Local information
Tourism Office
The local tourism office in les Vans has a wealth of information on all sorts of local activities including canoe or bicycle rentals, rivers for swimming, caves for exploring, local foods and restaurants, history of the area, local events and a number of hiking trails. Consult their website or go to the Place Ollier in the centre of les Vans to speak to them in person.
The Ardèche will please nature, food and art lovers alike.
Eschaton - The Anselm Keifer Foundation in Barjac
2022 sees the opening of Anselm Keifer’s extraordinary studio museum in Barjac, just less than 45 minutes’ drive from le Mazel. Keifer, one of the greatest living artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, made the redundant silk factory and estate of La Ribaute his studio in 1992 and lived and worked there for decades without any opportunity for visitor access. In June 2022 it opened for the first time to visitors to tour its towers, tunnels and studios. Consult the Eschaton website for further information and tickets. Read more about it in this article from The Art Newspaper or the Royal Academy website. Tickets and full information available on the Eschaton - Anselm Keifer Foundation website.
Local markets
Alongside magic moments spent with close friends and family, one of the greatest pleasures of le Mazel is to shop in the local markets. The Ardèche is renown for its chestnuts, saucisson, cheese, wine and olives. Although you can find these products in the supermarkets of les Vans or St Ambroix, the greatest joy comes from visiting surrounding villages on market days. Normally the markets take place only in the mornings and in the height of summer can get very crowded after 10am, so go early if you want peace or go later if you want conviviality. Markets may be found on any day of the week, see below. There is information on additional and seasonal markets on the Ardèche website.
Monday: St. Paul le Jeune, Banne
Tuesday: St. Ambroix
Thursday: Bessèges
Friday: St Paul le Jeune, Barjac
Sunday: Lablachère
