Visiting the Ardèche in France - canoeing at the Pont d'Arc

Writer: Helena Bergström

Updated August 2026 | We highly recommend visiting Ardèche in France if you like dramatic scenery that is so beautiful it takes your breath away. If you also like camping, canoeing, historical sights and lavender fields… well, you’ve found heaven!

Ardèche in France

The Ardèche is a 125 kilometre long river, surrounded by a dramatic and powerful gorge. What's more, Ardèche is the name of the department through which the river flows. We visited this place with our campervan in 2018, and ever since then we have been longing to return. Now it was time for a return visit!

Ardèche is located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southern France. The most famous point can be said to be the natural bridge Pont-d'Arc.

Driving to Ardèche in France

Whichever route you take, it gets more and more exciting as you approach the Ardèche. You can get here regardless of the size of your vehicle (big and tall coaches drive in the tunnels!), but if you have a large motorhome, you might want to check which route you take. Some routes may have width restrictions, or be accessible only to vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes.

The tourist trail runs along the canyon Ardèche Gorges Tourist Route. This road is incredibly beautiful, with several nice view stops.

Kanjonen Gorges de l'Ardèche

The Gorges de l'Ardèche is a 30 kilometre long canyon stretching from Vallon-Pont-d'Arc to Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche.

The area attracts over a million visitors a year, mainly due to its natural beauty and opportunities for swimming and canoeing, combined with interesting sights.

The natural bridge Pont-d'Arc

One of the most famous sites in the whole Ardèche is the natural bridge Pont d'Arc. This impressive arch is 60 metres wide and 54 metres high. You can check it out both from the viewpoint by the car road above the arch, and from a canoe if you paddle past ...

Campsites in Ardèche

There are lots of campsites in the Ardèche. We've only visited one of them, so we can't compare, but we know we like Camping du Midi. This campsite is in a great location, right next to the Pont d'Arc, and it is possible to rent canoes directly at the campsite.

This 3-star campsite is simple and relaxed. You hand in a pass at reception, park where you like, and pay as you go. It doesn't need to be more complicated than that.

And although the campsite is 3-star, the nature experience is 5-star. Here you can enjoy intense birdsong and refreshing morning dips in the river!

Canoeing in the Ardèche

By far the most popular activity in the Ardèche is canoeing on the river. There are countless canoe hire companies in the area and on a sunny day, the canoes are a colourful sight on the shimmering green water.

We rented a canoe at our campsite, Camping du Midi, and chose a shorter trip of 8 kilometres. Other options were 13 kilometres or 24 kilometres. The staff drove us to a starting point higher up, and we could then paddle at our own pace back to the campsite. On the way there were breaks for both picnics and swimming.

Towards the end of the tour, we paddled through the Pont d'Arc arch. Here we could see young people having fun jumping from different heights, and we could also paddle into small caves... A great day on the water!

Visiting the Chauvet Cave

Discovered in 1994, Chauvet Cave is now a Unesco World Heritage Site. Behind a collapsed cave opening, which had been closed for 21,500 years, an amazing find was made: a large collection of artefacts created more than 36,000 years ago!

In order not to damage the artworks, but to be able to show them to the public, a replica of the entire cave has been built. This is a very interesting place to visit, where in addition to the cave you will find an exciting museum, as well as restaurants and other activities.

Visiting other caves in Ardèche

The Ardèche is full of caves. In total, there are around a thousand known caves, and about 15 of them are open to tourists. We didn't visit any of these caves this time, but last time we were here we visited Grotte de la Madeleine. This cave is full of large stalagtites and stalagmites in a reddish-brown colour, in all sorts of imaginative shapes. Bones of various animals have also been found in the cave. Another popular cave to visit is the stalactite cave Aven d'Orgnac.

Visiting the Lavender House

Do you like lavender? Then you should not miss visiting Lavender House in the Ardèche. If you're here when the lavender is in bloom, between the end of June and the beginning of August, you'll be able to see some stunningly beautiful lavender fields. You can also enjoy a guided tour with a small tourist train and various activities.

There is also a nice restaurant, where you can find various lavender products, such as lavender ice cream, lavender soft drinks and lavender beer.

I also realised after a while that I "had" to change into a suitable dress for photos in the lavender fields ...

More to see and do in Ardèche

Although we have already mentioned several experiences in Ardèche, there is actually even more to see and do in this area. Here are some more suggestions:

• Païolive Wood is a mysterious forest with surreal limestone formations and great hiking trails.
• Villages of Balazuc, Vogüé, Labeaume and Antraigues are beautiful and charming medieval villages.
• Canyoning and climbing is suitable for those who like adventure.
• Cycling is popular to do in the area.
• Markets with local products are organised in different towns and villages.

Video from Ardèche

Here you can see a video from our visit to Ardèche, edited by Peter.

More to see and do in the neighbourhood

If you want to continue your journey, there is a lot to discover, not all of it too far from Ardèche. Here you will find tips and reports:

• Ideal Palace
• Gorges du Tarn
• Arles

Have you visited Ardèche?

Have you visited the Ardèche in France? Do you like this type of nature experience?