Easy hikes and walks around Nyons

The old town of Nyons, situated on the Eygues River in the Drôme Provençale, boasts a well-preserved medieval character. The historic center consists of narrow, arched alleyways (called calades), covered passageways, and half-timbered facades. Characteristic features include the 14th-century Pont Roman – a monumental stone bridge spanning 43 meters – and the Tour Randonne, a defensive tower later used as a bell tower. Nyons developed as a regional trading center and a strategic stronghold between the Dauphiné and Provence. The town had ramparts, parts of which are still visible, as well as city gates and bastions. Within the old center, you'll also find artisan fountains, the remains of monasteries and chapels, and several houses with Renaissance features. The town is not only architecturally valuable but also lively: with a weekly market, an olive oil mill, and numerous local specialty shops around the Place des Arcades. The combination of heritage, climate and regional products makes the old town of Nyons an attractive and authentic Provençal centre.

Nice pass, not too hard, beautiful view of the Ventoux and the whole valley

In Nyons on the side of the parking lot on the right when you drive over the bridge. Lavender distillery sometimes in operation, shop and tea house and a little further you will find a shop with all kinds of olive oils.

Here you'll find everything that makes these villages so charming and pleasant to live in: narrow streets with often colorful houses, cobblestone streets, cats, lavender, oleanders, old monuments, and more. Start your stroll at the Place des Arcades, where part of the Provençal market takes place, held on Thursday mornings year-round and every Sunday during the summer. Then head to the Forts district with its narrow, cobblestone streets and its 13th-century Tour Randonne, transformed into a chapel, Notre Dame de Bon Secours. It's recommended to get lost in its streets and enjoy the neighborhood, see magnificent properties in the pure Provençal tradition, and also discover the remains of the old fortifications. Next, head to Rue des Déportés, with its small restaurants, which will lead you to the Roman Bridge, dating from 1409 and spanning the Eygues River (or Aygues), ranked among the most beautiful bridges in France. Then head down to the banks of the Eygues and do some shopping at the Moulin à Huile. It's ideal to visit Nyons during market days; the atmosphere is truly wonderful and unique. This short circuit takes about 1.5 hours (longer if you stroll through the market).

It was Father François who initiated the construction of the upper part of the monument, and the architect Adrien Boisson who designed the pedestal. It is composed of two pyramidal walls arranged diagonally and forming three floors. The first floor (the lower one) has blind arches, but the two upper floors have Neo-Gothic arcades. At the intersection of the two walls is a central shaft supporting the pedestal of the Virgin. The pedestal is very richly decorated: small columns, rose windows, trefoil arches, and small towers. Statues are placed at the edges of the different floors: 1st floor: the Saints: Saint Joseph, Saint John, Saint Bernard, and Saint Vincent; 2nd floor: the Saints: Saint Anne, Saint Elizabeth, Saint Madeleine, and Saint Theresa. On the third floor, angels have been sculpted. The architect Boisson thus intended to symbolize the prayer that springs from the earth to heaven, then is transmitted by the saints, men and women, and finally by the angels to the Virgin Mary. The statue of the Virgin Mary at the summit is 3.50 m high. It is said that she watches over the serenity and tranquility of the city. Once the construction of the pedestal was completed, the building was inaugurated on May 3, 1863 (six months after its purchase) by the Bishop of Valence, in the presence of Father Gabriel of the Abbey of Notre-Dame d'Aiguebelle, forty priests, and 15,000 faithful. The first mass at the Notre-Dame de Bon Secours chapel was held on August 14, 1864, but its consecration took place on the Feast of the Assumption on August 15, 1864. It was on that day, in the presence of a jubilant crowd, that the statue of the Virgin, the one currently inside the chapel, was placed on the altar and blessed by Father Gabriel of Aiguebelle Abbey. Inside the chapel, on the south side, is a small gilded wooden altar dating from the late 17th century. It is surmounted by the statue of the Virgin, which was placed there on August 15, 1864. Two wooden staircases, on either side of the altar, lead to the gallery, whose three tiers of seats are arranged in an amphitheater around the tower. The altar, steps, altarpiece, and tabernacle are listed as historical heritage by the Ministry of Culture, under the reference PM26000450. Numerous paintings adorn the walls, most of them the work of the painter Léon Alègre, originally from Bagnols-sur-Cèze (Gard). These paintings were created between 1867 and 1869. The paintings depict: along the east and west staircases: the Flight into Egypt and the Adoration of the Magi; on the faces of the vaulted arches: to the south, the Presentation of Mary in the Temple and Our Lady of Good Help; to the west: the Assumption and the Sorrowful Mother; to the north: the Holy Family and the Visitation; to the east: the Annunciation and the Marriage of the Virgin; On the edges of the vaulted arches, four portraits appear: to the east: Saint Mark and Saint Matthew; to the west: Saint John and Saint Luke; above the entrance door: between Saint Stephen and Saint Francis of Assisi, the Coronation of the Virgin.

