The Pont d'Arc: the 54-metre natural arch over the Ardèche

The Pont d'Arc is a natural limestone arch 59 m long and 54 m high, under which the Ardèche flows, 5 km from the village of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc. According to Wikipedia, it is the only stone arch in France over a river that still flows through it. Formed about 124,000 years ago by erosion, it has been a protected natural site since 24 January 1931 and marks the entrance to the Ardèche gorges nature reserve. You see it from the gorges road, swim from the pebble beaches, and most canoe trips pass beneath it.

Key facts

Source: Wikipedia, OSRM.

An arch carved by the river

For hundreds of thousands of years, the Ardèche flowed around the rock in a meander, the Combe d’Arc. Water seeped into the limestone until it pierced the cliff: the river now flows under the arch and has abandoned its old bed. According to Wikipedia, the arch will eventually disappear through erosion, in thousands or even millions of years.

Prehistory

The Pont d’Arc lies at the heart of an area of painted caves among the oldest known, used 30,000 to 40,000 years ago, including the Chauvet Cave, which is closed to visitors. Its reconstruction, Chauvet Cave 2, is a few minutes away.

Seeing it, getting there

From the gorges road, which starts in Vallon, or at water level by canoe: the mini-trip under the Pont d’Arc started at €28 in November 2026. In summer, come early: it is one of the busiest places in the Ardèche.