The Drôme is the southernmost department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France – on the southern side, it borders the edges of Provence. It’s a lovely, rural, and not particularly explored part of France, with winding roads that cut through vineyards, lavender fields, walnut orchards.

The roadway along the major A7 route on the western border isn’t the most interesting or scenic area. If you turn into the interior on the Northern side, you find gorgeous vistas, often stacking rolling hills with views of the Vercors Massif, set against a backdrop of the Alps. Impressive! Grignan and Saint-Antoine-l’Abbaye are worth overnights.

Beauvoir-en-Royans

Located in the fortified medieval village of Beauvoir-en-Royans, the **Convent des Carmes overlooks the Isère valley, under the foothills of the Vercors massif. There’s very little left, but what remains is dramatic, and fairly well developed. We visited the museum, which has temporary exhibits and a few rooms of local history, and wandered the grounds. 

I wouldn’t make a point of visiting for the museum alone, but the attached restaurant (which is very high end) looks lovely. Emphasis on local ingredients, many of which are grown on the property.

Chevrières

On the outskirts of Saint-Marcellin, we had a really special lunch at **Le Maraichamps.  It was a last minute Google search while passing through and turned out to be a working farm. Food was excellent, service was excellent, really great experience.

Cliousclat

A small town clinging to a ridge line, Cliousclat is rather adorable. The town is a “Monuments historiques” – in reference to the local pottery-making tradition. It unfortunately has a really great view of a distant nuclear power plant. I wouldn’t send people here, but if you find yourself driving through it’s not a bad stop.

Our room at the very popular (totally booked out during our stay) **Hôtel Restaurant La Treille Muscate Le Village was perfectly fine. Nothing fancy, but friendly staff, clean. The restaurant is quite good, clearly attracts a crowd from the surrounding areas.

Just south of Cliousclat, Marsanne is a pretty town with a great view of the Chartreuse massif.

Grignan

Grignan is especially pretty, with golden-stone houses high on a hill, topped with a Renaissance chateau. We found it charming and wished we stayed longer.

Le Clair de la Plume has a number of properties in town. We ate at the **Garden Restaurant, which had less than great service.

Hauterives

The **Ideal Palace (also called the Ideal Palace of the Postman Cheval) is a monument built in Hauterives by the postman Ferdinand Cheval, from 1879 to 1912. For thirty-three years, Ferdinand Cheval never stopped choosing stones during his daily tour, first carrying them in his pockets, then bringing a basket or even a wheelbarrow on certain occasions. Back home, he spends long hours implementing his dream, working at night by the light of a kerosene lamp. In the early 1930s, the work received the moral support of several artists such as Pablo Picasso. Max Ernst, who stayed in Ardèche during the occupation, is fascinated by the work and dedicates one of his paintings to him.

A masterpiece of naive architecture and naive art, it has been classified as a historical monument since 1969. It’s very popular – expect big crowds in an area that’s otherwise pretty rural. It’s impressive and odd, not quite as big as I expected.

Loriol-sur-Drôme

**Le Rouge et Noir is a roadside find – surprisingly good, easy to access from the motorway. It’s not a destination but we seem to regularly find ourselves along this stretch of roadway, worth remembering. Galen recommends the burger.

Montélimar

Montélimar is a town in the Drôme – the second-largest town in the department after Valence. It’s very sad and down at the heels, definitely not a place to seek out (for now). In a moment of Sunday dining desperation we had a decent, if slow, lunch at **Napoleone Pizzeria near the center of town.

Pont-en-Royans

Built in the 16th century, the multi-story homes in the village of Pont-en-Royans, France, sit on top of and hang over the edge of the natural Vercors cliffs. The buildings were intentionally built over the precipice to maximize the plateau’s limited space, as the site was established to facilitate a bustling wood trade. Now, the community sees most of its income from tourism, as people from around the world flock to the tiny town to witness the audaciously pendulous architecture.

It’s very pretty – definitely on the grimy side if you look too close, but from a distance lovely. The water is a bit too stagnant to safely swim in. It’s more of a drive-through spot than a place to stay if you’re not a climber or a camper.

We stayed at **Hôtel Beau Rivage, and if back in the area I’d make the same choice and eat here too. It’s rustic, but the family is very friendly and the rooms are clean. Our dinner at *Hotel du Royans was not great.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/suspended-houses-of-pont-en-royans

Just a short drive from Pont-en-Royans is the truly spectacular ***Combe Laval road: a ledge chiselled out of the rock during the 19th century for moving timber. It’s incredibly dramatic and worth a long detour.

https://www.france-voyage.com/tourism/combe-laval-road-2734.htm

If you’re driving from Grenoble to this area, the scenery is very pretty along the gorge at Saint-Martin-en-Vercors, through to La Chapelle-en-Vercors, where we had a rather good lunch at **Côté Terrasse.

Romans-sur-Isère

An ancient medieval city alongside a river, Romans-sur-Isère is surprisingly charming – a sunny city with historic architecture and clean streets, with evidence of recent urban renewal and cleanup. The city rose from more humble beginnings after the Archbishop of Vienne, Barnard, founded a church on the banks of the Isère in 837. It became a collegiate church with the arrival of the canons in the 10th century. The church – the *Collegiate Saint-Barnard – stands today, a surprisingly tall Romanesque example (thanks to later Gothic era interventions), with melting sculptures made of the soft local stone. As Romanesque Churches go, it’s not a standout, just visit if you’re passing by.

In more recent times, the city was known as the “luxury shoe town.” Industry is not at early levels, but there are shoe art pieces throughout the town and an impressive **International Museum of the Shoe, with over 4,000 years of shoe history from around the world. 

We had lunch at **Le Jakadi, which has a long pub-food menu. It was fine, made especially pleasant by the lovely chef and staff.

I wouldn’t make this town a destination directly, but if you’re in the area, give it a few hours! 

Saint-Antoine-l’Abbaye

In beautiful rolling countryside close to the Vercors massif, the **Abbey of Saint-Antoine is a surprisingly large complex, set in a quite charming fortified town. The abbey was founded in the 13th century to house the relics of Saint Anthony of Egypt, and pilgrims flocked here seeking a cure for Saint Anthony’s fire (the same fungal poisoning associated with the Salem Witch Trials). 

The church building is perhaps more impressive in concept than in experience, but it’s a place I’d like to return to, as it is slowly being re-built after centuries of ruin. There’s an elaborate medieval garden, a museum (we didn’t get to), and around the Abbey a pretty town with multiple restaurants and narrow cobblestone passageways. This is not yet enough of a destination to warrant a hotel, which gives it a “hidden discovery” feel. Very affordable. 

We stayed at *L’Antonin – a Chambres d’Hôtes with friendly owners, a nice cat, comfortable enough rooms, and a nice breakfast spread. Don’t expect a hotel – it’s very much a house – but it was a good experience.

We had drinks at the casual **Mon Manège à Moi (I think it has some food, but of the snack variety), and a more formal meal at **La Table de l’Abbaye. It wasn’t crowded – we think because it was likely the most expensive place in town (though not unreasonably so). Food was excellent, served right next to the Abbey, a very nice experience.

Valence

We’ve just skirted Valence – it’s not the prettiest area from the outside, lots of industrial parts. Our meal at **André (Anne Sophie Pic) was good. There’s a pretty interior courtyard, good wine list, excellent service. I’d up the rating if it was a bit more memorable.