Valence

Thursday, 7pm

Check in at Hotel Atrium Valence (20 Rue Jean Louis Barrault, 26000 Valence, tel: (0033) 475 55 53 62, www.atrium-hotel.fr) where a double room with balcony costs from €71.

8pm

Dine at L’épicerie (18 Rue St-jean, tel: 0475 42 74 46, http://lepiceriepierre-seve.fr), where Pierre Seve’s “promenade gourmande” menu includes offal dishes, as well as guinea fowl, and turbot in tarragon.

Friday, 9am

Join a walking tour of Valence’s delightfully traffic-and-tourist-free historic centre. Wind up at the iconic Kiosque Peynet bandstand on the Champ de Mars for a great view.

12:30pm

One in ten of the city’s inhabitants are Armenian, descendants of people who fled the Ottoman Empire. Try lunch at Sassoun (8 Rue d’armenie, tel: 0475 56 22 99) where the mezestyle menu has 20 Armenianlebanese dishes for €22 a head.

3pm

Hop on a train to Romans-sur-isere, France’s footwear capital and indulge in some retail therapy.

8pm

Anne-sophie Pic’s restaurant at Maison Pic, 285 Avenue Victor Hugo, tel: 0475 44 15 32, www. relaischateaux.com/gb/france/ restaurant/pic-drome-valence) is reason enough to visit the city. She’s the only woman in France to hold three Michelin stars – book ahead.

Saturday, 11am

Rent an e-bike (Carbone Zero, 24 Rue Denis Papin, tel: 0475 56 99 06, carnone-zero.fr) to explore Valence’s network of canals, built to irrigate vineyards and market gardens.

12:30pm

Lunch at L’ane en Ciment (Place St-jean, tel: 0475 45 53 28), a friendly, informal spot.

2:30pm

Visit the Musée de Valence, where highlights of a splendid collection include fine medieval mosaics.

8pm

Dine at Le Bistrot des Clercs, (48 Grande Rue, tel: 0475 55 55 15, www. bistrotdesclercs.com) to sample dishes like escargots with garlic and parsley, venison and oysters. Expect to pay around €32 each.

Sunday, 9am

Check out for your journey home. n

Valence is less than an hour from Lyons, around one hour from Grenoble, and two hours from Paris CDG Airport by TGV high speed train (uk.voyages-sncf.com). For more information visit: www.valence-romans-tourisme.com; www.ladrometourisme.com