Arche Agglo, between Tain, Tournon and Rhône

Arche Agglo is an urban community created in 2017, located in the north of the Ardèche and Drôme departments, between the banks of the Rhône river. Here’s a closer look at the EPCI.

Arche Agglo, between Hermitage and Tournonais

Comprising 41 communes (towns and villages), the conurbation covers an area of 498 square kilometres (km2) with a population of 56,428 (INSEE 2014 figure).

Straddling two departments in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region,Ardèche and Drôme, Arche Agglomération stretches along both banks of the Rhône River.

From altitudes of over 1100 metres on the Vivarais side to the hills of the Hermitage, the area offers an impressive diversity of landscapes.

The heart of the conurbation lies between Tain-l’Hermitage, with access to the A7 motorway, the N7 trunk road and an SNCF station for regional trains, and Tournon-sur-Rhône, with its heritage centred around the château.

Why this name?

Arche Agglo is the AR of Ardèche, the HE of Hermitage and Herbasse, linked by the C of community or collectivity.
Echo 26-07

Administratively, this area is an evolution of the former Hermitage Tournonais community of communes, which merged with Herbasse and Pays de Saint Félicien.

Bridge over the Rhône, between Drôme and Ardèche at Arche Agglo / Photo Voyage en Douce

In the heart of the Rhône Valley

Arche Agglo is located just north of the largest urban area in the Drôme, Valence Romans Agglo, and the Rovaltain business park around Valence TGV station, which also has a river port to accommodate pleasure boaters and cruise ships on the Rhône River.

The region has a high level of agricultural production, with a significant number of companies involved in the agri-food sector.

In addition to fruit production (mainly apricots and peaches), several Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) wines are produced here, including Saint-Joseph and Croze-Hermitage, both of which are world-renowned. Cooperative wineries and independent producers share their know-how all along the valley, with a landscape of terraces where the vines thrive.

In the agri-food sector, there are many shipping companies for fruit, as well as processing companies for more exotic products such as chocolate, with the famous Valrhôna brand based in Tain l’Hermitage.

As for more traditional industries, Trigano manufactures motorhomes and caravans at Tournon-sur-Rhône and Fareva produces chemical products, notably for cosmetics, at several sites in the region.

Bridge over the Rhône, between Drôme and Ardèche at Arche Agglo / Photo Voyage en Douce

Arche Agglo map

Location and mapping of the conurbation in the Rhône Valley :

Running, cycling and hiking in the Ardèche

Local authorities

Formerly the Hermitage-Tournonais-Herbasse-Pays de Saint Félicien agglomeration community, Arche Agglo comprises the following municipalities:

Mauves, 1,177 (inhabitants in 2017) , seat of the conurbation
Arlebosc, 328
Arthémonay, 561
Bathernay, 251
Beaumont-Monteux, 1 226
Boucieu-le-Roi, 284
Bozas, 245
Bren, 545
Chanos-Curson, 1,068
Chantemerle-les-Blés, 1 254
Charmes-sur-l’Herbasse, 930
Chavannes, 658
Cheminas, 382
Colombier-le-Jeune, 570
Colombier-le-Vieux, 662
Crozes-Hermitage, 619
Érôme, 838
Étables, 869
Gervans, 570
Glun, 698
Larnage, 1,055
Lemps, 791
Margès, 1 076
Marsaz, 770
Mercurol-Veaunes, 2,565
Montchenu, 587
Pailharès, 265
Dishes, 832
Pont-de-l’Isère, 3,254
La Roche-de-Glun, 3,223
Saint-Barthélemy-le-Plain, 829
Saint-Donat-sur-l’Herbasse, 3,923
Saint-Félicien, 1,172
Saint-Jean-de-Muzols, 2,424
Saint-Victor, 947
Sécheras, 529
Serves-sur-Rhône, 748
Tain-l’Hermitage, 6,005
Tournon-sur-Rhône, 10,307
Vaudevant, 198
Vion, 942

With an area of almost 500 km2, the conurbation covers a very varied territory, from the hills of Hermitage in the Drôme to the heights of Saint-Félicien in the Ardèche, at an altitude of over 1,000 metres, via the banks of the Rhône.

Where to sleep?

Are you looking for an hotel, apartment in Ardèche in Arche Agglo? Find the accommodation of your choice according to your criteria:

Transport

Drôme railway stations and trains
Road transport: Bus in Ardèche and Bus in Drôme
All transport in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Official website

A presentation of the local authority, daily life, discovering the area, business, the environment and a focus on the communes on the official local authority website: