Palais des bonbons, du nougat et des souvenirs

About the museum

Originally the site was a single museum, the Palais des bonbons et du nougat, devoted to sweets. Its owner chose childhood and memories as the thread running through the site, while keeping the original name, because sugar and candy remind everyone of their childhood.

Over the years, other museums and visitor areas were added. The self-guided visit now combines the historic candy museum with the Odyssée du sucre, a chocolate room, a living beehive and a lemonade works from the 1920s. It also includes the Maison des jouets, Provence en santons, the Musée de la Nationale 7, the world of dolls, baby dolls and teddy bears, the school of the past, automata and a town made of bricks. A candy village, an artisanal nougat workshop and an outdoor area with a mini farm and games round off the visit.

The site presents itself as the third most visited tourist attraction in the Drôme, with more than 160,000 visitors a year. A tasting is included with every admission.

Highlights

• Historical candy museum and the Odyssée du sucre
• Village of M. Bonbec and chocolate room
• Musée de la Nationale 7 with a re-created 1960s traffic jam
• Artisanal nougat workshop
• Maison des jouets, santons, dolls and a school of the past
• Tasting included with admission

Permanent exhibitions

• Musée historique des bonbons et Odyssée du sucre – The trail tells the story of sweets and the great brands, and the role of sugar in food, art and film, with a film about fifty years of advertising.
• Musée de la Nationale 7 – A re-creation of the 1960s holiday route from Paris to Menton, with a period traffic jam, vintage vehicles and a diorama of the 1961 Tour de France.
• École d'autrefois – A classroom of the past with pupils’ desks, a blackboard, smocks and a wood-burning stove.

Operated by

SPACOR

Admission & discounts

A tasting is included with every admission. Shop access is free. Online tickets carry no fixed date and help avoid queues at busy times. Payment by cash, bank card, check or ANCV holiday vouchers.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The site is accessible to visitors with reduced mobility: no steps, wide spaces, access ramps and adapted toilets. Reserved parking spaces are at the entrance.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Playground / play area
• Kids’ birthday parties

In the museums, visitors can look, touch, smell and taste. On site: Badaboum (indoor play for children, separate ticket), an outdoor play area and a mini farm with an exotic aviary, open to visitors free of charge. Children’s birthday parties at Badaboum, with online booking.

Getting there & parking

The site is 3 km from Montélimar station. By car: from the motorway, exit no. 17 Montélimar-Nord or no. 18 Montélimar-Sud, then the Route Nationale 7; the Palais is on the edge of town, on the road to Valence.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museum shop

Restaurant and bar Le Rainbow Café: meats, salads, homemade burgers, children’s menu, ice cream and desserts, with a shaded terrace. Open Monday to Friday 9:00–17:00, and every day during Zone A holidays. Covered picnic area near the children’s play equipment.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

Les Salons du Palais offers rooms equipped for seminars, conferences and training, with on-site catering. The site also organizes Christmas parties and group days.

Plan your visit