The highest point in Bugey, the Grand Colombier, located to the south of the Jura Massive near Culoz, has an altitude of 1534 metres. Accessible via a footpath, twenty or so minutes' walk from the car park near the pass, this fantastic natural site, adorned with a metal cross and panoramic table, offers an exceptional panoramic view of the Rhone Valley, the lakes of Bourget, Annecy and Leman, the Alps and the Mont-Blanc massif. The stuff that dreams are made of...

Considered as one of the toughest passes in France, the Grand Colombier Pass, open from April to November, is a real challenge for cyclists, with its western ascent - from Artemare - reaching a maximum gradient of 22%!

Towering over romantic Bourget lake, Hautecombe royal abbey enjoys an enchanting location. The former burial place of the princes of the House of Savoy, today the abbey is occupied by a religious community. The Gothic troubadour church there is nevertheless open to visitors.

Monday: 10:00 AM – 11:45 AM, 02:30 PM – 05:30 PM
Tuesday: Fermé
Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 11:45 AM, 02:30 PM – 05:30 PM
Thursday: 10:00 AM – 11:45 AM, 02:30 PM – 05:30 PM
Friday: 10:00 AM – 11:45 AM, 02:30 PM – 05:30 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM – 11:45 AM, 02:30 PM – 05:30 PM
Sunday: 10:00 AM – 11:45 AM, 02:30 PM – 05:30 PM

At the heart of Bugey, Ain, the Maison des enfants d'Izieu was a children's centre that ran holiday camps before the war. In 1943 and 1944, it was a place of refuge for Jewish people, 44 children and 7 adults, until they were deported on 6 April 1944. Today, there is a memorial to them on the site, in the hamlet of Lélinaz.

In the house's refectory and dormitories, an exhibition evokes the atmosphere of the camp and the refugee children's daily life. You can absorb the atmosphere of the time by visiting the rooms where they lived, and looking at their letters and drawings, as well as portraits of each one of them. A particularly moving experience...

In the barn and the new building, which was inaugurated in 2015 by President François Hollande, there is an exhibition space, a documentation centre and rooms dedicated to educational activities. The permanent exhibition, supported by archives, deals with three themes: the story of the Jewish children of Izieu, the judgment of war criminals and the mechanisms for building memory.

This place aims to ensure history is not forgotten, and is also a site for awareness-raising and education against intolerance and discrimination.

Famous for its hot springs with recognised beneficial properties, Aix-les-Bains is the number two spa town in France. Dedicated to well-being, the town enjoys a lovely location between lake and mountains and offers numerous attractions. It caters comprehensively for both hydrotherapy patients and holidaymakers, with Roman remains, museums, a luxurious casino, pedestrian shopping streets, balneotherapy centres, beautiful Belle-Époque hotels illustrating the town's prestigious past, as well as a sandy beach and a pleasant esplanade lined with plane trees on the edge of Bourget lake.

With a surface area of 44 km², the Bourget lake is the biggest natural lake of glacial origin in France. Surrounded by hills and mountains, this unspoiled lake offers numerous water sports activities. Moreover, it is surrounded by a few sailing and fishing ports, such as that of Aix-les-Bains or Bourget-du-Lac.

From the mount Revard situated in the Bauges massif, the view of the lake and the spa town of Aix-les-Bains is wonderful!

Every year in late September/early October, the Romantic Nights festival of the Bourget lake is a great classical music event.

Walibi Rhône-Alpes theme park is located in a beautiful 30-hectare natural environment in the town of Les Avenières between Lyon and Chambéry. Open from May to October, it makes the ideal destination for a relaxing and entertaining one-day outing with family or friends. It promises hours of unforgettable fun and thrills with loads of rides and attractions for kids and grown-ups, a 13,000 m² aquapark called L'Île aux Pirates (pirate island) with slides, wave pool and different themed pools, a mini-farm and various shows for children, starring seals for example!

An historic region located at the southern end of the Jura Massive, Bugey is made up of two parts, Upper Bugey, in the district of Nantua, and Lower Bugey, in the district of Belley.

Wandering its road, paths and hiking trails, you'll discover a rich and varied built and natural heritage. An AOC vineyard, traditional villages such as Cerdon with its famous copper works and Saint-Sorlin-en-Bugey, along with wild, unspoilt landscapes ranging from the Albarine gorges and the Cluse des Hôpitaux valley to the lakes and forests of Upper Bugey, through the Grand Colombier site, make this area a choice destination for lovers of sightseeing and outdoor leisure activities. Fishing, sailing, hiking, riding, cycling, mountain biking, paragliding, climbing, via-ferrata, cross-country skiing, dog sled rides and snowshoe excursions are some of the activities on offer in the region.

Two discovery trails covering hundreds of kilometres, the Bugey Route and the Upper Bugey Pine Route, will take you to a number of natural, cultural and architectural sites.

