Vienne is a commune in the Isère department which occupies a privileged position along the Rhône River.
At the confluence of the river Gère, a tributary of the Rhône, the town gives its name to the Communauté d’agglomération du Pays viennois of which it is the seat.
Here is a practical and touristy look at the city with its unique heritage at the crossroads of the Alps and the Massif Central in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
Vienne, a little history…
The geography of the five hills surrounding the city made the Gallic Allobroges, “people from elsewhere“, choose the site, with a constant development of the Roman city faithful to Caesar until the Middle Ages:
Vienne, a strategic city at the crossroads of the Rhône valley, a religious centre (Diocese) and also a political centre (County), from prehistory to the Renaissance.
The heritage that traces the history of the city can be discovered along the streets and districts and requires a little curiosity, preferably on foot or by bike:
- Au fil du Rhône, reportage RTS 10/13, : Secrets of Vienna:
… and Viennese geography
With about 30,000 inhabitants for the city, which covers an area of nearly 23 km2, its urban area represents more than 110,000 people, and is located between the Lyon metropolis (French) to the north and the Rovaltain triangle with Valence to the south.
Anchored on the Rhône, the city is rather cut off from the river with complex access to the banks since the advent of the roads.
However, there is a departure and arrival point for river cruises and a non-motorised reconquest for pedestrians and bicycles with a greenway is announced for 2019 by ViennAgglo.
Along the Rhône, Vienne
Extract of the report of the Swiss Radio Television from the sources to the Mediterranean, here is the video sequence devoted to the ancient city:
For once, it is in a city that our journey along the Rhone takes us, that of Vienne, located in the Rhone Valley 30 kilometres south of Lyon. It is said to be rich of some 2000 years of history, with more than 40 classified sites and monuments. Since 1990, it has been awarded the title of “City of Art and History” by the French Ministry of Culture.
RTS
Vienna practical and online
For more information and to discover the city, here are a few tips and links.
Discover Vienna, official website
Identity card of the city, with all the information on the history, the heritage, the economic life, the famous jazz festival, the markets, the agglomeration and how to get there:
Vienne, a city with 2500 years of history
From antiquity to the present day, via the Middle Ages, from industrial heritage to museums, Gallo-Roman sites, castles, churches and chapels, discover the city with the Vienne-Condrieu tourist office:
Where is Vienne?
Linked
- ViaRhona from Vienna to Sablons (French), 9th stage from Geneva to the Mediterranean
- Wikipedia : the city, its history, the agglomeration (French)
- Map of the Rhône river
- Weather along the Rhône
- Taking the train in Switzerland and France
- Where to sleep in the Rhône valley?
- River tourism map (Rhône)
- Towns along the river
- The Viarhôna, the green bike route along the Rhône river
