The village of Saint-Chely-du-Tarn is in the centre of the Gorges du Tarn, a few kilometres to the south-west of Sainte-Enimie.
Reached via an arched bridge across the Tarn river, it is a very picturesque village squeezed between the river and a cliff, on a large meander in the river and one of the highlights of a visit to the gorges.
Explore Saint-Chely-du-Tarn
Note that Saint-Chely-du-Tarn is officially part of the commune of Sainte-Enimie, useful information if you are using a GPS to get here!
In the village you will find an attractive centre with many of the timeless stone houses of the region set against a backdrop of steeply rising cliffs.
The river below the village is best seen from the bridge, from where you can also see two streams cascading into the river.
The church is the only remaining section of a monastery that once stood in the centre of Saint-Chely-du-Tarn, and is an attractive stone building with a decorative arched entrance and a square belltower with further arches standing below a wooded slope.
There are various narrow pathways and alleys to explore in the village, which has few major monuments but creates an exceptional ensemble.
A little way up one of the paths that leads up the hill from Saint-Chely-du-Tarn you will discover a small chapel set in a picturesque rocky shelter, called the Baume de Cénaret.
If the children are hot from all the steep streets, head next to to the riverside where there is a small small river beach where they will enjoy paddling. Here you can also see the old water mill that uses the stream arising in the Baume de Cénaret.
In the vicinity
There is a great view down into the gorges and across the village from the road at the top of the gorges behind Saint-Chely-Sur-Tarn, but although it is only about a kilometre away you will need to drive quite a long way up the road behind the village to get to it - perhaps a ten kilometre drive.
There are numerous highlights elsewhere along the gorges, many with exceptional views - see Gorges du Tarn for details of our favourite viewpoints and villages.
Explore elsewhere in the Massif Central. You can find more travel ideas in the Lozere guide and the Languedoc-Roussillon guide.
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Map of Saint-Chely-du-Tarn and places nearby
Visit near Saint-Chely-du-Tarn with France This Way reviews
Sainte-Enimie
Sainte-Enimie is the most extensive, and perhaps the most interesting, of the pretty villages along the Gorges du Tarn
Sainte-Enimie guide
Castelbouc
The tiny village of Castelbouc, in the Gorges du Tarn, is very lovely and in an exceptional riverside location
Castelbouc guide
Montbrun
The small but very pretty village of Montbrun is at the eastern end of the Gorges du Tarn
Montbrun guideGorges du Tarn
The cliffs and deep wooded slopes of the Gorges du Tarn make it one of the most lovely places in France to explore
Gorges du Tarn guide
Cevennes National Park
The varied landscapes of the Cevennes National Park are famous as the setting for Robert Louis Stevenson's 'Travels with a Donkey'!
Cevennes National Park guide
Florac
Both the surrounding scenery and the town centre of Florac make it a very enjoyable destination
Florac guide... or see ALL recommended places to visit in Lozere
Address: , Languedoc-Roussillon, , France || GPS coordinates: latitude 44.336, longitude 3.38395
Plan your visit to Saint-Chely-du-Tarn, Lozere
Sightseeing & tourist attractions to visit nearby
- Gorges du Tarn: grand site of france (3 km)
- Sainte-Enimie: most beautiful village (4 km)
- Aven Armand (grotte): site of natural beauty (13 km)
- La Canourgue: village d'etape (17 km)
- Parc à loups du Gévaudan (wolves): zoo or wildlife park (18 km)
- Chaos de Nimes-le-Vieux: site of natural beauty (18 km)
- Maison des vautours (vultures): zoo or wildlife park (19 km)
- Abîme de Bramabiau: site of natural beauty (25 km)
- Marvejols: recommended detour (25 km)
- Chaos de Montpellier-le-Vieux: site of natural beauty (27 km)
- Mont Aigoual: site of natural beauty (29 km)
- Mont Lozère: site of natural beauty (30 km)
The French version of this page is at Saint-Chely-du-Tarn (Francais)