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Travel guide
Roanne and the Roannais
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: May to June, and September to October
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Welcome
Roanne and the Roannais, in a few days
Roanne lives by the Loire and by the Troisgros family, holders of three Michelin stars for decades and now based at Ouches. Around the town, the river runs through gorges to the Château de la Roche, the canal heads for Digoin, and the Côte Roannaise lays its gamay vines above medieval villages.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Le Central, the Troisgros bistro in Roanne · about 2 hOpposite the station, the Troisgros family runs a delicatessen and a restaurant of lively home cooking, with a menu that changes every week.
- Afternoon · Roanne harbour and the Loire banks free · about 1 hRoanne's old river port is the start of the 55.6 km canal to Digoin, with ten locks and a towpath to walk or cycle.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Relais de l'Abbaye€115 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Lake Villerest free · 2 to 3 hA 59-metre dam built from 1978 to 1984, despite strong opposition, to control Loire floods, drowning part of the gorges behind a 770-hectare reservoir.
- Afternoon · Saint-Jean-Saint-Maurice-sur-Loire free · about 1 hTwo villages merged in 1974 across the Loire; the old part, on a hill above Lake Villerest, has cobbled lanes and craft workshops.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Relais de l'Abbaye€115 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Château de la Roche · about 1 h 30A castle on a rock in the Loire, emblem of the gorges, visited with actors playing the Roustans, its owners in the early 20th century.
- Afternoon · The Côte Roannaise wine route free · half a daySome 215 hectares of vines below the Monts de la Madeleine, an appellation since 1994, where gamay grown on granite gives fragrant, fresh reds.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Relais de l'Abbaye€115 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Saint-Haon-le-Châtel free · about 45 minThe smallest commune in the Loire department, almost entirely inside its medieval walls, with a Romanesque church and half-timbered houses under ivy and wisteria.
- Afternoon · Ambierle Priory free · about 1 hA priory dependent on Cluny for over 850 years, rebuilt in the 15th century, its roof of glazed polychrome tiles in the Burgundian style.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Relais de l'Abbaye€115 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Baguette: the daily bread, bought fresh from the boulangerie. Ask for a "tradition", made with nothing but flour, water, salt and yeast.
- Croissant and pain au chocolat: breakfast pastries, best in the morning while still warm.
- The cheese course: served after the main dish and before dessert, from Comté to Camembert.
- Steak frites: the bistro standard. Order it "saignant" for rare or "à point" for medium.
- Galettes and crêpes: savoury buckwheat pancakes from Brittany filled with ham, egg and cheese, then sweet ones for pudding.
- House wine: ordered by the carafe or the "pichet" at lunch, and often better value than a bottle.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Say "bonjour" when you walk into a shop, a bakery or a café, and "au revoir" as you leave. Skipping it comes across as rude.
- Lunch runs from about noon to 2pm and dinner starts around 7.30pm. In between, most restaurant kitchens are closed.
- Most shops close on Sunday, and many small towns shut on Monday too. Bakeries and markets open on Sunday morning.
- Do not pay for bottled water at the table: ask for "une carafe d'eau", tap water that is served free with a meal.
- Around the big Paris sights, walk past anyone with a petition or a friendship bracelet. They are there to distract you while someone else takes your wallet.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ French
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Thank you | Merci |
| Please | S'il vous plaît |
| Yes | Oui |
| No | Non |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| Goodbye | Au revoir |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? |
| I don't understand | Je ne comprends pas |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes ? |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
| Help! | Au secours ! |
| Cheers! | Santé ! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €103 a day, mid-range
Best seasonMay to June, and September to October
PlugC/E · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingService is included by law, round up
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccination needed. Check that tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/roanne
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.