Rontalon offers a striking contrast: the Maison du modélisme agricole is devoted to scale models of machinery, while outside the museum, pastures, arable land and orchards shape a hilly agricultural landscape. There is also a neo-Gothic church and several trails with different distances and estimated times. You can therefore plan a stay focused on heritage, outdoor activity or both. Practical details matter when planning: museum visits must be requested in advance, one trail is accessible seasonally, and two routes differ in the time and elevation gain required.
Models and building history
The Maison du modélisme agricole is housed in a former chapel of the Franciscan Sisters. Its permanent exhibition features scale models of agricultural machinery made by Paul Buyer, who was born in Rontalon. The museum thus highlights both the precise depiction of farm machinery and its connection to the area. The models make agriculture a subject of the visit not only as a landscape, but also as a specific technology.
Visits are possible daily by prior appointment; please enquire at least 24 hours in advance.
The Église Saint-Romain-en-Lyonnais was built between 1869 and 1872 in the neo-Gothic style and has particularly remarkable stained-glass windows. The church also has its oldest bell, dating from 1494 and listed as a Monument historique since 14 April 1904.
The Chapelle Saint-Roch was built in gratitude for Rontalon having been spared during the 1624 plague epidemic. It was rebuilt in 1903 and is now destroyed.
Trails with different time requirements
The municipal route information dated 9 March 2022 lists the red-marked Circuit des Ravières as an 8-kilometre circular route, with a walking time of around 2 hours and 30 minutes and an elevation gain of 209 metres. It runs mostly away from paved roads, along many shaded paths and through varied scenery. The green-marked Tour de Bezin is 4.5 kilometres long, with a walking time of around 1 hour and 30 minutes and an elevation gain of 244 metres. It is shorter in distance and stated walking time, but involves more elevation gain than the Circuit. Check trail conditions before setting out.
The Croix des Ravières stands at an altitude of 646 metres and is 100 metres from the Circuit des Ravières. In clear weather, the view from there extends across the Lyon plain to the Alps.
The Sentier Land'Art starts at the Trève de Tiremanteau and is accessible from May to October. Take this seasonal window into account when planning.
A hilly landscape shaped by agriculture
Rontalon preserves a dynamic agricultural landscape in hilly surroundings, shaped by pastures, arable land and orchards. Agriculture connects the exhibition with the character of the surrounding area: in the museum, you encounter it through models of machinery; in the landscape, through the fields that define the area. These different ways of experiencing the same theme sit alongside neo-Gothic architecture and walking trails.
Discover more destinations: Ampuis, Oullins, Sainte-Paule, Marcy-Lʼétoile, Grézieu-le-Marché, Brignais, Feyzin, Chessy
For the regional travel overview: Rhône.
