Roybon combines a distinctive village heritage with trails through the Chambaran landscape and a leisure area at Lac de Roybon. When planning your stay, you can focus on three main themes: the village’s history, trips on hiking and mountain biking routes, and time by the lake. You can arrange your days around the discoveries that interest you most.
Village Heritage
The Statue of Liberty stands on Place Saint Romme. It symbolises freedom of expression, freedom of association, freedom of assembly and freedom of religion. Mathias Saint Romme gave the statue to Roybon; his friend Bartholdi had previously bequeathed it to Mathias Saint Romme. The Parcours de mémoire de galets leads to the statue, the Eglise Saint Jean-Baptiste and the Monument Saint Romme. It was created as a cultural trail so that visitors can discover the village of Roybon.
The Eglise Saint Jean-Baptiste is a neo-Romanesque building; its exterior features are influenced by Auvergnat Romanesque architecture. It can only be viewed from the outside. The Monastère Notre-Dame du sacré coeur de Chambarand also has a distinctive architectural history: monks from the Cistercian abbey of Notre Dame de Sept-Fons built it in 1868. The monastery church is open to everyone only during services. Check service times before visiting.
Hiking, Mountain Biking and Scenery
Numerous hiking, mountain biking and horse-riding trails start from Roybon. One specific hiking option is the 17.7-kilometre circular route “Roybon: Crêtes et combes de Chambaran”. It passes through forests, meadows, valley hollows and over ridges. The route offers views of the Vercors massif to the south. For a mountain biking loop, there is “Les hauts de Roybon - VTT”, which is 13.3 kilometres long. The two circular routes therefore differ in both activity and distance.
The area’s natural environment also gives Roybon a distinctive character: it includes wetlands, remarkable natural areas and peat bogs. There are many signs of local fauna and flora. Roybon is considered rural, close to nature and unspoilt. Those looking to focus their stay more on scenery and outdoor activities will find different options here than on a tour of architectural and cultural landmarks.
Leisure at Lac de Roybon and Annual Events
The leisure area at Lac de Roybon includes landscaped beaches, playgrounds and picnic areas. The lake also has fishing facilities: a fishing platform suitable for people with reduced mobility and a shared fishing area. Unsupervised swimming is permitted at Lac de Roybon; check the current supervision arrangements before swimming.
Every summer, the Parcours des Talents takes place, a craft market held in the village streets, which are closed to cars for the occasion. The Randonnée du Muguet is held every year on 1 May. It offers hiking and mountain biking routes through the forests of Chambaran and attracts nearly 1,000 participants. Dates, programme and participation arrangements may change; check the details of the relevant edition before travelling.
Getting to Roybon
There are two described road approaches: from the north, access is via Saint-Siméon-de-Bressieux and the Bièvre transport corridor; from the east, via Saint-Marcellin and the Grenoble–Valence motorway link. Outside school transport hours, bus route T63 runs to Saint-Marcellin. As routes and timetables may change, check the current timetable before travelling. These access routes and the bus offer different ways to get there without assuming a particular choice of transport.
Discover more destinations: Choranche, Les Abrets, Savas-Mépin, Ornon, Saint-Martin-De-La-Cluze, Saint-Hilaire, Villeneuve-De-Marc, Vinay.
See the regional travel overview: Isere.
