European Traveler

  • HOME
  • Austria
  • France
  • Germany
  • Italy
    • Italy
    • Vatican City
  • Netherlands
  • Spain
  • Switzerland
    • Switzerland
    • Lake Geneva Region
    • Liechtenstein
  • Others
    • Belgium
    • Baltic States
    • Denmark
    • Luxembourg
    • Norway
    • Sweden
    • River Cruises
    • UK
  • Search 🔎

Visit Le Poët-Laval in Drôme en Provence, France

May 12, 2011 by Henk Bekker in France, Provence

Le Poët-Laval is a very small fortified village beautifully located in the Drôme region of northern Provence in France. Top sights to see in this wall-enclosed town include a castle, church ruins, medieval buildings, a small museum, marvelous views and town fortifications.

The very small wall-enclosed town Le Poët-Laval (population almost 900) is mostly visited for its compact medieval old town with lovely views of the Le Jabron valley and surrounding mountains in the Drôme region of northern Provence. A castle keep from the twelfth century and a small museum on Protestantism in the region are further cultural attractions. Town gates and watchtowers from the fifteenth century, narrow alleys and arches, as well as beautiful flowerbeds help to make Le Poët-Laval one of the most beautiful villages in France.

Visit Historic Le Poët-Laval in Provence, France

Le Poët-Laval has a beautiful location on a hillock in the Jabon Valley from where visitors can enjoy lovely views of the interesting mountains that typify this part of Drôme in Provence. The medieval old town is very small but perfectly restored, as is common with many small towns in the region with artists’ homes and studios. A labyrinth of narrow medieval alleys makes this historic old village a pleasure to explore.

At the top of Le Poët-Laval is the twelfth-century castle donjon that belonged to the Knights Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem, Rhodes, and Malta. The interior of La Commanderie du Poët-Laval can only be seen from mid-June to mid-September, from 10:30 to 12:30 and 3 to 7 pm (Closed on Mondays).

Adjacent to the chateau are the ruins of the Romanesque Chapelle St Jean des Commandeurs (St John’s chapel). The church was used by both town and castle, with the commander of St Jean being able to attend church services from the higher castle forecourt without having to walk downhill to join the town’s people at the regular church floor level.  Much of the church collapsed during the 1930s with only the tower and part of the choir restored.

Musée du Protestantisme DauphinoisTowards the lower part of the old town is the small Musée du Protestantisme Dauphinois (Museum of Protestantism in the Dauphinois region). The museum is located in a fourteenth-century manor house that was later used as a reformed church and one of very few protestant churches in France that survived from before the nineteenth century. The museum is open daily from April to November from 3 pm to 6:30 pm. In July and August, it is also open from 11 am to noon (except on Friday and Sunday mornings).

Transportation to Le Poët-Laval in the Drôme Region, France

Le Poët-Laval is easiest reach by car although cycling is also a very popular activity in the region.

Le Poët-Laval is on the D540 road between Montélimar (25 km) and Dieulefit (4 km). The town can also easily be reached from other popular towns in the region such as Crest, Grignan, Taulignan, Valreas, and Nyons.

Parking lots are available at the bottom of the old town. On a quiet day, it is worth following the signs to the parking directly behind the chateau at the top of the hill.

Food and drinks are available from a couple of restaurant-cafés but picnicking is also an attractive option. Artist studios are mostly open on weekends only, except during July and August.

Le Poët-Laval in Drôme en Provence claims to be one of France’s most beautiful villages (Les Plus Beaux Villages de France). The town certainly is photogenic and outside the main holiday season and weekends, pleasantly quiet.

Filed Under: France, Provence Tagged With: 1000, Gallery, Historic, Medieval, Provence

« See Gallo-Roman Merovingian Sarcophaguses in Mazan in Provence, France
Disabled Visitors, Wheelchair Users and Strollers at Munich’s Oktoberfest »
Home » France » Visit Le Poët-Laval in Drôme en Provence, France

Recent Posts

  • Visit the Louwman Museum of Cars and Vintage Automobiles in The Hague
  • 2022 — Berlin State Museums Opening Hours and Tickets
  • Save on Museum Tickets in Amsterdam and The Netherlands with a Dutch Museumkaart Pass
  • Visit the Gemäldegalerie (Old Masters Paintings Gallery) Art Museum in Berlin
  • Louvre Museum, Paris: Tips on Buying Skip-the-Line Tickets and Tours

Book French Train and Bus Tickets

French railway tickets are available online from many resellers – Omio and Trainline are generally the simplest to use.

SNCF has several official websites: Oui.SNCF is the main site but visitors may be passed on to other SNCF sub-sites with many non-European-based users ending up at RailEurope sites that often sell only long-distance train tickets. Trainline and Omio are generally a lot easier to use and may include searches for competing buses, such as Flixbus, that are price and time competitive with trains on some popular routes. Also, try Ouigo for low-cost TGV trains — limited choice and routes but low prices.

Trainline and Omio also sell cross border journeys and tickets for many other European countries. Print at home tickets are generally the best option, collecting tickets at the station is time-consuming. Tickets for short journeys and trains in urban areas (RER & Metro) are usually not sold online.


pub

Great care is taken in writing these articles but no responsibility is taken for errors or omissions. Contact service providers directly before making any arrangements. This site is not responsible for the content of linked external sites.

Copyright © 2022 - 2008 - Impressum - Terms of Service - Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy - Data Protection - About