Discover Chamaret: Village History and Landscape

If you are looking for a hotel for a stay in Chamaret, you can choose where to stay based on specific interests: the history of the fortress, the Chapelle Saint-Barthélémy, dry-stone buildings, or a visit timed around the market or village festival. The sights and events offer different clues about which aspects of the village you would like to discover more closely.

Wooded Plateau and Dry-Stone Buildings

The plateau covers about a third of the commune of Chamaret. It is wooded and dotted with dry-stone bories built in different periods. These structures show how the landscape of the area has developed over time. For visitors interested in historic building styles, the plateau offers a different perspective on Chamaret from the remains of the fortifications in the village.

Hiking trails around Chamaret pass through lush, untamed countryside with bories and dry-stone huts. The huts once served as shelters for shepherds. On the trails, you will encounter both the landscape and structures that bear witness to earlier uses of the area. The Tour de Chamaret offers another perspective on the surroundings: from there, the view today extends remarkably far across the countryside.

Fortress, Gates and Church

The Tour de Chamaret is the last surviving remnant of the original feudal fortress, built between the 12th and 14th centuries. The village also preserves remains of its medieval fortifications and two former fortified gates. Together, these structures tell the story of the village’s former defences. The Église Saint Barthélémy dates from the 15th century; its bell tower was added in 1555. Chamaret is therefore home to structures dating from several different centuries.

The Chapelle Saint-Barthélémy has its own local history, too: it was moved from the site of the tower to the former road to Grignan, now called chemin de la chapelle. Its apse contains paintings from 1850, as well as a painting depicting the martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew. When planning your trip, you can distinguish the history of the chapel from that of the Tour de Chamaret without conflating the two buildings.

Other architectural features include three washhouses dating from the 13th and 14th centuries that still survive today. The communal washhouse in Chamaret was designed in an elegant classical architectural style. These details offer two specific aspects of the village’s history: the surviving medieval washhouses and the classical design of the communal washhouse.

Visits and Walks

The Tour de Chamaret can be visited independently, without a guide, year-round. Visitor arrangements may change seasonally, so check them locally before your visit. If you would like to explore Chamaret on foot, the “Découverte du village” activity is a historical walk offered on Wednesdays. You can choose between routes of 3 or 7 kilometres; the walk takes about two hours. The activity is free. Check the latest dates before your trip to make sure your plans fit the schedule.

The two route lengths give you a specific choice between 3 and 7 kilometres, while the stated walking time of about two hours can help you plan your day. You can schedule the walk as a separate activity and distinguish it from an independent visit to the tower. The hiking trails around Chamaret pass through the countryside with its bories and former shepherds’ shelters; by contrast, the historical activity is specifically described as a walk through the village.

Market and Fête des haricots

A Provençal market with colourful stalls takes place every Friday morning in Chamaret’s village square. If you would like to include it in your stay, check the local calendar for possible changes. The Fête des haricots is also a recurring event rooted in the village’s history: it began with the first bean harvest after the communal marshes were drained and divided in 1793. The festival is still celebrated on 24 August.

The market and the festival give you two distinct dates to bear in mind when planning a stay: Friday morning each week and 24 August. Together with the history of the fortress, the churches and chapels, and the trails around the wooded plateau, they offer a varied picture of Chamaret. When choosing your travel dates, you can consider whether you would rather focus on architectural history, the landscape, or local events.

Discover more destinations: Beausemblant, Portes-Lès-Valence, Bourdeaux, Valence, Montboucher-Sur-Jabron, Jaillans, Chatuzange-Le-Goubet, Le Grand-Serre.

Return to the regional travel overview: Drôme.