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Nyons

Visit Nyons (Rhone-Alpes, France)

Nyons is a lively town with a very unusual chapel spire, in the Drome department (Rhone Alpes region) to the north of Vaison-la-Romaine.

Exploring Nyons

Nyons is an interesting town. The lower part has a distinctly holiday feel with lots of outdoor cafés and restaurants and large plane trees offering shade. The main square, the Place du Docteur Bourdongle, is surrounded by arcades and one side is the arcaded Rue des Grands Forts which is the ancient chemin de Ronde (route of the ramparts). The square is at its most colourful on Thursday markets when Nyon has its market. In this area is also the 17th century Eglise Saint-Vincent with its pretty campanile. The inside is unusual with wide, low arches rather than the tall narrow arches usually seen in churches.

The town winds uphill to the chateau. It is worth walking up to the chateau for the excellent views of the surrounding countryside. It is a little lower down than the chateau though that you find the highlight of the town. In amongst the narrow winding streets and attractive stone houses at the upper part of the town is the Tour Randonne also known as the Chapelle Notre-Dame de Bon Secours.

The Tour Randonne was built in 1280 as a symbol of the power of the Barons of Montauban. It served as a prison. In 1862 it was converted into a chapel and a very unusual and attractive three-story pyramid was built on top of the tower and a statue of the Virgin Mary erected on top of that. Inside the tower is a tiny but very brightly coloured little chapel.

On the edge of town is the river Eygues and an old Roman bridge with a single arch 18 meters in height.

Nyons has an aquatic park called 'Nyonsoleido' in the centre of town which has seven different pools and an assortment of slides.

Attractions in the region

Nyons is in the heart of olive oil country and there are various moulins (mills) that you can visit to taste and buy the delicious olives and olive oil. Indeed its olive oil is considered to be amongst the best in France and is 'appellation contrôlé' and Nyons is one of 75 "Sites Remarquable du Gout" or places remarkable for the taste of one of their products - olive oil in the case of Nyons.

There are various different walks that start in the centre of Nyons including the 'Sentier de l'Olivier'  that allows you to discover the olive groves.

Photos of Nyons

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Tourist classifications for Nyons

Nyons is classified as a recommended detour town (plus beau detour)

Address: Nyons, Drome, Rhone-Alpes, 26110 || GPS: latitude 44.3603, longitude 5.1397

Map of Nyons & places nearby



 

Highlights close by

More suggestions: Grignan 20km; Dentelles de Montmirail 21km; Le Poet-Laval 22km; Le Barroux 25km; Puygiron 31km; La Garde-Adhemar 31km; Montbrun-les-Bains 32km; Carpentras 35km; Orange 36km; Sault 37km; Montelimar 38km;

See lots more places to visit nearby and a more detailed map at places near Nyons.
See Rhone-Alpes for more travel ideas...

Suggested tourist attractions to visit near Nyons, France

• Vaison-la-Romaine - town of art and history (14km)
• Cathédrale Notre Dame de Nazareth (Vaison-la-Romaine) - religious monument (14km)
• Seguret - most beautiful village (19km)
• Dentelles de Montmirail - site of natural beauty (21km)
• Mont Ventoux - grand site of france (23km)
• Abbaye d'Aiguebelle (Montjoyer) - religious monument (26km)
• Cathédrale Notre-Dame (Saint-Paul-Trois-Chateaux) - religious monument (30km)
• Eglise de Saint Michel (La Garde-Adhemar) - religious monument (31km)
• Jardin des herbes - remarkable garden (31km)
• La Ferme aux crocodiles - zoo or wildlife park (35km)

Market days in Nyons: Regular market(s) are held in Nyons each Thursday & Sunday. (Markets are held in the morning unless stated.)

The French version of this page is at Nyons (Francais)