Saxon-Sion: Landscape, History and Trails

The Colline de Sion-Vaudémont brings together landscape, nature and cultural themes for a trip to Saxon-Sion. The trails explore different aspects of the hill, while the Cité des Paysages covers the landscape and its history in a permanent exhibition route. When planning your trip, you can choose between viewpoints, archaeological history, geological formations and seasonal activities.

Ridge and landscape

The Colline de Sion-Vaudémont is a geological hill in the Côtes de Moselle. At 540 metres, it is the highest point in the Côtes de Moselle relief. From the hill, views extend across the landscapes of the Saintois as far as the Vosges ridges. The elevation places the hill within the surrounding relief, while the view stretches across several landscapes. Geological context and panoramic views thus offer two distinct ways to experience the area.

Settlement and pilgrimage history

The archaeological site of the Colline de Sion was inhabited from the Middle Neolithic, with a period of intensive use in the Late Bronze Age. The site was also inhabited from the Iron Age through the Early Middle Ages. In the Early Middle Ages, it became a place of worship. This chronology shows that the hill’s history is not limited to a single era: long periods of settlement were followed by religious use. Notre-Dame de Sion was venerated as a pilgrimage site on the hill. For a culturally focused trip, this religious significance and the archaeological traces complement one another, although they do not refer to the same historical period.

A tour of the landscape themes

The Cité des Paysages offers a permanent exhibition route, open to all, covering nearly 600 m² and exploring the Colline de Sion-Vaudémont. Its themes range from geological formation and the earliest traces of human settlement to later changes in the landscape. A single route thus brings together geological and human history. Visitors seeking a better understanding of the hill’s different themes will find a different perspective here than outdoors on the ridges or among the geological formations.

Natural environment and trails

The southern part of the Colline de Sion-Vaudémont includes a limestone grassland with numerous protected animal and plant species. This natural environment adds a closer look at the hill’s protected flora and fauna to its geological and archaeological themes.

The trail descriptions each have a different focus: the Sentier des Crêtes follows the hill’s ridges and offers panoramic views across the region. The Circuit des Pierres de Sion is a circular route of about 8 km; along the way, visitors can discover the stars of Sion and other distinctive geological formations. The Sentier des Légendes explores the many legends associated with the hill and explains them on information panels. The main consideration when choosing a trail is therefore its focus: ridges and panoramic views, geological formations or legends.

Seasonal activities

The Cité des Paysages programme includes workshops, exhibitions, night walks and nature outings. A programme is put together each year for a season running from April to November. If you have a particular activity in mind, check the relevant seasonal programme before travelling. This lets you plan around the seasonal focus of the activities, while the permanent exhibition route offers a separate way to explore the landscape and its history.

Discover more destinations: Ancy-Sur-Moselle, Mars-La-Tour, Mexy, Joppécourt, Lucey, Méréville, Rehainviller, Saint-Nicolas-De-Port

Go to the main travel overview: Meurthe-Et-Moselle.