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| Valence | ||
| region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | |
|---|---|---|
| Residents | 64.726 (2018) | |
| height | 123 m | |
no tourist info on Wikidata:  | ||
| location | ||
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Valence is a city in France in the Rhône Valley and politically belongs to the region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is still around 200 kilometers from the beaches of the Mediterranean and lies in the transition area from the temperate climatic zone to the subtropics.
background
A French proverb says: "C’est a Valence que le midi commence. » - “The south [of France] begins in Valence.” Valence is a busy and thoroughly modern industrial city. Large parts of the city are built with concrete castles from the 1950s. However, you can still find small, beautiful and cozy places and one or the other nice alleyway.
Valence is halfway between Lyon, a city in the temperate climate zone, and orange, where there is a classic Mediterranean climate. In winter, Valence is usually in a bleak fog with temperatures in the upper single-digit plus range (approx. 7 to 9 degrees). In summer, on the other hand, it is humid and warm with frequent thunderstorms.
getting there
By plane
The nearest international airport is Lyon Saint-Exupéry Airport
(IATA: LYS). It is about 120 km from Valence. However, there is a direct TGV connection from the airport train station to Valence, which only takes 30 minutes.
The 1 Valence-Chabeuil airport(IATA: VAF), which is about five kilometers outside, is mainly a military airport and is also used for "general aviation", ie private pilots. There is no scheduled service.
By train
The station 2 Valence TGV is on the high-speed line Paris–Montpellier. The ride from the Parisian Gare de Lyon takes only 2:10 hours with the TGV. It is offered approximately every two hours, and even every hour during rush hour. Coming from the south, you need from Nîmes 40-45 minutes, from Montpellier 1:15 hours. Twice a day there is a direct connection from Barcelona with the TGV or the Spanish AVE, it takes about 4:15 hours from Perpignan it is 2:45 hours. The Valence TGV train station is outside the city, about 11 kilometers northeast of the center. Regional trains (TER) depart every half hour and take 8 minutes from Valence TGV to Valence Ville.
The station 3 Valence Ville is located in the middle of the city and is connected to the conventional Paris–Lyon–Marseille tied up. Here, too, three pairs of TGV trains stop each day, coming from Paris (journey time 2½ hours) and from Lyon Saint-Exupéry Airport (30 minutes) in the opposite direction orange (50 minutes), Avignon (1:05 hours) and partly off Arles (1½ hours).
In addition, regional express trains (TER) from Lyon Part Dieu run approximately every hour (journey time 1: 05–1: 10 hours) Vienne (45–50 minutes) and from Avignon (1: 10–1: 25 hours) via Orange (55–60 minutes) and Montélimar (20-27 minutes); every two hours also from Marseille-St-Charles (2:25 hours). From the direction of Avignon, the TGV hardly saves time (due to the lack of a high-speed route). There is also a TER connection with almost every hour Grenoble (Travel time 1: 10–1: 15 hours). In part, these trains come off Annecy (approx. 3 hours), Aix-les-Bains (2:20 hours) and Chambery (2:05 hours); twice a day there is even a free connection from Geneva (3:15 hours). A TER runs three times a day from Briançon (approx. 4 hours) and Gap (2½ hours) in the French Alps to Valence.
By bus
Flixbus offers bus trips from several times a day Lyon (Travel time approx. 1½ hours), Nîmes (2 hours) and Montpellier (3 hours) on, once a day from Grenoble (1:15 hours), Aix-en-Provence (3 hours.), Geneva (4:15 hours), Toulouse (5½ hours), Turin (5:40 hours), and Nice (5:45 hours). Flixbus stops on 4 Gare routiere Valence near the Valence Ville train station.
Long-distance buses to Valence from Germany only run irregularly and are only offered together with package tours.
In the street
Valence is located on the A7 toll motorway (“autoroute du Soleil”) between Lyon and Marseille - on which there are often traffic jams. The A49 runs from Grenoble and Chambéry in the Alps to Valence.
By boat
With the motorboat it is a day trip on the Rhône from the Mediterranean coast to Valence. You can get through this Avignon and Montélimar.
Marina on the Rhône with 478 berths, awarded the Blue Flag.mobility
Most of the sights are located in the old town, which with its narrow streets is mostly pedestrian or at least traffic-calmed.
There are many bus stops in Valence.
Tourist Attractions
Vieux Valence
Most of the sights are in the old town (Vieux Valence).
