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The Ideal Palace of Postman Cheval

The Ideal Palace of Postman Cheval

Highlight • Monument

The Ideal Palace of Postman Cheval

Recommended by 46 hikers out of 48

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Location: Hauterives, Valence, Auvergne Rhône Alpes, France

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Best Hikes to The Ideal Palace of Postman Cheval

4.5

(11)

hikers

1. Loop starting from Hauterives

11.7km

03:20

270m

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.

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Moderate

4.5

(2)

hikers

2. La Chapelle Notre-Dame de Châtenay and the étangs du Bancel — loop from Hauterives

17.7km

04:59

370m

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.

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Moderate

4.4

(5)

hikers

3. Palais Idéal simply brilliant – Wood artwork loop from Hauterives

9.60km

02:40

170m

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Moderate

Tips

Totosupertramp (Thomas Boury)

June 30, 2023

This place is the story of a postman, Joseph Ferdinand Cheval, who in 1873 and for the following 33 years, built a dream palace in his vegetable garden. He picked up stones during his rounds with his wheelbarrow. Alone, he imagines an ideal palace, where you will find elephants, caimans, pelicans, bears, birds and many other curiosities. This unique place in the world has inspired many artists. Classified in 1969 as a Historic Monument, you can visit this place all year round. Information is available here:factorcheval.com/infos-pratiques

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Matto

April 13, 2025

Unique in the world, the Palais Idéal has inspired artists for over a century. Independent of any artistic movement, built without any architectural rules, the Palais Idéal was admired by the Surrealists. In 1969, it was classified as a Historic Monument by André Malraux, then Minister of Culture, as a work of naive art.

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Claudie

April 14, 2025

I have seen it several times and it is truly a unique monument 🙂

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Details

Informations

Elevation 300 m

Weather

Wednesday 14 January

12°C

7°C

24 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 27.0 km/h

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See hikes here

Take Me There

Location: Hauterives, Valence, Auvergne Rhône Alpes, France

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Route d'Hauterives (D584)

The Ideal Palace of Postman Cheval

1. Loop starting from Hauterives

2. La Chapelle Notre-Dame de Châtenay and the étangs du Bancel — loop from Hauterives

3. Palais Idéal simply brilliant – Wood artwork loop from Hauterives

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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