The Citadel Ramparts above Cremieu (which we will have to visit another time)

Cremieu is described as a medieval town not to be missed. All in all I am glad we made the detour as for me it was the highlight of our cycle tour.

Cremieu dates back to C12 when a Benedictine Monastery was built on the cliffs above what is now the town along with a fort/ chateau for the Dauphins (which we walked up to). The town followed and and given its excellent location on a trading route to Italy became very prosperous, clearly evidenced today by the beautiful medieval buildings, fortified walls (nearly 2km long), with 9 gates and 15 towers and enormous covered market hall dating back to 1434.

Cremieu developed into a grain trading centre and even had its own mint. As the photo above says, Cremieu set the weights and measurement system for the region which reinforced its importance However, politics came into play and in 1702 the town was sanctioned by having its trade fairs prohibited resulting in economic decline. Residents shifted into the textile and leather industries. At the same time given its beauty the town became an early tourist destination.

Stand out memories from today exploring Cremieu:

  • Our first sight of the white fortified walls and we approached the town on a quiet winding road. It was really impressive looking up at them.
  • Cycling through one of the main gates in the town walls onto a narrow cobbled street.
  • Great to be able to cruise through narrow medieval streets with minimal traffic as the cars tended to park outside the walled old town.  
  • We were lucky to arrive on market day.
  • Although we arrived as stalls were beginning to be packed up we still managed to buy a couple of excellent pastries to go with our coffee and admire the 15th century covered market with some stalls still laid out. Makes it more dynamic than just enjoying the architecture.
  • We didn’t have time to hike up to the citadel, which we tried to take a photo of from the street below. However the angles didn’t work so trip advisor came to our rescue!
  • We parked up our bicycles and walked round the cloisters in the old Augustine Convent as well as up the hill to the 12 century Delphinal Castle. Alas we could not go inside but it did give us great views over the medieval town.

It would have been nice to have stayed longer but we needed to resume our journey. I was quite envious of the patrons enjoying their lunch outside at a nice restaurant in the square