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Saint-Montan

Visit Saint-Montan (Rhone-Alpes, France)

Saint-Montan is located in the southern Ardeche, north of Bourg-Saint-Andeol. It is inscribed as an Ardeche 'village of character'.

Explore Saint-Montan

This small hillside village has a ruined castle at the top of the hill, with the narrow streets of the village sprawling below down to the small river and a few shops and restaurants commerces at the bottom.

The old part of the village is not accessible to cars, and has been extensively renovated. It consists of a maze of steep cobbled alleys and paths, vaulted passageways, and a great deal of picturesque old houses.

Throughout your visit there are lovely views across the rooftops of houses in Saint-Montan and the surrounding hills. (The village was perhaps more reminiscent of a Provencal perched village than the other Ardeche villages of character.)

There are also two small 'roman' style chapels to visit - the chapels of San Samonta and Saint-André de Mithroys.

Although only a small village there are various restaurants and other shops in Saint-Montan, in and around the main square below the old part of the town and in the lower parts of the ancient streets.

I would have loved to say that I didn't like Saint-Montan - parking was a nightmare, and when I'd reached the castle at the top of the hill there was a sign pinned to the door saying 'for castle keys ask at the shop at the bottom of the hill'. By the time I had finished with these ordeals it was too late for lunch...

Parking was a challenge in the village - there was insufficient parking for the number of cars in May, so what must August be like?! To make matters worse the centre of the village has a bottleneck for cars which was difficult to get past.

But despite these problems I have to concede that Saint Montan was an unmissably atttractive little village, but I recommend you arrive early to avoid spending hours in the car getting hot and bothered.

Attractions nearby

Various marked walks and trails are available in the hills around the village to enable visitors to better discover the surrounding countryside.

On leaving Saint-Montan I followed the winding road out of the village towards Larnas. This is a very scenic route winding up into the hills and is also recommended. Bring a picnic!

Photos of Saint-Montan

Click any picture to start the gallery

Address: Saint-Montan, Bourg-Saint-Andéol, Privas, Ardeche, Rhone-Alpes, 7220 || GPS: latitude 44.4406, longitude 4.62583

Map of Saint-Montan & places nearby



 

Highlights close by

More suggestions: Montelimar 16km; Pont d'Arc 18km; Vallon Pont d'Arc 19km; Gorges de l'Ardeche 19km; Vogue 21km; Puygiron 21km; Balazuc 21km; Grignan 23km; Labeaume 25km; Aubenas 27km; Ailhon 29km;

See lots more places to visit nearby and a more detailed map at places near Saint-Montan.
See Rhone-Alpes and Ardeche (the region and department for Saint-Montan) for more travel ideas...

Suggested tourist attractions to visit near Saint-Montan, France

• Viviers - secteur sauvegarde (7km)
• La Ferme aux crocodiles - zoo or wildlife park (11km)
• Jardin des herbes - remarkable garden (11km)
• Eglise de Saint Michel (La Garde-Adhemar) - religious monument (12km)
• Cathédrale Notre-Dame (Saint-Paul-Trois-Chateaux) - religious monument (15km)
• Aigueze - most beautiful village (16km)
• Abbaye d'Aiguebelle (Montjoyer) - religious monument (18km)
• Gorges de l'Ardeche - grand site of france (19km)
• Vogue - most beautiful village (21km)
• Balazuc - most beautiful village (21km)

The French version of this page is at Saint-Montan (Francais)