Valence (Drôme) sits on the left bank of the River Rhône, circa 100 kilometres due south of Lyon and 200 kilometres north of Marseille. There are regular regional trains (TER) that connect it to Lyon Part-Dieu train station (ca. 70 minutes) that is connected to Lyon Airport by the RhôneExpres tram (28 minutes). There, also are trains to Genève and Marseille. The train station in the city is Valence - Ville. There, also, is a Valence TGV station on the Paris - Marseille line, but this is some distance out of town and served by a bus.
The town's name derives from its Roman name Valentia Julia. Its Romanesque cathedral dates to the end of the eleventh century. It was reconstructed in its original style after it was destroyed during the religious wars of the second half of the sixteenth century.
Near the cathedral stands the Renaissance Maison des Têtes (Mansion of the Heads) built between 1528 and 1532. Its name derives from the many heads that adorn its façade.
The house has an interesting courtyard.
The old town preserves much of its historic layout with buildings from all ages.
The post office stands a few hundred metres to the north of the old town, on the avenue du Président Herriot.
One of my correspondents lives in France. So, I needed a national stamp and some international stamps. The latter came in books of six stamps.
For a colleague who has a family member who collects stamps, I bought the stamp book celebrating the eightieth anniversary of the publication in France of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's novella "Le Petit Prince." The stamps were issued in 2026.
Lyon's airport is named after this author and aviator.
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Posted 07/31/2026 11:40 am
