A manor house with a courtyard, a Romanesque parish church and a route that passes the ruins of Château-Pillard: Izeron offers various starting points for an exploration. When it comes to trails, it is worth distinguishing between the Montchardon route, which starts in the village, and information about the wider tourist area. Cultural attractions range from the historic building to community events.
Ancienne maison Robert: a manor house in the village
The Ancienne maison Robert is a 19th-century manor house and now serves as Izeron’s town hall. An orangery, tack room, stable and coach house are grouped around a courtyard. The estate thus comprises several different outbuildings in addition to the manor house, which together shape the character of the property. The building has also been awarded the “Patrimoine en Isère” designation.
The house includes a reception room with naturalistic murals. They depict local places and buildings, linking the interior design with motifs from the village. The Ancienne maison Robert can be visited every day throughout the year. For your visit, it is advisable to confirm access in advance.
Parish church and local history
The parish church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste was first mentioned in a pouillé (ecclesiastical register) in 1115 and is considered an example of Romanesque religious architecture. The written reference and the architectural classification are two distinct points of interest: the date places the church in the written record, while its Romanesque classification describes its architecture. The church also serves as a venue for concerts and other community events. In addition to its architectural and documented history, it is therefore also used as a gathering place for community events.
Hiking and mountain biking
The larger figures relate to the tourist area: it has almost 800 kilometres of marked and developed trails. The local tourist office and the intercommunal authority have also selected 35 hiking loops of varying distances and difficulty levels. For choosing a hike, these differences in distance and rating are more specific than the total length of the trail network; they also show that the tourist area offers a range of hiking options.
The Montchardon route starts in the village of Izeron at an altitude of 240 metres and passes the ruins of Château-Pillard, which are listed as a point of interest. With this starting point and named destination, the route links a specific start in the village with a historical landmark. According to a local legend, the inhabitants of Château-Pillard plundered farms in neighbouring settlements and villages to survive. As a legend, this offers a different way of exploring the place than through the architectural history of the parish church or town hall.
There is also a mountain bike route in Izeron that is rated easy and open every day throughout the year. It offers a separate way to explore the area by bike; the rating applies to this mountain bike route, not to the hiking loops.
Karma Migyur Ling
Karma Migyur Ling is a place for the study and practice of Buddhism. The centre lies on the foothills of the Vercors massif at an altitude of 800 metres. Every year, Karma Migyur Ling organises around sixty courses or retreats; the annual programme may change. If a particular course is important to your trip, check the current programme.
The visitor schedule includes a guided tour of the temple at 4:30 pm. If you would like to include the tour in your plans, check the time against the current visitor schedule before travelling. This allows you to consider it as a separate item on your itinerary without confusing it with the year-round daily visits available at the Ancienne maison Robert or the trail options in the tourist area.
Discover more destinations: Uriage-Les-Bains, Saint-Appolinard, Saint-Lattier, Estrablin, Pellafol, La SĂ´ne, Dionay, Sassenage
For the wider travel guide: Isere.
