France – Tournon-sur-Rhône (En)

Bordering the Rhône, opposite the Tain-l’Hermitage vineyards, stands the welcoming little town of Tournon-sur-Rhône, overlooked by the outline of the imposing 10th, 15th and 16th-century Castle. You can admire this harmonious scene from the Marc Seguin footbridge.

Where to stay

We stayed in the official motorhome area (45.063659, 4.84372 lat, long), which is free and without facilities. There are 14 places and it is better to arrive in the morning at noon it is already full. In about 10 minutes you will be in the town and on the bridge, which you can cross to see the Tain-l’Hermitage.

What to see

We walked with Asha and the first thing we found was the Marie Curie College, then we arrived at a square where we saw the impressive Convent des Saints Coeurs, the Theater and the Jesuit Chapel, which since December 17, 1943, has been considered Historical Monument. Construction of the chapel began in 1673 and in 2009 it was renovated to its current state for concerts and exhibitions.

We then reached the Marc Seguin footbridge on the Rhône River with spectacular views of Tournon Castle and the village of Tain-l’Hermitage. We decided to cross and visit Tain-l’Hermitage.

Tain-l’Hermitage is located on the left bank of the Rhône and has its origins in the Gallic era, as demonstrated by the various remains found at the site and was, in particular, the theatre, in 1350, of the wedding of the dauphin, the future Charles V, with Juana de Borbón. The city remains known today for its wine-growing activity, as well as for its interesting architectural and cultural heritage. To highlight the church where the marriage of the future King of France Charles V and Juana de Borbón took place.

We crossed the bridge again to Tournon, where we walked along the bank of the Rhône River, we saw the Castle listed as a Historical Monument, the Church of Saint Julian, which is the oldest building in Tournon after the castle, rebuilt in the 14th century in Gothic style, replacing the original 11th-century building in Romanesque style.

We continue walking through the town until we reach the wooden door of the Castle Museum, the former home of the Lords of Tournon where you can explore its important collections, dating from the Middle Ages to modern times. The museum also focuses on Ardèche’s 19th and 20th centuries arts and traditions. We didn’t go in because we had Asha. We also saw the Town Hall and the Mauves Gate, the southern gate of the town.

What to eat

We decided to have lunch in the church square where I tasted truffles for the first time! We shared two dishes, one of ravioli stuffed with truffle, mushrooms and cheese with truffle and mushroom sauce, and one of the venison fillets with mushroom sauce, tagliatelle with mushroom sauce, and a salad. Everything was great and it cost us about 38 euros for everything. I have to say that I liked the truffles!

I highly recommend visiting these two towns, since they are beautiful. Our next stop is Serrières, a small fortified town, from the Gallo-Roman era which you can see in the next post!