Colombier-Le-Vieux: Railway, Rivers and Historic Lanes

Colombier-Le-Vieux offers a variety of options to consider when planning your trip: the Doux and Daronne rivers, a tourist railway, historic lanes and the Daronne gorges. If you are looking for a hotel in the village, you could start by deciding whether you would prefer to plan your stay around a train journey, the old village quarter or the river landscapes.

Rivers and Gorges

The Doux and Daronne rivers run through Colombier-le-Vieux and shape the village’s relationship with its landscape. On the approach from the D534 departmental road, the Pont des Etroits offers views of the Doux gorges. You can therefore encounter the river landscape both around the village and at a specific viewpoint on the approach.

The Daronne gorges are also a distinctive part of the surrounding area: they were designated an Espace Naturel Sensible in 2015. Colombier-le-Vieux is one of three access points to the gorges. You can therefore consider the landscape as a focus for your plans in its own right, separate from the historic lanes and the train journey.

Train Journey and Local History

The tourist railway, Train des Gorges, connects Saint-Jean-de-Muzols with Colombier-le-Vieux along a route of about eight kilometres. Allow around one hour and 30 minutes for the return journey. As seasonal operating details can vary, it is advisable to check the timetable before your trip. The train journey offers a clearly defined activity, while the Vieux Colombier quarter can be explored on foot.

In Vieux Colombier, the historic lanes Rue de la Forge, Place Saint Julien, Montée du Petit Casino and Chemin de la Molière pass stone-built terraced houses and former shops. A walk brings these elements of local history together: the lanes provide the setting, the terraced houses shape the streetscape, and the former shops point to the buildings’ past uses.

The Romanesque chapel of Saint-Sorny lies in a protected natural landscape, within a meander of the Daronne. Here, a religious building meets a distinctive river landscape. A different perspective on architectural history is offered by the privately owned Maison Forte du Ruissas, a representative example of aristocratic and rural architecture in the Vivarais. It was built between 1560 and 1566 and altered in the 17th century.

Trails through the Daronne Gorges

Along the way through the gorges, the Belvédère de Saint-Sorny offers a view of the Daronne’s winding meanders. The gorges are then crossed via a suspension bridge. The viewpoint and the bridge crossing are two successive experiences along this route: from the Belvédère, the view takes in the river bends, while the suspension bridge crosses the gorges.

Another signposted trail leads to the Chapelle Lecrest / Les Claustres. It starts at the cemetery by the Calvaire. If you are choosing between a walk, a train journey and an excursion into the gorges, you have several different ways to explore, without needing to fit every highlight into the same day’s itinerary.

When choosing your hotel in Colombier-Le-Vieux, it may help to first prioritise the outings that interest you: the approximately one-and-a-half-hour train round trip, a walk through Vieux Colombier or the landscape of the Daronne gorges. This lets you match your choice of location to your personal travel plans and decide which of these aspects you want to shape your stay.

Discover more destinations: Chandolas, Désaignes, St Pierre De Colombier, Saint-Genest-De-Beauzon, Lachamp-Raphaël, Saint-André-Lachamp, Berrias-Et-Casteljau, Les Assions.

Go to the main travel overview: Ardèche.