Independent guide · Not the town's official website
Vallon-Pont-d'Arc, gateway to the Ardèche gorges and the Pont d'Arc
The gateway to the Ardèche gorges: the Pont d'Arc 8 minutes away, the canoe trip down to Saint-Martin, Chauvet Cave 2 and riverside campsites.
- Every fact is sourced
- Updated 9 November 2026
- Booking on GetYourGuide
Photo: W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 54 mhigh: the Pont d'Arc
- ~30 kmof gorges to Saint-Martin
- 100,000canoes and kayaks a year
- 1980nature reserve created
Why Vallon
The starting point of the Ardèche gorges
Vallon-Pont-d'Arc is the starting village for the descent of the Ardèche gorges, a canyon of about thirty kilometres down to Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche, a national nature reserve since 1980. The Pont d'Arc, a natural arch 54 m high over the river, is 5.6 km from the centre. The municipality is also home to the Chauvet Cave, a World Heritage Site, and its replica open to visitors, Chauvet Cave 2. According to Wikipedia, the population grows tenfold in summer, with campsites along the Ardèche. More than 100,000 people paddle down the gorges by canoe or kayak every year.
Our pick of trips around Vallon
Travellers' favourites
-
Mini-descent of the Ardèche with a passage under the Pont d'Arc in your free time! 2 hours ★ 4.9 (21) from €28 -
Vallon-Pont-d'Arc: Canoeing/kayaking down the Ardèche : 7 km route ★ 4.6 (16) from €38 -
Vallon-Pont-d'Arc: Electric Bike Wine Tour & Tasting 3 hours ★ 4.4 (7) from €79
See all trips in the Ardèche GetYourGuide affiliate links
Pont d'Arc, Chauvet 2, campsites
Vallon-Pont-d'Arc
Pont d'Arc
The arch protected since 1931, 8 minutes from Vallon: how to see it, swim there and paddle under it.
Chauvet Cave 2
The largest reconstruction of a painted cave in the world, 8 minutes from Vallon: prices, duration, booking, tips.
Things to do
The must-sees around the village, with driving times: from the Ardèche by canoe to the hilltop villages.
Campsites
The areas to look for a campsite, the reserve rules, the bivouacs and campervan spaces.
Where to stay
Vallon, Ruoms, the hilltop villages or Saint-Martin: the right area for your plans.
Getting to Vallon
Montélimar 54 minutes away, Avignon TGV 1 h 29, Nîmes and Montpellier airports, coaches, and the car.
Canoeing, bivouacs, viewpoint road
The Ardèche gorges
Canoe trip
The routes from Vallon, their duration and prices, the night at a bivouac, the reserve rules and flood days.
Gaud and Gournier bivouacs
The only two places to spend the night in the nature reserve: booking, rules, stoves, alcohol.
Scenic road
29 km from Vallon to Saint-Martin above the canyon: Serre de Tourre, La Madeleine, Ranc Pointu.
When to go
Spring and summer for the river, autumn and its floods, summer and its crowds: choosing your dates.
Activities
Canoeing, Chauvet Cave 2, Aven d'Orgnac, viewpoints, e-bikes and wine: everything to do around Vallon.
Orgnac, Ruoms, Balazuc, Vogüé
Around Vallon
Aven d'Orgnac
A Grand Site de France 25 minutes from Vallon: giant chambers at -121 m, Prehistory Centre, combined ticket with Chauvet 2.
Ruoms
Vallon's neighbouring town, where the Ardèche meets the Beaume and the Chassezac, and the road through the gorges.
Balazuc and Labeaume
Two hilltop villages in the middle valley, 17 and 21 minutes from Vallon: Balazuc, a Most Beautiful Village of France, and Labeaume.
Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche
The village where the descent ends at Sauze, at the end of the gorges road, opposite Aiguèze.
Vogüé
One of the Most Beautiful Villages of France, 23 minutes from Vallon: the castle, the river, the cliffs.
The guide in detail
The village and its gorges
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Department | Ardèche, on the border with the Gard |
| Pont d’Arc | 5.6 km, 8 min by car |
| Gorges | about 30 km down to Saint-Martin-d’Ardèche |
| Nature reserve | since 1980, extended in 2018 to 1,950 ha |
| Canoes and kayaks | more than 100,000 people a year |
| Chauvet Cave 2 | 6.8 km, 8 min |
Sources: Wikipedia, OSRM.
The descent of the gorges
This is what Vallon is famous for. Canoe hire companies offer routes of 7 or 8 km that pass under the Pont d’Arc, up to the big descent of 24 or 32 km to Sauze, in one or two days. To sleep in the gorges you must book one of the two bivouacs, Gaud or Gournier. Everything is in the canoe trip and the bivouacs.
The other must-sees
- The Pont d’Arc: the 54 m natural arch, protected since 1931.
- Chauvet Cave 2: the largest reconstruction of a painted cave in the world.
- The gorges road: 29 km and eleven viewpoints above the canyon.
- Around: the Aven d’Orgnac, Ruoms, Balazuc and Labeaume, Vogüé.
Where to stay
Vallon lives off its campsites, often by the river: see campsites and where to stay. In summer, book early: the village’s population grows tenfold.
Frequently asked questions
What is there to do in Vallon-Pont-d'Arc?
Canoe down the Ardèche gorges, see the Pont d'Arc, visit Chauvet Cave 2, drive the gorges road and its viewpoints, and head out to the Aven d'Orgnac or the villages of Balazuc and Vogüé. See things to do.
Which canoe trip should I choose?
For a first time with family, a 7 to 8 km route that passes under the Pont d'Arc. For the big descent, 24 km from Vallon or Chames to Sauze, or 32 km from Vallon, in one or two days. See the canoe trip.
Can you camp in the Ardèche gorges?
Not freely: camping and bivouacking are banned in the nature reserve, except at the Gaud and Gournier bivouacs, which must be booked. See the bivouacs.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Vallon-Pont-d'Arc (in French), accessed 9 November 2026
- Wikipedia, Ardèche gorges (in French), accessed 9 November 2026
- Wikipedia, Pont d'Arc (in French), accessed 9 November 2026
- Chauvet Cave 2, opening times and prices (in French), accessed 9 November 2026
- Ardèche Gorges joint authority, bivouac areas (in French), accessed 9 November 2026
- OSRM on OpenStreetMap, driving times, accessed 9 November 2026