Istres
This was my second time here but this time was so much better.
Let me explain.
The first time I came was a work trip, so I stayed close to the office which was a little further outside the town,I didn't do much exploring at that time but wish I had.
That saying "Never judge a book by it's cover" certainly applied for me, as the first trip I just thought Istres was an industrial town.....It's safe to say I was a little wrong!
To get to Istres I took a flight into Marseille, then it's a 40 minute drive to the North-West side of the Lake.
I took an Uber but hire cars and the train is also readily available.
If you are planning a trip to Marseille, a day or half-day trip up to Istres would make a nice change, with its Old Town streets, cafes and lake which you can walk around in about an hour and a half.
Staying at Top Motel which is a 30 minute walk to the centre of Istres, was my start point for the next few days.
As I mentioned, the first trip was very much in a more industrial part of the town, Istres centre surprised me.
In the mornings I'd head down into the centre and grab a coffee before heading to the office, the evenings spent wandering around and checking out some of the culinary options! There is a few choices, from French, Italian, Chinese to name a couple.
Old Town is a is a circular oval shape with narrow winding streets.
Along the streets are markers which lead to certain points of interest with the Old Town of Istres. They lead to fountains, a museum and other spots along the way to the middle.
If you follow the markers you will get to the centre of Old Town, here you will find a lookout point and Notre-Dame de Beauvoir.
This a historic church which sits in the middle overlooking Istres.
formerly known as Belveyre (Beautiful View) the church is perched as a prominent marker for the town, it is beautifully basic inside with a few paintings and housing an Organ case dating back to the 18th century.
A stair way beside the church leads to the lookout point with some amazing views over the town and lake.
Heading from Old Town back towards the lake you can follow the signs to La Chapelle Saint-Sulpice. The Chapel here is thought to date somewhere before the 11th century.
There is so much more history here than I first thought and I'm glad I took the time to take a look around.
Walking around the lake takes about 1.5 hours with some great views along the way, it's also a chance to see some of the other villages dotted around as you loop back towards Istres.
Depending which way you go determines whether you pass the zoo and the Dinosaurs first or last!
The art zoo has sculptures that have been painted in bright colourful patterns and is located in the park area next to the Lake.
Dinosaur Istres is a walk way with model Dinosaurs along the way with descriptions about each one, it's a bit of fun to walk around for the family or even if you are on your own and what to learn a bit more about dinosaurs! Being a big kid (as my partner tells me) I thought it was great and something I didn't expect to see.
Should you decide to take a look I hope Istres will surprise you as much as it did me. I have a short one-day plan here which hopefully will help you plan a quick break.
If you do go which one was your favourite Dinosaur?
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