Located in the Haute-Loire region, the town of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon has everything you need for a pleasant family vacation. The city offers a serene setting to put down your suitcases, stroll through the village, discover its heritage and its infrastructures, before heading for the wonderful natural environment that surrounds it.

Le Chambon-sur-Lignon is a town in the middle of the mountains, a green and hilly territory where some of the unavoidable Auvergne peaks (Lizieux, Meygal, Mezenc) watch over the distance. Holidaymakers can count on the commitment of the town to give them a warm welcome and to allow them to spend as much time as possible in contact with nature, which can now boast two labels and whose new slogan is simply and purely "Space, air and green".

Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, a historical town

Perched in the heart of beautiful natural spaces, bordering the Lignon, the commune of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon radiates by its idyllic geographical situation. It is a destination of choice in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region for families who wish to enjoy a vacation in the great outdoors.

Le Chambon-sur-Lignon has left its mark on French history, since the inhabitants of the town and the Plateau sheltered about 3,000 people of Jewish origin, including many children, during the Second World War. It is the only town to have received the title of "Righteous Among the Nations" on behalf of the entire Vivarais-Lignon plateau. For history buffs, an interpretive and historical trail today traces the various resistance activities carried out against the Nazis between 1939 and 1945. It is the Place of Memory in Chambon-sur-Lignon.

A visit to Le Chambon-sur-Lignon includes the discovery of its heritage, with its Auvergne charm. The church, the Protestant temple, the Pont-de-Mars castle or the Cholet bridge in the hamlet of Genest are a must-see if you love beautiful stones. And then, there is the call of nature and in Chambon-sur-Lignon, it reserves beautiful surprises.

Walks and activities in the middle of nature

When you take the roads leading to Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, you will immediately notice that the relief and the abundance of vegetation can only be conducive to the practice of outdoor activities. The surroundings of the town are a real paradise for hikers. The city offers 5 marked walking and hiking trails (PR) perfectly adapted to families. The Pont de Mars (PR204) alternates between meadows and forests on the borders of the Haute-Loire at an altitude of 1,000 m; the Peybroussou and Plafay woods (PR35) is a beautiful walk in a wild beech forest; The Circuit des Pèlerins (PR38) runs along streams and groves with beautiful views of the Lizieux peak and the Mézenc mountain; the Roches de Beaujeu trail passes through woods and along the banks of the Lignon river; and finally, Le Plateau (PR39) offers incredible views of the hilly territory and its generous nature.

When walking in the nature surrounding Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, the river and its tributaries are never far away. Some of the most beautiful landscapes offered by the territory are those of the Lignon gorges. The river in movement, bordered by rocks and which crosses the wooded spaces of which many conifers, the small paths which join the heights and reveal superb views on the undulating spaces, these moments are magic. Note that the gorges, the waterfalls, the calm parts and other currents of the river also make the happiness of the fishermen. Maybe the opportunity to catch a few trout!

There is another way to apprehend the beautiful nature that surrounds Le Chambon-sur-Lignon. An activity which seduces the children for sure, but not only! An old-fashioned train, the "Voies Ferrées du Velay" tourist train, passes through the town's railway station and takes passengers through meadows and forests. The contemplation of the vast and sublime spaces of the Vivarais-Lignon plateau is done while keeping an eye on the Monts du Forez, the Mézenc and the Gerbier-de-Jonc which stand proudly on the horizon.

We will come back in a moment to the labels that guarantee a successful vacation for families in Le Chambon-sur-Lignon. The city offers various infrastructures where to spend good moments with family and friends. Starting with the golf course of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, located at the foot of the Mont Mézenc and the Suc du Lizieux. The site, wooded and hilly, is open to adults and children for courses, individual lessons or improvement sessions.

At the Domaine du Fraisse, you can play tennis on the courts. The Skate Park, with ramps and pipes, welcomes all those who wish to go rollerblading, skateboarding or BMX. Two swimming pools, the Fraisse pool and the school pool, welcome parents and children for a few swimming and wellness sessions. Concerning swimming, you should also know that Le Chambon-sur-Lignon has a beach on the edge of a natural water body. Open from July 1st to August 31st, the place is supervised and also offers a paddling pool for children, a volleyball court, a snack bar, a playground for children and picnic tables. Opened in 2021, the Espace Form is a gym equipped for weight training and fitness. In 2023, the city is working on the creation of an outdoor archery stadium and the development of the Beach Park. As we can see, Le Chambon-sur-Lignon offers multiple possibilities for sports and outdoor activities. It is not for nothing that the commune welcomes each year great sportsmen and women for their preparation.

