Attractions and Places To See around Riols - Top 20

The village of Riols, a small industrial center specializing in draperies and woolens in the 19th century, is located on the "Passa Païs" greenway. Points of interest include the Banasse bridge over the Jaur river, the Church of Saint Peter and Paul, and its main thoroughfare, Rue Basse.

The town of Riols is located between Saint Pons de Thomières and Olargues, on the Passa Païs greenway. On either side of the Jaur valley, from Lake Vesoles to the former 19th-century Ardouane Abbey, this very large town has many hiking trails leading to the Monts du Somail. The magnificent Banasse bridge over the Jaur, as well as the Saint-Pierre-et-Paul church and the layout of Rue Basse, the main artery, bear witness to the prosperity of the textile industry, particularly drapery, from the 16th century. From the village, a small road leads to the Cabarétou pass, a real challenge for sporty cyclists. The Passa Païs Greenway invites fans of gentle journeys to daydream... The Notre-Dame-de-Trédos chapel, as emblematic as it is majestic, is worth the hike or bike ride leading to its doors. Our tips for starting your bike, walking, trail rides... in Riols: - The Place du Foirail car park is ideal if you are using your vehicle to get to the start. It is located on the right bank of the Jaur, south of the village. - Riols is served by LIO / Hérault Transport bus lines 682 and 685: https://plan.lio-occitanie.fr/fr/horaires/Riols/arret/RIOLS%20-%20CENTRE/LIO:1002511 - During the summer, from the beginning of July to the end of September, between Saint Pons de Thomières and Bédarieux, the buses on line 682 are equipped with racks allowing the transport of 6 bikes. A telephone reservation service is set up (09 72 57 44 45). A little bit of history: The history of Riols is linked to that of Saint-Pons-de-Thomières: in 936, the founding act of the abbey mentions the donation made to the monastery by Raymond Pons, Count of Toulouse, of the lands of Tarbouriech, Coumayres, Condades, Cassillac and Rieulets. In 940, the Archbishop of Narbonne gave the churches of Saint-Pierre-de-Riols and Notre-Dame-de-Tredos to the Abbot of Saint-Pons. In 1318, when the diocese of Saint-Pons was created, the Abbot became bishop and the monks formed the chapter of the cathedral. The income of the abbey was then separated: in Riols, the chapter retained the seigneurial rights over the lands of Garrigues, while the bishop retained the rest of the seigneury. During the Revolution, the rare possessions of the clergy and emigrants were sold. In the 19th century, Riols, with more than 2,000 inhabitants, became a small industrial center, with more than a dozen clothiers and wool mills.

The linguistic proximity of the "Pont Eiffel", which spans the river Jaur here at Olargues, and the low mountain range "Eifel" in the far west of Germany is no coincidence: The family of the designer - whose world-famous tower of Paris (named after its builder) is probably known to everyone - has German roots. The ancestors of the Eiffel Tower builder Gustave EIFFEL come from the Eifel town of Marmagen (in the Euskirchen district, North Rhine-Westphalia). The village square there - if you are interested, see the following hiking highlight https://www.komoot.com/de-de/highlight/1830307 - is named after him.

The Col de Fontfroide marks the break in the Haut-Languedoc plateaus with diving in the Jaur valley in Olargues.

great hike in all seasons, the colors change, short, sporty but magnificent, lots of flowers in spring on the route and near the lake, good hike, be careful!

The view of the heights of Fontfroide is magnificent, and the Salvetat is just as magnificent, a route with a bit of D+ but it is well worth it.

Quite spectacular site, especially in spring when the river is at its maximum.

Salvetat is not only sparkling water, one of the best-selling in France, owned by the Danone group, and whose source is located in the town. But it is also an old mountain village which was first established in the 12th century on a rocky peak surrounded by a meander of the Agout in order to ensure the safety of its inhabitants. The small city then developed little by little over the centuries, taking on the face we know today. The old village is characterized by mountain architecture and its houses protected from rain and humid winds by slate shingles covering entire sections of walls. These protections from bad weather by vertical tiles are designated by the term “essentes” which are small planks of slate or chestnut cut, arranged and fixed to the walls or beams in order to protect a facade against the flow of water. Houses in the Middle Ages were thus quite often covered with essentes, and sometimes these essentes were painted or cut in such a way as to allow certain geometric combinations. There are many examples in the town of Salvetat-sur-Agout. Although this makes the village look a bit dull and austere, it also gives it personality and rustic charm. The village was also part of the association “Les Plus Beaux Villages de France”, but it is no longer labeled to this day.