- 1 Cathédrale Saint-Apollinaire, place des Ormeaux.
Romanesque cathedral from the 11th century.
- 2 Pendentif de Valence, 1 place du pendentif (next to the cathedral).Grave monument for the canon Nicolas Mistral, built in 1548 in the Renaissance style.
- 3 Place des Clercs.The central square of the old town, surrounded by two to three-story houses in pastel colors. All around there are several cafes and brasseries that put their tables and chairs on the square when the weather is nice.
- 4 Maison des Têtes, 57 Grande Rue (Near place des Clercs).Outstanding building from the 16th century, at the transition from late Gothic to Renaissance. The facade is lavishly decorated with fantasy figures.
- 5 Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste, 1 rue Saint-Exupéry / place St-Jean.The oldest church in the city, it already existed in early Christianity, the Council of Valentia was held here in 374. Over the centuries it has been rebuilt again and again or rebuilt after being destroyed. However, it is still essentially Romansh. The neo-Romanesque bell tower dates from the 19th century.
Buildings
- 6 Kiosque Peynet, 1 avenue du Champ de Mars.Bandstand built in 1862. It bears the name of the graphic artist and illustrator Raymond Peynet, who worked in Valence from 1942 and is best known for his drawings of couples in love.
Monuments
- 7 Fontaine monumentale, Boulevard Bancel and Boulevard Maurice-Clerc.Magnificent ornamental fountain from 1887. The figure on the column represents Hermaphroditos. The hermaphrodite child of Aphrodite and Hermes holds a torch (symbol of the father) in the right hand and a mirror (symbol of the mother) in the left.
Museums
- 8 Musee de Valence (Musée d'Art et d'Archéologie de Valence), 4 place des Ormeaux.Art and archeology museum with works from prehistory and early history to the present.
- 9 Espace Jeanne de Flandreysy, Square Charles Aznavour. Exhibition rooms for documentary, photo and plastic art.
Parks
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- 10 Parc Jouvet.7 hectare botanical garden on the banks of the Rhône with a view of the Vivarais mountains and the Crussol castle.
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activities
shop
In Valence there is an ALDI, an E.Leclerc and an Intermarché.
kitchen
The cuisine in Valence is typically French: there is onion soup, coq au vin, pot au feu and foie gras. A particular local specialty is that Suisse, a biscuit man made from sand dough with orange blossom flavor and small pieces of candied orange peel.
- 1 Maison Pic, 285, avenue Victor-Hugo.Top restaurant, run by Anne-Sophie Pic, one of the most prominent chefs in France and the first woman to work in Guide Michelin was awarded three stars. It belongs to the five-star hotel of the same name with 10 rooms and five suites.Characteristic:
.
nightlife
accommodation
Learn
Work
security
Crime has increased in Valence over the past three years. However, there are several police stations in Valence.
health
There are several large and modern hospitals in Valence, for example the Hospital Center de Valence (179 Boulevard Maréchal Juin, tel. 33 4 75 75 75 75).
Practical advice
trips
- 11 Château de Crussol, Saint-Péray (5 km west of the city center, via the D 533 towards Le Puy).Ruins of a medieval hilltop castle from the 12th century.
- Royans (approx. 35–45 km northeast of Valence) - hilly landscape, in which one dedicates oneself to the breeding and cultivation of nut trees; picturesque villages like Pont-en-Royans and impressive gorges like the Gorges de la Bourne.
- Gervanne (approx. 40 km southeast of Valence on the D 68 via Chabeuil, Peyrus) - landscape at the foot of the Vercors Mountains with rugged hills, waterfalls (e.g. chute de la Druise) and pretty villages
- Montélimar (50 km south; 20-30 minutes by train)
- Pilat Regional Nature Park (65 km northwest) - Mountainous landscape for hiking, cycling and cross-country skiing.
- Grignan and La Garde-Adhémar (both approx. 70–75 km south of Valence) - two of the most beautiful villages in France in the Provencal south of the Drôme, surrounded by lavender fields
- orange (100 km south; 50–60 minutes by train) - the Roman theater and the triumphal arch are world heritage sites.
- Lyon (100 kilometers north; 1: 05–1: 10 hours by train) - France's second largest city with a mixture of old town and modern skyscrapers.
- Gorges de l’Ardèche (100 km southwest) - impressive canyon-like valley of the Ardèche, one of the most popular canoeing routes in France.
literature
Web links
- https://www.valence.fr - Official website of Valence
