The Ardèche is “where the French go to camp” – a not particularly populated area with lovely summer weather and a lot of outdoor riches. I really like it: it has a relaxed, comfortable feel with plenty of things to do, low effort dining, and generally is scenic and pleasant.
Historically, the region is famous for caves – the famous cave paintings at Chauvet Pont d’Arc in particular (claimed to be the oldest in the world). We haven’t done this yet, and have focused on the Romanesque architecture, beautiful roads, and swimming opportunities. We had two really excellent stays – Vals-les-Bains, in the Southwest, and in the south around the Gorges de l’Ardèche.
Alba-la-Romaine
A place we’d like to revisit – it’s picture perfect, with a castle and stone architecture. Pretty much nails the “adorable French town” look.
Gorges de l’Ardèche
In Summer 2025 we spent several days in the southern parts, listed in alpha order below. This was wonderful and we plan to return for the Barjac antique faire in the fall.
Aiguèze
This wasn’t on our priority list (beyond a place with restaurants), but it’s worth a stop! It’s a pretty medieval town, good energy, lots of cheerful tourism (in a good way). We had lunch at the popular **Le Bouchon, which has a huge number of tables and handles them well – a very professional operation. The menu has a bit of something for everyone.
We’d consider staying in this town for a future trip at Le Castélas – it’s a million dollar location with a hostel price.
Barjac
Our second dinner was in the seemingly non-descript Barjac – but wander into the old town and you’ll find a rather charming place, with many restaurant options and historic architecture. The antique market (2x/year) is very famous, and we’d like to return. We ate at the very unassuming **Patio 39, which has a fairly “rustic” setting and excellent food, mostly served with natural wine. The chef has a major pedigree and is starting out on his own with this new locale.
Montclus
The first hotel of the trip – a winner! ***La Maison Papillons is run by a lovely artistic couple, in a remote (but fairly accessible) area – technically in Montclus. The property is gorgeous, with several pretty, renovated buildings, a pool, and various grounds with places to relax. Bonus points for two cute chocolate labs, various stray cats, and chickens – and owners that really gave it a personal touch. We stayed 2 nights and were sad to leave.
The owners gave us a list of restaurants that all worked out very well. The first, in the historic walled town of Montclus, was easy and fun, giving us a chance to explore the town before having a casual dinner. **Le Murier sur Cèze à Montclus (the only restaurant in the village) has a large number of tables spilling around a central square, and a long menu of what I’d describe as as “American bar classics” – chicken fingers, burgers, salads, thai dishes, calamari, etc. It was popular and the staff were friendly.
Pont-Saint-Esprit
We stopped in Pont-Saint-Esprit, which has two side-by-side churches facing the river. At the moment, the experience is more dramatic from afar (as you drive across the river) – the town is a bit down at the heels and the buildings in need of restoration.
La Roque-sur-Cèze
Our first stop of the day was for **Sautadet Falls and **La Roque-sur-Cèze. The town – La Roque – is classified as ‘one of the most beautiful villages of France’ and it is indeed charming, a jumble of historic stone homes surrounding a hilltop castle and romanesque church (not accessible to the public). Worth a stop to wander the narrow streets and admire the many restored homes.
Sautadet Falls are not for swimming and the reason is immediately obvious – a lot of water cascading through a maze of hollowed out rocks – which you see from above. It’s an easy walk from the parking lot and worth a visit – and further down the river swimming is accessible.
Saint-Paulet-de-Caisson
*La Chartreuse-De-Valbonne is an odd place, reportedly looking for an owner. It’s huge, historic, and in poor repair, with a lot of promise, but also conveys a real need for money to continue. Real money – we heard an estimate in the $20M range.
A few miles away there’s a well preserved (or perhaps well-restored) Romanesque church, **Chapelle Sainte Agnès. The interior is a bit rough, but it’s a pretty building on a rise in the countryside.
Vallon-Pont-d’Arc
On to the main event – driving the **Route des Gorges to **Pont d’Arc. This is truly a spectacular road, in excellent condition, with many pullouts to admire the impressive view. We stopped and swam at Pont d’Arc, which really does seem mandatory (it’s a zoo, but in an entertaining way, a kid-sister experience to swimming at Pont du Gard).
There are many places to stay at the north end of the road that look very camping and family friendly, including the rather high end campground Rives d’Arc – Collection Rivages.
Saint-Marcel-les-Annonay
We stayed in the middle of nowhere at **Auberge du Lac in Saint-Marcel-les-Annonay. The pool lives up to the hype, but the rooms are a little tired and the restaurant is both expensive and not very good. We enjoyed biking around the reservoir, pretty area. In general this particular region doesn’t have much to do, lots of camping and kid-oriented activities.
Vals-les-Bains
Vals-les-Bains is a town in the southwest of the department of the Ardèche – it’s known for its thermal cures. It’s a classic Belle-Epoque spa destination town, in a pretty (and relatively isolated) area.
Vals-les-Bains’ history is old – a fisherman named Pierre Brun discovered the water of Vals in 1602. The town today has a large park with a natural geyser, and several blocks of restaurants and hotels. The spa itself looks large and fairly contemporary. The town is not particularly fancy (it’s popular with the harley crowd), but it retains a vintage feel without being stuffy or falling apart.
We loved our stay at ***Château Clément – a beautifully preserved turn-of-the-century mini-castle. The hosts are extremely friendly, our room on the lower level was comfortable and large, and there are two pools (indoor and outdoor) + a steam bath.
**1957 le restaurant was a good recommendation, well-prepared food.
The hotel recommended these options for our next visit –
- “Le Vivarais”, Restaurant gastronomique. Téléphone : 04.75.94.65.85
- “Circus”, Brasserie du restaurant gastronomique, Casino de Vals. Téléphone : 04.75.88.77.73
- “Les Arcades”, Hôtel de Lyon, Restaurant familial et traditionnel. Téléphone : 04.75.37.43.70
- “Chez Mireille”, Restaurant traditionnel. Téléphone : 04.75.37.49.06
- “L’Adresse”, Restaurant traditionnel. Téléphone : 04.75.37.97.73
- “Béatrix”, Crêperie, Glacier . Téléphone : 04.75.37.52.90
- “Pizza Flo”, Pizzeria. Téléphone : 06.78.08.30.95
Les Restaurants à Pont d’Aubenas
- “La Villa Tartary”, Restaurant semi gastro, bistronomique. Téléphone : 04.75.35.23.11
- “Les Coloquintes”, Restaurant semi gastro, bistronomique. Téléphone : 04.75.93.58.33
Les Restaurants dans Aubenas Centre
- “Notes de Saveurs”, Restaurant semi-gastro, bistronomique. Téléphone : 04.75.93.94.46
- “Le Pierrot”, Restaurant semi-gastro, bistronomique. Téléphone : 04.75.36.41.66
- “L’Aubépine”, Restaurant semi-gastro, bistronomique (sans terrasse). Tél : 04.75.35.01.28
- “Le Café du Château”, Brasserie. Téléphone : 04.75.35.31.24