All these infrastructures, the possibilities of walks and outdoor activities, combined with a large program of animations (mini walks, visit of farms, stained glass workshop, etc.) and prices adapted to families, led Le Chambon-sur-Lignon to obtain the label Famille Plus, a national reference for the reception of families. It has also been awarded the "Station Verte" label, which crowns its commitment to offering peaceful and sporty vacations in the heart of preserved natural areas.

A collective committed to the reopening of rural roads

The following observation is unfortunate, but very real: the rural paths are disappearing in France. It is even estimated that between 1945 and 2000, 200,000 km of them, that is to say 5 times around the Earth, have been lost. There are many reasons for this, such as private interests or neglect. These paths that cross our countryside play a crucial role in the preservation of the environment and the blossoming of biodiversity. In Chambon-sur-Lignon, a collective is committed to restoring and reopening the rural paths to walkers. They are sportsmen, passionate about nature and hiking, and have set themselves the goal of listing these paths on the land registry, then making requests to the town hall to ensure that they are indeed rural paths. The collective, which created the association "De Forêts et de Chemins" in 2022 , then works on clearing the paths so that they can be used by walkers. Thank you to them for working to have even more paths to explore to discover the beautiful nature and heritage that surround the town of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon!

When art and nature meet

In Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, a walk in the Lambert wood is the occasion to oxygenate the lungs, but also to come across an amazing artistic installation! "À mi-bois" is a work by the artists Mireille Fulpius, Christophe Gonnet and Marc de Roover, supported by the association Motabilem, whose ambitious project is to promote artistic creation in the open air in various communes. This wooden sculpture in situ has a long staircase of 76 steps that follows a path, before rising into the air and ending with a platform that encircles a Douglas fir tree. The result is sublime, totally in harmony with the surrounding nature. Another of the countless reasons to spend time with your family in Le Chambon-sur-Lignon.

FUTURE INFO

When to come?

Le Chambon-sur-Lignon can be visited all year round. Spring and summer are the best times for nature walks. But autumn and winter also have their charm, respectively when the leaves of the trees change colors and the paths are covered with snow.

Duration

You can spend a weekend discovering Le Chambon-sur-Lignon and its surroundings or opt for a real family vacation and take advantage of the many leisure facilities and hikes possible in the countryside.

Budget

From 18 € for a bare pitch in a campsite for 6 people. Count 75 € per night for 2 people in a guest room and around 80 € for a double room in a hotel.

Public

Le Chambon-sur-Lignon has been awarded the "Famille Plus" label and is an ideal destination for a family vacation in the fresh air. But you can also go there for a stay with friends or as a couple. Nature lovers and sports enthusiasts, there is a wide choice to have a good time.

The advantages

- A calm and serene city

- A wild and hilly nature for hiking

- Sports and leisure activities for young and old

- A local dynamism to highlight the nature and the heritage

The minuses

- There are not many. Let's say the necessity to be transported afterwards when arriving by plane.

And temperatures that can drop in winter. So bring warm clothes.

Getting there

By car, to come from Saint-Etienne, you have to follow the N88 and then take the D500 for about

1 hour and 10 minutes. From Lyon, follow the A47 for about 1 hour and 40 minutes. By train, the SNCF station of Le Puy-en-Velay is 45 km away, the one of Saint-Étienne-Châteaucreux 55 km away. By plane, near the airports of Puy-en-Velay - Loudes (50 km) and Saint-Étienne - Bouthéon (55 km).

Sleeping

To find the best accommodation in Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, it is recommended to contact the Tourist Office (tel: 04 71 59 71 56). Indeed, hostesses will be able to direct you towards the establishments answering your needs and desires.

Useful

- MAIRIE DU CHAMBON-SUR-LIGNON - More information on the website or the Facebook page of the town hall.

Phone : 04 71 65 71 90