Le Roannais : The Tourist Office's Official Web site

A walk in the ancient centre will take you from the historical squares to the pedestrianised streets, from the outdoor markets to the covered markets, passing the Italianate theatre or the dungeon of the château.

You will go into the Déchelette Museum, a place of culture and memory, which offers you its collections of fine arts or decorative arts and invites you to come and see its temporary exhibitions.

Roanne, a "Ville et Métiers d’Art" Association town, hosts at the Maison des Métiers d’Art, M.O.F. (Meilleurs Ouvriers de France) craftsmen who give life to the most noble materials like wood, glass or steel. Almost southern coloured facades, walls painted like those in Lyon, Roanne is also a port, a town of bridges under which flows the River Loire.

Roanne marina, the starting point of the Canal from Roanne to Digoin, is connected to the whole of France’s navigable waterways network, and offers 100 moorings. Located right in the heart of the town centre, it is a welcoming site ideal for a river stopover or a tourist stay or as an original place to live.

Further upstream, Villerest dam forms a lake suitable for all aquatic leisure activities.

There are towns one associates immediately with a name … with Roanne it is … Troisgros!

The Michelin-starred leading chef perpetuates a gastronomic tradition present in numerous restaurants in the town … and local produce is much in evidence: from Charolais beef to the Côte Roannaise (AOC) wine, the restaurant is the Roanne stage where all talents combine and transforms you, the spectator, into a discerning gourmet.

The opening of the "Scarabée", a brand-new entertainment venue, lifts the curtain on concerts, shows and conventions.

"Roanne Table Ouverte" celebrates gastronomy elevated to a veritable way of life... in October is the Semaine du Goût taste week.

In Roanne it lasts a whole month! "Loire en Fête" launches the summer and shows off the Loire in all its glory. Sporty Roanne? Tour de France cycle race, air show, French basketball champions Chorale Basket, Roanne defends its titles and its colours everywhere!