Bollène

Towns and Villages - by Provence Beyond

This is an interesting town, built around a low hill near the Donzère-Mondragon canal (which is actually bigger than the adjacent Rhône river that supplies the canal's water). Of course the town was here many hundreds of years before the 20th-c canal came along. A walled circle of houses shows where the defensive walls once stood, and a couple of the old portes remain [photo-4].

Photo gallery of 7 photos for Bollène	on the big map, N
Vaucluse (84500) Population: 14,130; Altitude: 55 m Michelin map: #245 (France Provence-Cote d'Azur)

Small streets and old houses fill the interior of the centre ville, working up to the top of the hill where the Collégial Saint-Martin [photo-1] stands. From the top you have an excellent view across the town's medieval rooftops and over the Donzère-Mondragon canal, where the medieval scene in counterpointed by the steam from the nuclear power plant cooling towers. To the north you can see the hills where the Barry troglodyte village is located.

The center has some large, open squares, including the Place Reynaude de la Gardette, where the 19th-c Hotel de Ville [photo-2] is located. There's a good café there as well, so you can sit and enjoy the village life.

When you live in a river valley you have to accept the fact that you'll get wet from time to time, and the Rhône is a big river. In recent times, the town was seriously flooded in 1951. Beside the 13th-c porte through the ancient walls [photo-5] is a marker for the water level of the 1993 flood, well over our heads.

Bollène is not only worth a visit, it's a fine town to stay in while visiting the surrounding area. There's a good selection of hotels and restaurants, and several cafés. Among the shops theres at least one good librairie with maps, magazines and books. The Office de Tourisme has a good (free) map of the town and area and a current list of hotels and restaurants.

Office de Tourisme

Tel : 04 90 40 51 45; Fax: 04 90 40 51 44 Tel: 04 90 40 51 44

Web: www.bollenetourisme.com
Email: ot.bollene@free.fr

Dates

Every Sat - Marché Provencal
2nd Sun - Puces (flea-market)

Transportation

Train
Bollène is on the main Marseille-Avignon-Orange-Valence rail line, which includes the TGV and car trains. Around 18 trains a day stop at Bollène on weekdays, and 3 or 4 on Sundays and holidays.

Bus
The bus company Les Rapides du Sud Est provides transportation in the area.
icon dot The line Montelimar-Orange has service to Montélimar, Chateau du Rhône, Donzère, Pierrelatte, Saint Paul-Trois-Chateaux, Cité IV, Saint Pierre, Bollène, Mondragon, Mornas, Pielenc and Orange.
The line Lapalud-Bollène has service between these two places only, also stopping the the Bollène train station.
icon dot The line Mojndragon-Saint Andéol goes between Mondragon, Bollène, Lapalud and Bourg Saint Andéol. Mon-Fri during school periods only; Mondragon-Bourg Saint Andéol around 7h00 and Bourg Saint Andéol-Mondragon around 16h30.

Sports

Piscine (Swimming pool), open all year
Planche à voile (wind surfing), tennis, fishing

Cycling

Graziella Redondi

Rental and Repair

Location: 200, avenue J.-Mège

Tel: 0490 304 243

Swimming (Piscine)

Piscine Municipale

Location: rue André Rombeau

Tel: 0490 303 505

Hiking

Maps:: IGN (1/25,000) #3042 OT "Tarascon, St-Rémy-de-Provence, Alpilles"; IGN Verte (1/100,000) #59 "Privas, Ales"

Immediately south of town (between Bollène and Orange) is the mostly forested Massif d'Uchaux.

One hiking trail, the Tour du Massif d'Uchaux, circles the area, passing by Mornas, Mondragon, Rochegude, Sérignan-le-Comtat and back to Mornas.

The GR4 passes east-west through the center of the area.
icon dot East, the GR4 continues on to Lagarde-Paréol, Sainte Cécile-les-Vignes and Cairanne.
West, the GR4 goes past Mondragon to Pont-Saint-Esprit and beyond.

Dining

Among the restaurant possibilities, we only looked at the ones near the center of the old town.

Lou Bergamoutie
This one, just inside the porte at the Place Charpentier, has an excellent reputation for Provençal cuisine. We were on a very low budget and were dressed rough for hiking so didn't go in.: Menus: 150, 190, 200, 300 FF.
La Flamenco (brassèrie, restaurant, café)
This is a fairly large place, located just outside the porte at the Place Charpentier. The food is ordinary but good, plentiful, and inexpensive.: Menu: 55 F, help-yourself buffet de hors d'oeuvere, plat du jour (choice of 3) and fromage or dessert.; Menus: 85, 100, 150 F, with several interesting choices.

Chabrieres

Location: 7 Bvd Gambetta

Open: all year

Tel: 0490 400 808; Fax: 04 90 40 52 88

Terrace

Chene Vert

Location: Quartier St-Pierre, Rue F. Perge

Open: all year

Closed: Sun dinner off-season

Tel: 0490 305 311; Fax: 04 90 30 40 65

Terrace

Lou Bergamoutie

Location: Rue Abbé Prompsault

Closed: Sun evening; Mon

Tel: 0490 401 033; Fax: 04 90 40 10 39

Terrace

Mas des Gres

Location: Route de Carpentras

Open: all year

Tel: 0490 301 079; Fax: 04 90 30 04 43

Logis de France; dining, terrace

Lodging - Hotels

Book Hotel with Beyond for Bollène

Hotels in Towns Nearby to Bollène

• 7 km — Saint Paul-Trois-Chateaux hotels

• 17 km — Cairanne hotels

• 22 km — Orange hotels

• 45 km — Carpentras hotels

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