Nyons

Humans have long recognised the fertile valley of Eygues as an excellent place to settle, and archaeological remains from Neolithic times have been collected.

The Greeks and the Romans made their mark here too, along with the warring tribes of the Middle Ages.

During the 12th century, the town came under the protection of the Barons of Montauban before eventually it was ceded to the King of France in 1349.

The area went through a tough time during the 16th and 17th centuries, when it was hit hard by the Wars of Religion and then plague.

There are plenty of historical sights in Nyons.

One of the first you will see if driving from the south is the 'Roman Bridge' which was actually built in the medieval period. This beautiful single arch bridge dates from 1341-1409 and is 43m long.

The centre of the town is marked with a roundabout and Place de la Liberation where you'll find the tourist office. To the east is where the old medieval town (Quartier des Forts) can be found. This is a really beautiful part of Nyons and well worth a tour on foot. The tiny alleys are filled with nooks and crannies, ancient buildings and stairs that lead to nowhere. You'll come across the Château Delphinal and the Tour Randonne (c.1280) which was turned into a chapel in 1863, and an 11th century Vieux Chateau, which is now privately owned.

The main church of Nyons is Sant Vincent, which dates from 1614. A church has been situated on this site since the advent of Christianity, but earlier constructions were destroyed during Nyons turbulent history. It's well worth a look inside as it was completely renovated in 2010 and holds a collection of important historical paintings.

There are a couple of museums in Nyons:

• The Olive Museum takes you round olive presses and millstones and has information boards on cultivation, harvesting and processing.
• There is also a Muesum of History and Archaeology.

Market day is Thursday and on Sundays during the summer, a Provençal market is also held.

Nyons is a decent sized town so the shops here are useful rather than just souvenir orientated.

Agriculture has been staple part of economic life for centuries and these days it's the black olive which thrives - so good, that it has an AOC quality ranking.

There are 160,000 olive trees in the AOC Nyon area and you can take a tour of the signposted Path of Olives - ask at the tourist office for details. Not only will you learn all about the olive, you'll also get to enjoy fabulous views of Nyons and the countryside. The olive takes centre stage with its own festival in February. Other products in the area include black truffles, honey, apricots and oranges, vineyards and lavender.

The surrounding area provides 400km of marked trails for hikers and there are a number of mountain bike trails.

The tourist office has four trails that are themed - one around the vineyards - you can choose trails by foot, by bike or even by car. The Path of Olives we have mentioned (it's 4km), a 2km nature walk through the woods and a 5km cultural walk through the town. For other more comprehensive walks in the area, the tourist office sells a hiking guide.

For mountain biking, there are marked trails available for all levels. These trails may change each year depending on how the environment is holding up. Again, you'll find all the current details at the tourist office.

For the young at heart, there is a water park, Nyonsoleïado, with slides, cascades, and 'beaches'. It's just on the riverbanks in the town on Promenade de la Digue.

A 'tree-climbing adventure course' Les Barons Perchés is just a bit further down the river (still in Nyons) and has three courses of varying difficulty. It's also only open during the summer from June to September.