Saint-Romain-de-Surieu brings together religious buildings and two routes of different lengths: the Way of St James along the GR 65 and the Le Donjon circular route. The Carmel Notre-Dame de Surieu, the Keep of Surieu, the priory church and products from Ferme de la Limone give a stay several clearly distinct focal points.
Carmel Notre-Dame de Surieu and visiting hours
The chapel at Carmel Notre-Dame de Surieu is open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; prayer times and the Eucharist are also open to visitors. As access information may change, it is advisable to check visiting details in advance. The Carmel is a contemplative community on Surieu hill; 14 Carmelite nuns live there. Visitors can take part in a spiritual retreat for a few days. This allows visitors to experience the religious focus either through a brief chapel visit or a retreat lasting several days.
Way of St James and the stage to Assieu
The Way of St James along the GR 65 runs from Pommier de Beaurepaire via Saint-Romain-de-Surieu to Clonas-sur-Varèze. The distance from Saint-Romain-de-Surieu to Assieu is given as 5 kilometres, taking about 1 hour and 20 minutes. This approximate time provides a practical guide for this section of the route; it refers to the stage to Assieu, not the entire Way of St James route described here.
Keep and priory church
The keep, also known as the Tour de Surieu, is an 11th-century structure. It is 12 metres high, with walls 1.8 metres thick. These measurements complement the date with specific architectural dimensions and give the historic building a clearly defined profile.
The priory church of Saint-Romain dates from the 10th or 11th century. Its features include a very low square bell tower, choir columns with capitals and a stone with interlaced relief. The capitals crown the columns; together with the relief stone, they draw attention to details of the building’s decorative features. The church and keep differ both in their recorded dates and in the architectural features described.
Le Donjon: circular route with three options
Le Donjon is also the name of a 13.3-kilometre route around Ville-sous-Anjou and Saint-Romain-de-Surieu. It can be used for hiking, mountain biking and horse riding. All three options are rated easy and are listed as taking four hours. In terms of planning, this circular route differs considerably from the GR 65 stage to Assieu, which takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes. The information provides two distinct time frames for route planning without implying that the routes are the same.
Products from Ferme de la Limone
A tourism listing from June 2025 mentions organic cheese made from raw cow’s milk at Ferme de la Limone, either plain or flavoured with herbs, as well as fromage blanc and meat from calves raised on the farm. The listing says these products are sold at the farm and through a collective shop. Thus, alongside buildings and routes, specific farm products are among the things that can shape a stay in Saint-Romain-de-Surieu.
Discover more destinations: Montferrat, La Buisse, Izeron, Vizille, Reventin-Vaugris, Susville, La Motte-Saint-Martin, Flachères.
For the overview of the wider region: Isere.