Nestling in the Épine mountain at the heart of the Savoyard Foreland, at an altitude of 360 metres, Lake Aiguebelette is one of the four great lakes of Savoie Mont-Blanc. This Natura 2000-certified site offers lovers of idyllic landscapes its turquoise water, protected ecosystem and mountainous environment. Containing two small, unspoilt islands, it is one of the warmest lakes in France, with a temperature of up to 28° in summer! This marvellous 545-hectare expanse of water is an ideal place for relaxation and taking it easy, and therefore very inviting for a swim. Bathing is only permitted on supervised beaches during the summer season, and for water sports such as canoeing, stand up paddle or pedalo boating.

Its neighbours in the municipality of Novalaise are an international rowing centre, which hosted the world championships in 1997 and 2015, and some hang-gliding take-off areas. Mountain bike enthusiasts can enjoy their favourite sport on a signposted 150-kilometre network of trails, while cyclists can use the landscaped path around part of the lake. Those who would rather go fishing will be delighted by the presence of many species such as lavaret and Arctic char.

Surrounded by mountains with limestone cliffs, Nantua Lake in Haut-Bugey is a stretch of water of glacial origin, covering 141 hectares and supplied by many springs. Ideal for nautical leisure activities, its deep water ranges from blue to dark green in colour and is suitable for fishing, sailing and pedalo boating, as well as bathing. Bathing is supervised in the summer - in July and August - at the water sports centre.

Not far from the lake, in Nantua town centre, be sure to take a tour of the Abbey Church of St. Michael, with its high altar adorned with marble angels, a famous painting by Eugène Delacroix depicting the martyrdom of St. Sebastian, and its 19th-century organ by Nicolas-Antoine Lété.

During your stay in Nantua, remember to try the famous local speciality, pike dumplings...with Nantua sauce!

Nestling between the cliffs and the Rhone, the village of Saint-Sorlin-en-Bugey, nicknamed the village of roses after the many rose trees that adorn its streets, has kept a number of old houses. The hill leading up to the church, a traditional street lined with floral facades, will take you to the Church of St. Mary Magdalene and its surrounding area, where you will have a beautiful view of the countryside all around.

As you stroll up the hill to the church, don't forget to admire the superb 16th-century fresco of St. Christopher on one of the façades!

Morestel, the “city of painters” dominated by a tall medieval tower, is lovely to stroll around. The 11th-century keep overlooking the rooftops of the old town is all that remains of the old castle and today houses temporary exhibitions of contemporary art. The town is also worth a visit for its fantastic viewpoint (with information indicator) over the surrounding countryside, Le Bugey and the Alps. Don't miss wandering around the picturesque narrow streets below where you'll find a Gothic church and the Maison Ravier, which contains a permanent exhibition of works by 18th-century Lyon landscape painter François-Auguste Ravier. The venue was the artist's home for the last 28 years of his life and hosts regular artistic and cultural events.

Historical capital of the Savoie, Chambéry is a City of Art and History boasting numerous treasures. The old town is admirably restored and a great place to stroll around, with mysterious lanes and many covered passages, mansions, trompe-l'oeil facades, charming internal courtyards, Saint-François-de-Sales cathedral, a castle – the former residence of the Dukes of the Savoie – pedestrian streets and the famous Elephants fountain.

The visit continues with the Savoie museum, exhibiting archaeological and ethnographical collections, and the Fine art museum home to a large number of Italian paintings. The Saint-Léger square, very lively, is a place not to be missed in the town for a stroll or to relax on a café terrace. The city also offers a large number of cultural events, with the Espace André Malraux cultural centre located in the Curial district, and the Charles Dullin theatre.

For lovers of water sports, Chambéry benefits from the proximity of two natural lakes: the big Bourget lake and the Aiguebelette lake, with an emerald colour.

Nestling at the heart of the Jura Massive in a clearing surrounded by pine trees and spruces, Lake Genin, a listed natural site, is known as the little Canada of Upper Bugey. At an altitude of 831 metres, in the communes of Charix, Échallon and Oyonnax, this lake has a surface area of 8 hectares and looks superb amid unspoilt countryside which is ideal for walking.

Its fish-filled water will delight fans of carp, trout and pike fishing. As well as this peaceful activity, you can swim there in the summer and take advantage of the many surrounding paths to enjoy a hike.

In the winter, you're sure to be thrilled by activities such as ice skating on the frozen lake, diving under ice and snowshoe walking!

Capital of the Haute-Savoie, Annecy is a city of Art with a magnificent architectural harmony. Walking around Annecy old town is a real delight. With its charming canals, its flower-bedecked banks, its small delightful bridges and its beautiful houses with colourful facades, Annecy carries really well its nickname of Savoyard Venice. How pleasant it is to stroll along its canals or walk around the lovely narrow pedestrian streets!

