Just 50 minutes from the Beaujolais in the department of Ain, Bourg-en-Bresse has some nice surprises in store for you.
Whether you are on a guided tour or you choose a self-guided tour, travel back in time by strolling through the old quarters of the city influenced by the Middle Ages, as you pass by the mansions, half-timbered houses and cobbled streets.
If there is a place in Bourg en Bresse that you should not miss, it is the Royal Monastery of Brou. With its three cloisters, an art museum including a new Renaissance gallery and temporary exhibitions, this flamboyant Gothic jewel erected under the orders of Margaret of Austria will blow your mind. Magnificently well-preserved, the site was voted France's favourite monument in 2014. Don't miss the apothecary of the hôtel-Dieu of Bourg-en-Bresse which used to be the pharmacy of the former hôtel-Dieu dating back to the 18th century, now converted into a museum.
Bourg-en-Bresse is ideally located just an hour and a half from the ski resorts, at the gateway to the Alps. A nature destination where you will find everything you need for hiking, cycling or even canoeing on the Ain river. Bourg en Bresse is also the departure point of the Bresse Tourist Route. A 100 km marked out route lined with Bresse farms featuring typical architecture, Saracen fireplaces and Romanesque churches.
Its surrounding countryside also makes Bourg en Bresse a gastronomic town! With a rich variety of fine and reputable local products, the chefs of Bresse have added to their cuisine Bresse chicken, AOC Comté cheese, Bresse cream and Bresse butter that you will be delighted to find on your plates.
Destination and stays in Beaujolais