Day trips
Our favourite places, from nearest to farthest
Photo taken on the Ardèche river before Vallon-Pont-d’Arc
No day trip matches. Show all
Right on the doorstep
Under 5 km · on foot or 5 minutes by car
Nature around the gîte
Our encounters with animals and insects, in photos.
Local markets
Six markets to discover, with their market days.
in the villageTour de France 2027
Friday 16 July 2027: the peloton will pass right in front of the house!
in the villageThe “J'aime l'Ardèche” routes
Route ideas to discover southern Ardèche, including one that goes right past us.
in the villageSaint-Paul-le-Jeune
Just 1.5 km from the house: village lanes, a church, old wash-houses and walks among greenery.
in the villageThe Voie Douce by bike
A car-free greenway that runs all the way to the Via Ardèche, on foot, by bike or on a scooter.
in the villageDolmens under the stars
A family night walk among the dolmens, with a qualified guide.
♥ Our favourite3 kmSaint-Sébastien Chapel
Our favourite walk: a 360° view over the Ardèche, the Cévennes, Mont Ventoux and, on clear days, the Alps.
♥ Our favourite3 kmLa Cocalière Caves
Spectacular galleries, easy to visit, with a little train ride back to the surface.
3 kmLe Bistroquet
Mediterranean cooking among the olive trees, at the foot of Saint-Sébastien hill.
3 kmBungee jumping
A 40-metre drop from the Banne viaduct… for the bravest only.
Photo credit: Les Amis de Banne
3 kmCourry chestnut festival
A big chestnut festival with more than 60 stalls, right next door.
♥ Our favourite4 kmBanne Castle
Castle ruins, a giant oak and a view that changes with every season.
4 kmChâteau des Lèbres
A real wine château: a warm welcome, tastings and local wines.
Around Les Vans
5 to 15 km · a quarter of an hour by car
5 kmThe Divol goats
A farm you can visit freely: goats, billy goats, hens… and even a goose.
5 kmTerre & Humanisme gardens
A tour of the educational agroecology gardens.
8 kmBois de Païolive
A forest of strangely shaped limestone rocks: you'll spot animals, faces…
♥ Our favourite8 kmChassezac Gorges
A dizzying hike above the river: bring good shoes.
8 kmFarm-fresh vegetables
Vegetables picked the same day, sold straight from the grower's stall.
8 kmCaving at Côtepatière
A gentle introduction to caving, from age 7.
♥ Our favourite10 kmCanoeing on the Chassezac
"The other river": a 7 to 10 km paddle with a bus back.
10 kmCanoe & kayak guide
Yves takes you on the most beautiful routes, away from the crowds.
11 kmE-bikes
Electric mountain bike hire and guided rides.
♥ Our favourite12 kmNaves
A medieval hilltop village to explore on foot along its cobbled lanes.
14 kmChâteau de Bournet
A château with colourful turret roofs and its annual plant fair, Plantes et Fleurs en Fête.
♥ Our favourite14 kmChez Jeanne et Raphaël
L'Auberge du Pont, below Chambonas castle: traditional southern French cooking.
Southern Ardèche
15 to 40 km · a half-day trip
20 kmThe gorges from the sky
A 30-minute flight in a small plane over the Ardèche gorges.
25 kmLabeaume
Cliffs, a river and stone lanes: an oasis to cool off in.
25 kmCanyoning: the Rolling Stone
Go down the Chassezac rapids… without a canoe.
25 kmCastanea
All about the chestnut, the pride of the Ardèche, in a 17th-century house.
28 kmAven d'Orgnac
A remarkable underground spectacle, and a wine tasting 50 metres below ground.
28 kmCheylard d'Aujac Castle
An impressive castle at the end of a road… with plenty of bends.
30 kmAlès
The nearest big town: a lively centre and nightlife.
♥ Our favourite32 kmBalazuc
A medieval village above the Ardèche, a pebble beach and canoes for hire.
32 kmArdèche Museum of Natural History
600 original fossils, among the best preserved in the world.
♥ Our favourite35 kmVallon-Pont-d'Arc & Chauvet 2
The famous natural arch and the Chauvet 2 cave: not to be missed.
35 kmCanoeing down the Ardèche
7 to 32 km of canoeing through the Ardèche gorges.
35 kmPont du Diable via ferrata
A 180-metre abseil in the gorges nature reserve, from age 12.
35 kmMont Bouquet
A summit you can drive up, a paragliding launch and a vast view.
38 kmSilk farm museum
Harvest cocoons, draw silk thread… the story of our own magnanerie.
38 kmVogüé Castle
Superb gardens, authentic rooms and swimming in the Ardèche below.
