Gimel-les-Cascades travel guide

Visit Gimel-les-Cascades (Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France)

The small village of Gimel-les-Cascades is a short distance north-east of Tulle in the Correze department of the Limousin. Although it is small it is a pretty village with a few points of interest and a visit is recommended.

Exploring Gimel-les-Cascades

Start your visit in the centre of the village where you can see several old stone houses, the village church and far-reaching views across the hills and the valley below Gimel-les-Cascades. At the top of the central square you can see the small Chapel of the Penitents.

Just to the left of the church is the Maison Noble, built in 1364 and one of the oldest houses in the village: this house has had various uses over the centuries, including being used as a presbytery in the 17th century. Another notable houses here is Castel*, built in the 19th century as home for a celebrated local painter called Gaston Vuillier.

*You can walk around the gardens of Castel, and also the Jardin de la Cure next to the parking - although when we visited (at the end of a long hot summer) there was very little to see in the gardens.

In the centre of the village, opposite the belvedere, there is a path that leads down to the Pont du Péage, an ancient toll bridge that was once the only access into the village. With the river, the ancient stone bridge (actually an 18th century reconstruction of the original bridge) and a group of pretty houses surrounded by gardens overflowing with flowers this is the prettiest part of Gimel-les-Cascades.

Further down the hill you can see the ruins of a medieval castle, the Chateau de la Roche-Haute, originally built in the 14th and 15th century. The castle was sieged and damaged in 1594 as part of the Wars of Religion. It was later restored and inhabited until the 18th century, but was then abandoned and fell into disrepair: there are important ruins to be seen today but a great deal of the original castle has disappeared.

If you continue down the hill you wil notice a footpath to the left. This path follows the course of the small river passed the castle and some small cascades and continues as far as the Pont du Péage.

At the bottom of the hill in Gimel-les-Cascades you reach the entrance to the waterfalls. This is a small series of waterfalls in a very scenic setting. To reach the falls does require a short walk down a steep path and they are in private ownership so an admission charge of 6 euros is payable.

Attractions nearby

If you have time there are two more marked trails that leave from the village: one is three kilometres long and continues passed the cascades to the small Chapel of Saint-Etienne de Braguse and the other is six kilometres long and includes a chance to see more of the lovely countryside around Gimel-les-Cascades.

Another attractive village nearby is the historic centre of Correze, a short distance to the north. The nearby town of Tulle is rather overdeveloped but the cathedral and medieval houses in the town centre are interesting to see.

You can find more travel ideas in the Correze guide and the Limousin guide.