The Randonne Tower, overlooking the town, is built on a sandstone mound in the center of the Nyons Forts district. It measures 8 meters on each side and 10 meters high. Its origins are said to date back to 1280. Nyons was then the capital of the Barony of Montauban. Dame Randonne de Montauban is said to have had a castle built there to serve as a military prison. Only a defensive tower, with walls 2 meters thick, remains today. This origin, which is only a hypothesis, is the most plausible: a 16th-century representation of the tower shows that it was at the center of a system of fortifications adjoining the "Maison de la Randonne," the stately home of Randonne de Montauban. This residence was destroyed in the last century during the development of the square in front of the chapel. After the Montaubans, the keep had several owners, including the dauphins in the 14th century. In 1633, the prison was dismantled when Nyons was opened and its fortifications were destroyed, in accordance with Louis XIII's wish to see the region's Protestant strongholds fall. In 1854, Father Francou suffered a serious and fatal illness. He then prayed to Mary and was cured. In gratitude for this healing, he prostrated himself before the altar of the parish church. Ten years later, during his sermon on August 15, 1862, he announced his wish to erect, on one of the tallest towers in Nyons, a pedestal upon which would rest a large and beautiful statue of the Blessed Virgin, which would, he claimed, dominate the town and be seen from afar in the countryside. The tower having been sold by the commune, Father Francou bought it back from its owners on October 21, 1862, and donated it to the Fabrique de Nyons (the parish council at the time). The Randonne Tower subsequently became the Chapel of Our Lady of Good Help. Every August 15th, the Randonne Tower is honored with a grand celebration retracing the origins of the monument, the places, deeds, people, and events that have marked the town's history. Each year, the tower, where Baroness Randonne of Montauban once lived, remembers the lives of the inhabitants of Nyons, since its construction around the mid-13th century. It tells us of all the generations of Nyons residents whose lives were born there.

Fantastic landscape from the ramparts over the Tricastin and the vineyards of the Rhône Valley

It's a fabulous open-air pharmacopoeia spanning 3,000m². More than 200 species of aromatic and medicinal plants are cultivated, inventoried, and labeled. It is divided into two parts: The medicinal garden, which connects humans with the virtues of medicinal plants still used in 21st-century pharmacopoeia. They are classified by theme, and their color-coded labels reveal all their secrets. The collections garden, below, is designed in the shape of a sun and its rays, housing some of these medicinal plant families in different botanical species: sage, lavender, geraniums, and collections are arranged in flowerbeds delineated by boxwood borders. This garden attracts many visitors every year, lovers of rare plants and botany, enchanted by the layout of the garden's terraces, the fragrances they emit, and the colors that alternate and harmonize with each other. All blending into the landscape, opening onto a superb panorama! The Jardin des Herbes participates in the annual "Rendez-vous aux Jardins" event for enthusiasts, organized by the Ministry of Culture.