The great outings
40 to 60 km · a full, beautiful day
40 kmPortes Castle
The fortress cuts through the landscape like the bow of a ship.
40 kmMalarce-sur-la-Thines
Schist stones, lauze roofs and a Romanesque church in the wild Cévennes.
40 kmRochecolombe
A hilltop village and a capricious waterfall, for keen walkers.
45 kmSkydiving
A tandem freefall from 4,000 m above the gorges.
45 kmMaison de la Lavande
The Lavandaïs estate and its museum: the scent alone is intoxicating.
46 kmLa Garde-Guérin
An intact fortified village overlooking the Chassezac gorges.
50 kmSaint-Marcel Cave
One of the largest caves in France: 64 km of passages.
55 kmLa Bambouseraie
A thousand varieties of bamboo, Japanese gardens… and the little Anduze steam train.
56 kmAlba-la-Romaine
One of the most beautiful villages in France, with houses of black pebbles.
60 kmMad Maze
A giant maze in the middle of the forest: can you reach all 4 towers?
60 kmLussas animal park
370 animals from 60 species: a treat for children.
Further afield
Over 60 km · a day out exploring
65 kmMaison Champanhet
The traditional skills of the high Ardèche Cévennes in a historic house.
90 kmHiking with donkeys
A 5 km loop in the shade of chestnut trees, from age 5.
110 kmMont Gerbier de Jonc
Where the Loire is born, after a drive through fairytale scenery.
120 kmMont Ventoux
We see it from our mountains… and we've climbed it on foot.
Events of the season
Updated every spring · please check exact dates with the organisers
- May – June
National Top 1000 pétanque tournament
A major triples competition, for licensed players.
Official website → - June
L'Ardéchoise cycling event
France's biggest amateur cycling gathering stops in the village.
- July – August
Summer Thursday pétanque
A pétanque competition open to all on the village square.
- July – August
Dolmens under the stars
A guided night walk among the dolmens, from age 8.
- July – August
Evenings at Château des Lèbres
An oil-lamp walk through the vineyards, followed by a candlelit tasting in the cellars.
Learn more → - July
Tour de France 2027
The Tour de France 2027 will pass through Saint-Paul-le-Jeune (in Ardèche); the peloton crosses southern Ardèche towards Alès. A flat stage to watch go by right in front of g’Ardéchois holiday home or in the village!
Official website → - October
Opening seasons
All year round, then by opening month
- All year round
Banne Castle
Castle ruins, a giant oak and a view that changes with every season.
- All year round
The Voie Douce by bike
A car-free greenway that runs all the way to the Via Ardèche, on foot, by bike or on a scooter.
- All year round
Chez Jeanne et Raphaël
L'Auberge du Pont, below Chambonas castle: traditional southern French cooking.
- All year round
- All year round
Bois de Païolive
A forest of strangely shaped limestone rocks: you'll spot animals, faces…
- All year round
Vallon-Pont-d'Arc & Chauvet 2
The famous natural arch and the Chauvet 2 cave: not to be missed.
- All year round
- All year round, every day by reservation
The gorges from the sky
A 30-minute flight in a small plane over the Ardèche gorges.
- All year round
Canoe & kayak guide
Yves takes you on the most beautiful routes, away from the crowds.
Official website → - 1 February – 15 November
Aven d'Orgnac
A remarkable underground spectacle, and a wine tasting 50 metres below ground.
Official website → - February – November
La Bambouseraie
A thousand varieties of bamboo, Japanese gardens… and the little Anduze steam train.
- February – October
- Weekends from March to October
Bungee jumping
A 40-metre drop from the Banne viaduct… for the bravest only.
- March – October
- 1 April – 31 October, every day
Caving at Côtepatière
A gentle introduction to caving, from age 7.
- Sundays from Easter to All Saints’ Day; Tuesday to Sunday from 10 July to 31 August
Cheylard d'Aujac Castle
An impressive castle at the end of a road… with plenty of bends.
Official website → - April – late October
- April – October
- April – late September
Maison de la Lavande
The Lavandaïs estate and its museum: the scent alone is intoxicating.
Official website → - April – October
- April–May to mid-October
- April – October
Silk farm museum
Harvest cocoons, draw silk thread… the story of our own magnanerie.
Official website → - April – November
- June – September
Maison Champanhet
The traditional skills of the high Ardèche Cévennes in a historic house.
- June – October
Le Bistroquet
Mediterranean cooking among the olive trees, at the foot of Saint-Sébastien hill.
- June – November
Portes Castle
The fortress cuts through the landscape like the bow of a ship.
And all year round: all our places, sorted by distance.