Trevoux France
3
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
CroisiEurope (3 Cruises)
Frequently Asked Questions
At the Bas Port, right at the foot of the old town. Trévoux rises up a hillside above the Saône River, and the landing stage sits at river level, so you step off at the bottom of the village with no shuttle or transfer.
Yes, entirely on foot. The village takes about twenty minutes to cross. The only real constraint is the slope: the old town climbs, and the Montée de l'Orme up to the castle is steep and cobbled. Closed shoes with a good sole beat sandals here.
The classic loop fits a half-day: the audience chamber of the Dombes parliament, the 18th-century apothecary in the old hospital, then the climb to the medieval castle for the view, returning through the old lanes to the riverside terraces. Allow about three hours at an unhurried pace.
It is the audience chamber of an independent principality. Until 1762, Trévoux was the capital of the Principality of Dombes, a tiny state with its own parliament and its own currency. The room still has its painted 17th-century ceiling, a listed historic monument. The visit is short, about forty minutes including the exhibits.
Yes, if you have the legs for it. The Montée de l'Orme is short but steep, over uneven cobbles. At the top stand an octagonal keep in golden stone, a rare survival in France, and towers looking out over the bend of the Saône, the Monts d'Or above Lyon and the first hills of Beaujolais. Orientation tables name each steeple.
The original pharmacy of the old hospital, preserved as it was in the 18th century: rows of blue and white faience jars, mortars and scales in their original cabinetry. The hospital was founded thanks to the Duchess of Montpensier. It is a twenty-minute stop, a few steps from the parliament.
Because Trévoux was a major printing centre in the 17th and 18th centuries. Beyond the reach of royal censorship, its presses published newspapers and books, including the multi-volume encyclopedic Dictionnaire de Trévoux, a European reference during the Enlightenment that spurred Diderot's own Encyclopédie. The town, a designated Ville d'art et d'histoire, tells that story through its walking circuits and street panels.
About 25 kilometres upstream on the Saône. Some cruises call at both, but Trévoux stands on its own: it is not a gateway to Lyon, it is a destination in its own right.
The euro. Credit cards work in the restaurants and shops of the centre, but carry some cash: the small museums and a few village businesses still prefer coins and bills, and ATMs are scarce.
On the tree-lined quays, facing the suspension bridge. The terraces serve Saône river fry, frogs' legs in parsley butter and cream-sauced poultry. The nearby Dombes, a land of a thousand ponds, supplies carp and pike, and Beaujolais the cool wine. It is a meal that stretches out, so keep an eye on your all-aboard time.
