Orliénas: Historic Traces and Trails

If you want to stay in Orliénas, you can take historic buildings, landscapes and walking or mountain biking routes into account when planning your trip. Options range from medieval fortification remains and a Roman aqueduct to a loop around a small body of water and municipal routes with specific distance details. Access information and planning details are important when choosing what to visit.

Historic Traces in Orliénas

The castrum preserves medieval fortification remains, including defensive walls, three round towers and a pointed-arch gate with machicolations. QR codes at the castrum provide information about the site; check before your trip whether this information is available. This means you can learn about the site as well as see its visible structures.

The Roman Gier Aqueduct runs for six kilometres through Orliénas. It comes from Taluyers and continues on to Soucieu. However, the visible remains of the aqueduct in Orliénas are currently on private property and are not accessible. The route of the structure and access to its remains are two different things: do not plan to visit the visible remains.

The present-day church of Orliénas is built in the neo-Gothic Cluniac style and preserves two bells from the former church. The village crosses are another aspect of its cultural history: 21 crosses are marked with information panels, and QR codes link to information pages about the individual crosses. Signage and QR links may change; check the information before your trip.

Routes and Outings

The municipality of Orliénas provides routes for mountain biking and walking. Its routes can be displayed on a map, printed and downloaded. As online features may change and linked routes may be updated, check the information before setting out.

One specific option is Route No. 7, “Le grand tour,” in Orliénas: it is 20 km long, with 322 m of elevation gain. Check the linked route before setting off so you can plan according to the route details provided there.

For geocaching, there is the Gnolus trail “Jusqu’à la dernière goutte.” It is accessible to everyone, but not suitable for strollers. If you want to follow the trail, bear this restriction in mind and check that the app is available before your outing.

A small body of water lies near Orliénas, between Orliénas and Taluyers. A walking path goes around it in about 30 minutes; there is also a shaded picnic area. Conditions around the water may change, so it is advisable to check the situation before your visit.

You can reach La Fontaine from the Hôtel des Eaux via the D36E. Proceed with great caution: access from the D36E leads to a small moss-covered bridge; from there, continue about 100 m to the left. As access conditions may change, check them before your visit.

Landscape and Nature

Orliénas’s natural habitats include dry meadows, wet meadows, wetlands, wet forests and bocage meadows. The landscape also includes areas of extensive agriculture, fruit-growing areas, heathland, forests and bocage landscapes. These different terms offer a glimpse of the diversity of the landscape areas described.

The forests along the Casanona are described in particular detail: these are wet forests where oak, hornbeam, chestnut, maple and hawthorn predominate. Together with the meadows, wetlands and agricultural areas, they give a picture of the diversity of Orliénas’s natural and landscape areas.

Discover more destinations: Saint-Didier-Sur-Beaujeu, Le Bois-D'oingt, Mions, Émeringes, Fleurie, Rontalon, Frontenas, Saint-Étienne-La-Varenne

For the regional travel overview: Rhône.