Villas in Ardèche

Vallon-Pont-d'Arc suits canoeists, Les Vans and Banne suit walkers, and Largentière suits a cooler, quieter base; summer is hot and busy. The south of the Ardèche is limestone gorges, river beaches and scrubby woods, while the north around Gluiras is green hill country with far fewer visitors. Villas are rural and trains are almost non-existent, so you need a car.

Where

Villas: 37
From, per week: £303
Cheapest month: October
Nearest airports: Montpellier and Marseille are each around two hours from Vallon-Pont-d'Arc, and Lyon is about two hours from Gluiras in the north. Flights from London take around an hour and three quarters to two hours. By train, the TGV to Avignon leaves you about an hour and a half from Vallon.

Where to stay in Ardèche

Vallon-Pont-d'Arc (the Ardèche gorges)

Vallon is where canoe trips through the gorges begin. The Pont d'Arc, a natural stone arch over the river, is a few minutes downstream, and the full descent to Sauze is about 32 km, usually paddled over two days with a night at a riverside bivouac. A rim road links a string of viewpoints. Above the town, Grotte Chauvet 2 is a full-scale replica of some of the oldest known cave paintings. Montpellier airport is around two hours away.

Best for: Families and groups who want canoeing and the gorges

Not for you if: You want quiet in August: Vallon is the busiest town in the Ardèche in summer.

Grospierres and Casteljau (the Chassezac and Labeaume)

Grospierres lies between the Ardèche and the Chassezac, a smaller river with pebble beaches and rock pools that is often calmer than the main gorge. Casteljau sits on the Chassezac itself, at the edge of the Bois de Païolive, a wood of oddly eroded limestone with marked paths. Labeaume, a village of stone houses under cliffs on the river Beaume, is close by. Vallon is around 20 minutes from Grospierres.

Best for: Families who want river beaches and shallow swimming

Not for you if: You want a choice of restaurants on foot: these are scattered villages and hamlets.

Les Vans, Banne, Les Assions, Saint-Genest-de-Beauzon and Planzolles (the south-west)

Les Vans is a small town below the first ridges of the Cévennes, with a traditional market on Saturday mornings and a craft market on summer Tuesday evenings. Banne has a ruined hilltop castle with long views south, and Les Assions borders the Bois de Païolive. Saint-Genest-de-Beauzon and Planzolles are smaller villages towards Joyeuse, among chestnut terraces and vines. The Chassezac gorge, popular for swimming and climbing, is a short drive away.

Best for: Walkers who want a market town and the Cévennes on the doorstep

Not for you if: You want the canoe gorges close by: Vallon is around 40 minutes away.

Largentière, Valgorge and Chirols (the Cévennes edge)

Largentière is a medieval town in a deep valley, named after the silver once mined here, with a castle and stepped lanes in the old quarter. Valgorge is higher up the Beaume valley below the Tanargue massif, among chestnut woods and stone terraces. Chirols is in the upper Ardèche valley near Thueyts and Jaujac, where old lava flows have left basalt columns along the rivers. Aubenas, the main shopping town, is about 20 minutes from Largentière.

Best for: Walkers who want green valleys and cooler nights

Not for you if: You dislike narrow mountain roads: the drives up these valleys are slow and twisting.

Gluiras (the Eyrieux valley, north)

The north of the Ardèche feels like a different region, with steep wooded hills, chestnut groves and far fewer visitors. Gluiras is a hill village above the Eyrieux valley, a few kilometres from the Dolce Via, a walking and cycling path on an old railway line along the river. Lyon airport is around two hours away, which makes this the best part of the department for flights into Lyon.

Best for: Cyclists and anyone after green hills away from the crowds

Not for you if: You want the gorges and Vallon nearby: they are about two hours' drive south.

Saint Montan (the Rhône side)

Saint-Montan is a restored medieval village climbing a small gorge towards a ruined castle, a few minutes from the Rhône. The old cathedral town of Viviers is close, and Montélimar, known for its nougat, is across the river. The lower end of the Ardèche gorges at Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche is around half an hour south, and the A7 motorway is near.

Best for: Couples who want a medieval village and easy access from the motorway

Not for you if: You want plenty of choice: we have only one house here.

When to go to Ardèche

Late May, June and September are the best months: warm enough to swim, with fewer canoes on the water. July and August are hot, the river is crowded, and the roads into Vallon queue on Saturdays. River levels drop through late summer, while spring and early summer are usually best for canoeing. Autumn can bring sudden heavy storms (épisodes cévenols) that raise the rivers fast. From November to March most canoe hire firms and many restaurants close.