All our hotels in Valence

We recommend commencing your walking tour of Valence at perhaps its most widely loved landmark, the Peynet Bandstand on the regal Champ de Mars esplanade. A beloved local meeting place, the curlicued pavilion was immortalised in "The Lovers of Peynet", a 1942 drawing by French cartoonist Raymond Peynet of a violinist and his admiring audience of one. From there, you'll enjoy sweeping views across huge, lush Jouvet Park, with rare trees, fountains and a miniature railway, to the hills beyond the Rhône and the dramatic ruins of hilltop Château de Crussol in the distance. Take a few steps into the medieval old town, Vieux Valence, to one of the city's oldest monuments, the Valence cathedral Saint-Apollinaire, dating from the 11th century and much modified over the centuries. The original belfry, long ago used to keep watch over the Rhône Valley, was destroyed by lightning in the 1800s, and rebuilt in white stone contrasting with the dark tones of the rest of the church. Stop in at the adjoining former bishop's palace, now home to the Musée de Valence, Art et Archéologie, the finest museum in Valence, France, for a fascinating reverse chronological journey through the Drôme region's history, as well as a superb collection of landscape paintings spanning 6 centuries. Be sure to go up to the viewpoint upstairs for panoramic vistas over Valence rooftops to the lazily flowing Rhône. A few steps away is perhaps the most distinctive monument in Valence, the Maison des Têtes, so named for the numerous sculpted heads adorning a flamboyant façade that embodies the architectural transition from Gothic to Renaissance. Step inside the corridor lined with busts of Roman emperors leading to the intimate, tranquil courtyard. Time for coffee break? Grab a table at one of the café terraces on charming, tree-lined Place des Clercs Valence – the square comes alive on Saturdays with a farmers' market where stallholders offer luscious Drôme cheeses, olives and produce. Theatre fans should grab tickets for a play, concert or dance performance beneath the vivid trompe-l'œil ceiling of the 1820s Théâtre de la Ville. Valence is traversed by Les Canaux de Valence, a long network of ancient canals – before you set out to explore them, stop by the Valence tourism office for a map of the marked trails that lead you through the town along shady waterside paths. The banks of the Rhône are the ideal setting for a bike ride in Valence, particularly the popular, 12-kilometre Voie Bleue route.

Given its location in the Vallée de la Gastronomie, it's no surprise that the array of restaurants in Valence includes plenty of haute-cuisine establishments run by star cooks, including one led by Anne-Sophie Pic, three-star Michelin chef and native of Valence. Epicureans descend on the city in June for the Rallye Valence en Gastronomie to drive the roads of the region, solve riddles, win delectable prizes and meet local producers. They return in September for cooking demonstrations and tastings during the Valence en Gastronomie Festival. One local speciality you'll find on the menus of most of the best restaurants in Valence is raviole de Romans, delicate square pasta filled with goat's cheese and parsley. Drôme is a leading producer of truffles, so expect to taste some superb "black diamonds" in winter. And for a sweet delight, bite into an orange-blossom-flavoured Suisse, a yummy shortbread biscuit shaped like the Swiss Guards at the Vatican, who give it its name.