About Roanne
Roanne is a commune in the Loire department, central France, located 90 km northwest of Lyon on the river Loire. Roanne is known for gastronomy (largely because of the famous Troisgros family & restaurant), textiles, agriculture & tank manufacturing. The village is also the birthplace of the famous colorful brioche La Praluline, from the Maison Pralus (which, we might add, is amazing for breakfast!).
Château Dépierre is in quite a fortuitous location - it is steps from the Loire river & a newly renovated park/riverwalk. In addition, the location is very close (about a 5 minute walk) to the downtown Roanne shopping district, which is mostly blocked off for pedestrian traffic. The village boasts many lovely artisan shops, from clothing to jewelry to wine (including an amazing culinary store). Further, there are many wonderful restaurants within walking distance of the Chateau.
The Roanne region (also known as the Roannaise) produces fresh red wines designated as of the Cote Roannaise. The village is also located within day-trip ability to several other wine regions, including Beaujolais, Bourgogne, & the Rhone Valley.
Getting Here
RAIL
Roanne train station has rail connections to Clermont-Ferrand, Saint-Étienne, Moulins & Lyon. Rail travel from Paris to Roanne must pass through one of these cities, the most common being Lyon. One can take the “fast train” TGV from Paris (any station, but we recommend Gare de Lyon) to Lyon Part Dieu (~2+ hours), called the TGV-SCNFConnect then transfer to a local train from Lyon Part Dieu to Roanne (~1.5+ hours) using SCNFConnect. We strongly recommend you make these two reservations separately (Paris-Lyon, then Lyon-Roanne) or else you may inadvertently make a reservation where you wind up on a bus! It’s ~15 minute walk from the train station in Roanne to the Chateau (cabs are not always easy to come by) - or let us know when you are arriving & we may be able to make arrangements for the final leg from the station to the Château.
AIR
There are no significant airports in our local area. Therefore, it is suggested that you fly from Paris to Lyon Saint Exupery. Then, make rail travel plans from Lyon Saint Expury to Lyon Part Dieu (city central, ~30 min) via SCNFConnect, then from Lyon Part Dieu to Roanne via SCNFConnect. It’s ~15 minute walk from the train station in Roanne to the Chateau (cabs are not always easy to come by) - or let us know when you are arriving & we may be able to make arrangements for the final leg from the station to the Château.