The church’s Romanesque porch and the “Les Arcis – Issarlès” circular walk show two different sides of Issarlès: historic architecture and a specific walking route. When choosing the village for a stay, you can consider whether architectural history or walking should be the main focus.

The “Les Arcis – Issarlès” circular walk

The circular walk is of moderate difficulty, 9.7 kilometres long, and takes about three hours. It starts and ends in Issarlès church square. Along the way, it crosses a bridge over the Orcival and continues to the hamlet of Les Arcis. With the church square as both the starting point and destination, and the named hamlet as a point along the route, the walk follows a clearly described itinerary.

For planning your day, the duration gives you an approximate timeframe for the walk. Allow extra time for breaks or other activities so that the three hours do not also serve as the total time for your stay. The details answer different questions: 9.7 kilometres indicates the distance, about three hours the time required, and “moderate” the stated difficulty. Together, they provide a more concrete basis for planning than any single figure alone.

The route passes through the sensitive area of the “Loire et ses affluents” Natura 2000 site. If you would also like to take nature-related considerations into account when choosing a walk, this sensitive area is a factor in its own right, alongside distance and difficulty.

Church with Romanesque porch

The current church building in Issarlès probably dates from the 12th century and retains a two-bay nave and the original porch. The church also has a section dating from the 11th century and was restored with the involvement of local residents. This distinguishes the older section from the probable date of the current building.

On the west façade, the Romanesque porch has two broad archivolts resting on columns with sculpted capitals. Archivolts are the curved mouldings of a portal; capitals form the tops of columns. Together with the two-bay nave, these provide several specific features to look for when viewing the building.

The church is open every day throughout the year, and admission is free. Check before your visit whether access is possible on your chosen date.

Nearby Lac d’Issarlès

Lac d’Issarlès is located near Issarlès. It is another local point of interest to consider when planning your trip, alongside the walk and the church. If the lake is one of your travel interests, you can make it a focus of your plans in its own right.

If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Issarlès, you can plan your stay around whether walking, architectural history, or the nearby lake is your main interest.

Discover more destinations: Pradons, Bogy, Tournon, Viviers, Le Lac D'issarlès, Vogüé, Saint-Julien-du-Gua, Sainte-Marguerite-Lafigère.

For the broader travel overview: Ardèche.