In the heart of the old town, the Île palace, a former prison and the Palais de Justice (law courts), is today home to the Annecy History museum. Near this symbolic building of the 12th century, the Sainte-Claire street is also an unmissable place during the visit for its beautiful arcaded houses. Towering over the town, the museum-castle, former residence of the counts of Geneva and the dukes of Genevois-Nemours, is dedicated to archaeology, ethnology, art, history and alpine lakes.

To complete this beautiful visit, there's nothing like a walk on the edge of the magnificent Annecy lake. Not to be missed! The Europe gardens, the Amours bridge spanning the Vassé canal, the Albigny avenue lined with plane trees and the Champ de Mars are magnificent sites great for relaxation. For the best way to discover the lake and surrounding mountains, visitors can take a trip on tourist boats or hire pedalos and small motor boats.

Located in the Lower Dauphiné in the village of La Balme-les-Grottes in the cliffs of the Isle-Crémieu plateau, La Balme caves have served many purposes: a dwelling during prehistoric times, a hideaway for smugglers, a place of pilgrimage for King Francis I, a village dance hall and today a popular tourist site thanks to its superb limestone formations: stalactites, stalagmites, pools, columns and drapery-like concretions. Other attractions at the caves are a beautifully decorated domed chamber, the Mandrin maze, lake gallery, desert gallery and a sound and light show.

This park, which extends over 81,000 hectares, protects impressive limestone cliffs as well as beautiful landscapes of forests and alpine pastures (high meadows).

The Bauges massif is a great area for Nordic skiing. The Savoie Grand Revard ski area connects small resorts, such as le Revard, la Féclaz and Saint-François-de-Sales, and is an important centre for cross-country skiing with its 140 kilometres of pistes.

Built in the 11th century by Lord Wilfrid de Virieu, then extended and remodelled up until the 18th century, the Château de Virieu, which dominates the Bourbre Valley, has retained its medieval fortress appearance with an imposing keep, towers and magnificent studded main door. Inside, visitors can explore the main courtyard (Cour d'Honneur), with cannons given by King Louis XIII in 1622, the chapel with a carved stations of the cross, and superb furnished rooms such as the Great Hall, the King's Bedroom, the White Bedroom and the old kitchen with a monumental fireplace. At the foot of the castle lie formal gardens with arabesque-shaped flowerbeds set in grassed squares.

Visitors can admire magnificent Romanesque frescoes in the chapels of the 11th-century Saint-Chef Abbey Church. The main chapel, or Chapel of the Angels, which can only be visited as part of a guided tour, contains some remarkable 12th-century frescoes depicting the New or Heavenly Jerusalem that St John saw in an apocalyptic vision.

Lake Paladru is a beautiful 390-hectare, turquoise-blue glacial lake surrounded by wooded hills. It is a wonderful spot for relaxing or being active with a beach, swimming, pedalo and sailing, as well as lakeside walking and mountain biking.

The attractive medieval town of Crémieu, the historic seat of the Dauphins de Viennois nobles, boasts a beautiful and picturesque built heritage that inspired many landscape painters in the 19th century. Walkers and architecture fans will find a wealth of interesting sites here, like the 15th-century covered market hall, where a market is held every Wednesday morning, the old Augustins Convent and its pretty cloisters, the 12th-century Delphinal Castle perched on top of a hill, old houses and fortified gateways (Porte de la Loi, Porte Neuve and Porte de Quirieu).

Every September, the town fills up with people for the Les Médiévales, a festive event dedicated to the Middle Ages with shows, royal dances, street entertainment, a craft market and banquet.

Situated at the top of cliffs towering over the Rhône Valley, the Larina archaeological site near the village of Hières-sur-Amby contains the listed remains of a vast rural estate dating back to late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages. A heritage interpretation trail dotted with information panels takes visitors to a chapel, houses, sheds and outbuildings and a necropolis. The site offers a bird's-eye view of both the valley and Le Bugey nuclear power station.

The Isle-Crémieu Heritage Centre in the village of Hières-sur-Amby bears the Musée de France (French Museums) label and hosts a collection of objects unearthed during excavations at the site, as well as a permanent exhibition retracing the key stages of the site's history, from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages.

With a surface area of 27.4 km² and 80 metres deep, Lake Annecy of glacial origin is Europe's cleanest lake. Its idyllic, crystal-clear water is perfect for numerous water sports and sports activities, such as swimming, sailing, diving, boating, fishing, or waterskiing. A real paradise! Furthermore, its beaches will delight fans of lounging around. With its pleasant shores, walkers and cyclists are also catered for. On the edge of the lake, the village of Talloires is a renowned resort combining relaxation, leisure activities and water sports.

