
TourinDishGarlic soup typical of the Dordogne and the Toulouse area
Typical of Occitania
MilhàsDishMaize or millet flour porridge, set and often grilled, eaten in Languedoc
Typical of Occitania
BajanaDishTraditional chestnut soup of the Cévennes

Based on Wikipedia (Châtillon-en-Diois, Grignan, La Garde-Adhémar, Cuisine auvergnate, Cuisine occitane) (CC BY-SA).

Day by day

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4