Straddling communication lines, Orbe is both a strategically and economically important town: a villa with the air of a palace and its famous mosaics from the Roman period show that Orbe enjoyed the splendours of royalty in the Middle Ages. Guided tours last for 1h15.
The tour of the town begins on the Place du Marché and continues towards the church, then the castle esplanade, with its round tower (360-degree panorama).
The tour continues on to the former prisons, then to the Grande Abbaye, home to the world's first orthopaedic institution. After crossing the Moulinet bridge, you can walk along the River Orbe, or return to the town, passing the Maison de Pierrefleur and the Tour Bernard, a former tower of the ramparts. Return to the Place du Marché.
The Office du tourisme du Nord vaudois organises guided tours on request. A free booklet available to visitors presents two historical walks.
