Montélimar brings together a listed château and contemporary art with nougat, an animal park and a cycling route towards the Mediterranean coast. A simple decision can help you plan your stay: would you like to focus mainly on culture, sweets and museum themes, or animal watching and cycling? These priorities can also help guide your search for a hotel in Montélimar.

Culture between a historic monument and an art collection

The Château de Montélimar is a listed monument and opened to the public in 1983. The Musée d’Art Contemporain de Montélimar offers a different cultural focus: its permanent exhibition was enriched by a donation from Pierre Boncompain. The collection includes works by Bonnard, Chagall, Manet, Tobey, Savin, Boncompain, Zoran Music, Picasso and Renoir. A historic monument and a contemporary art collection thus offer two distinct cultural points of reference.

Nougat and a range of museum themes

The Musée du Nougat Arnaud Soubeyran offers visitors a look inside Montélimar’s oldest nougat factory still in operation. The Fabrique Arnaud Soubeyran makes nougat in copper kettles and also produces marshmallows, Provençal calissons and homemade caramels. The copper kettles are a specific detail of the artisanal production process; the other products show that the range goes beyond nougat.

The Palais des Bonbons, du Nougat et des Souvenirs brings together even more themes. These include museums about sweets and chocolate, artisan-made nougat, old toys, the N7 and Provençal nativity figures. Teddy bears and dolls from childhood, a Lego city and American model railways are also part of the offering. This broad mix of themes sets the Palais apart from the Musée du Nougat’s narrower focus on nougat.

The Palais also has an air-conditioned indoor play area, a shaded outdoor area with a restaurant, a covered picnic area, a playground, a mini-farm and an exotic aviary. Both indoor and outdoor areas are part of the offering. As facilities may change, check the latest information before your visit.

Animal watching and a guessing game

At the Jardin public animal park, visitors can see ducks, geese, chickens, horses, mules, goats, roosters and peacocks. A guessing game adds to the animal-watching experience: visitors are asked to guess the different animal species. As well as watching the animals, you can actively identify them through the game.

Cycling on the ViaRhôna

The ViaRhôna Sud passes through Montélimar on its way towards the Mediterranean coast. The southern route combines cycle paths with shared secondary roads, so include both types of route in your preparations. The route and conditions may change. Check the latest route conditions before setting off. The route does not run exclusively on cycle paths.

Discover more destinations: Saillans, Grignan, Cornillac, Saint-Maurice-Sur-Eygues, Marignac-En-Diois, Piégros-La-Clastre, Ratières, La Bâtie-Rolland

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