From the Col de la Forclaz pass, the panoramic view of the lake is amazing. For a really magnificent, breathtaking view, there is nothing better than paragliding over the lake. You're guaranteed a thrilling and awe-inspiring experience!

Overlooking the Dombes Plateau from the top of its hill, the medieval town of Pérouges, listed among the most beautiful villages of France, boasts an exceptional built heritage, a reminder of a rich past linked to hemp growing and weaving. This superb fortified village, incredibly well-preserved from the ravages of time, is a real enchantment for lovers of old buildings, and has been a set for several films, such as "The Three Musketeers" and "Monsieur Vincent".

Once you pass through the gates of En Haut, you'll be amazed to discover its cobbled side streets lined with old facades, and its 15th-century church resembling a fortress. Here, medieval timber-framed houses with corbels and Renaissance residences dotted with mullioned windows will take you on a journey through time!

The wonderfully picturesque Place du Tilleul square at the heart of the village is enchanting to look at, with its 13th-century inn, Old St. George House, Tree of Liberty planted in 1792, and Museum of Old Pérouges. The latter, based in the House of Princes, the former home of the Dukes of Savoy, tells visitors all about the town's history, through collections of paintings, engravings, furniture, objects, tools, ceramics and musical instruments. A Hortulus, a charming medieval garden, as well as a beautiful view of Pérouges and the surrounding area from the watchtower, complete the visit.

Local food to try: Pérouges cake, a local speciality made of brioche pastry with sugar and butter, which you can enjoy warm, on its own or with cream and fruit coulis, all accompanied by a glass of Cerdon wine or a hot drink! A real treat...

Every year, the village hosts two big events, the Printemps de Pérouges music festival in May-June, and the big medieval festival in June.

Located in the south-west of Ain, Dombes, a vast argillaceous expanse dotted with a thousand or so ponds - the equivalent of over 10 000 hectares of water! - is a popular destination with wild birds, such as the mallard, purple heron, eared grebe, black-winged stilt, whiskered tern and red-crested pochard. Binoculars are essential in these parts to watch wild and migratory birds in peace and quiet without disturbing them. Nestling at the heart of a 380-hectare nature reserve, Villars-les-Dombes Bird Park offers visitors a bird's eye tour of the world, with over 2 000 birds of 400 species from all five continents!

As well as being a popular place for bird-watching, Dombes is also the leading freshwater fishing region in France, with an annual production of around 1 500 tonnes. It's a paradise for keen fishers of carp, roach and pike, who will be able to practise their favourite activity here, in the ponds and rivers provided for them.

A haven of peace for lovers of rural tourism and tranquillity, this area full of peaceful landscapes is ideal for walking, riding and cycling. The Dombes Route, a signposted discovery trail marked with themed signs, will enable you to discover a number of natural treasures. You'll find traditional heritage buildings such as farms made of rammed earth, half-timbered houses, castles, churches and fortified houses made of red brick. Bouligneux Feudal Castle, the Plantay Tower, the manor house-style Saint-Paul-de-Varax Castle, the Abbey of Our Lady of Dombes, Beaumont Chapel with its murals, the town of Trévoux - former capital of the principality of Dombes - the medieval towns of Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne and Pérouges, and Ars-sur-Formans Basilica are some of the sites to be discovered on this journey.

Dombes has been awarded the Remarkable Taste Site label and invites you to discover its gastronomic specialities such as carp (fried, stuffed, smoked, in a terrine, in a salad...), frogs (in parsley and garlic sauce, with cream...), and waterfowl.

Built in the early 16th century by Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy, to keep her love for her late husband Philibert the Fair alive, Brou Royal Monastery in the town of Bourg-en-Bresse is a masterpiece of flamboyant gothic art.

Topped by a roof of multicoloured varnished tiles, its church, a true prince's mausoleum, contains the tombs of Philibert II of Savoy, Margaret of Austria and Margaret of Bourbon in its chancel. A splendid group with finely sculpted details, produced by the best regional and Flemish artists of the time!

Near the chancel, the chapel of Margaret of Austria is just as remarkable, with its stained glass window of the Assumption and white marble altarpiece of the Seven Joys of the Virgin. This filigree-style feature is adorned with seven recesses representing respectively the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity, the Adoration of the Magi, the Apparition of Christ to the Virgin, Pentecost and the Assumption.

You can also admire the old stained glass windows in the chancel made by master glassworkers from Lyon, as well as the wooden stalls and stone jube, two magnificently sculpted groups whose beauty leaves you feeling contemplative...

The tour of the site continues with a visit to the three cloisters of the monastery - the first cloister, the great cloister and the common cloister - and the municipal museum, based in the monastic buildings, where art collections are on display: Flemish and French paintings from the 15th to the 20th century, old religious sculptures, Renaissance and Bresse furniture, and also ceramics from Meillonnas.