What if the best way to explore Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes were to take a road trip? With the Grand Tour, the region offers a route of 3,000 kilometers of scenic roads that connects 43 cultural and natural sites across the region through 28 stops, allowing you to discover its heritage and wander through stunning natural landscapes.
So, ready to explore Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes?
The Grand Tour: a region to explore at your own pace
The idea is simple: follow a route designed to connect the landscapes and places that tell the story of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. You’ll travel from an Alpine pass to a historic town, from a lake to a vineyard, and from a stone village to a protected natural site.
Each stage begins in a city, passes through several points of interest, and ends at a new destination. You’re free to stop along the way to have lunch on a terrace, walk to a lookout point, visit a landmark, or spend the night there.
To plan your itinerary, view the stops along the way, or create your own trip:
Heading to the Ardèche: A Sneak Peek at Summer
Among the must-see destinations, the Ardèche Gorges naturally stand out. As soon as the warm weather arrives, its various sites offer the perfect setting for a few days spent enjoying nature and the good life: canoe trips, swimming (weather permitting), hikes in the hills, village markets, and gourmet breaks. Here, spring often feels like summer before its time.
The region is also home to many renowned sites: the Ardèche Gorges and Pont d’Arc National Nature Reserve, the Aven d’Orgnac – a “Grand Site de France,” the Chauvet 2 Cave – Ardèche and several charming villages.
You can start in Grignan, a village dominated by its castle, visible from afar and perched high above the Drôme countryside, for a stage that connects the Drôme Provençale to the hills of southern Ardèche. Gradually, the golden-hued rocks, vineyards, and open fields give way to more rugged landscapes, where the road follows a terrain marked bycliffs, gorges, and the river. The route accompanies this transition by offering a journey punctuated by lookouts, which provide views of the meandering Ardèche, the garrigue, and the limestone walls that form the canyon. The Gorges are thus explored in stages, through a succession of panoramas, all the way to the Pont d’Arc, a natural arch carved out by the river and the gateway to the site.
The route invites you to take your time, stop in the villages, take a break on a terrace, or head to one of the river access points to extend your experience right by the water, before finishing in Vallon-Pont-d’Arc. A true hub of the destination, this major stop on the Grand Tour is an ideal base for exploring the surrounding area, with a wide range of lodging options, from nature retreats to more comfortable accommodations.
Want to extend your trip? From Vallon-Pont-d’Arc, continue northwest for another leg of the journey toward Le Puy-en-Velay, passing through some of the Ardèche’s must-see sites. The route continues through the Ardèche’s inland region, where the road connects several villages and iconic heritage sites in the area. In Vogüé, listed among the most beautiful villages in France, the castle overlooks the river and is part of an amphitheater-shaped settlement at the foot of the cliffs, offering a view of the village and the surrounding landscape. Further on, the Château d’Aubenas marks another highlight of the route: a medieval structure transformed over the centuries, it now houses a contemporary art center that bridges heritage and modern creativity. The route then continues to Antraigues, a charming village perched on the heights, known for its stone-paved streets and its setting in a wilder volcanic landscape. Together, these stops form a journey where villages, heritage, and landscapes complement one another along the way.
An app to make traveling easier
Le Grand Tour also offers a mobile app designed as a modern travel journal. It lets you pinpoint must-see attractions, track your progress, save your favorites, and discover recommendations along the way.
It’s convenient for making an impromptu stop or adjusting your itinerary based on the weather and how you feel at the moment.
The Grand Tour isn’t meant to be “ticked off” all at once; rather, it’s an itinerary that you can explore bit by bit depending on the season, the time you have available, or your current interests.
A weekend in the Ardèche, a few days exploring Alpine lakes, a loop through the Auvergne volcanoes, or a longer trek in the summer: everyone sets their own pace.
And perhaps that is its main appeal: offering a journey where the journey itself is just as important as the destination.
