Since my parents live in the Ain and I lived there myself from the beginning of my adolescence, I must say I know this department, which unfortunately suffers from a rather unattractive image, quite well. Unfairly, I might add, because there are some very lovely corners to discover in this region. So, I was already familiar with the department’s capital: Bourg-en-Bresse. I remember even planning a day trip there when I was a student to discover the local gastronomy and heritage. I even wrote a blog post about it in 2014.
It wasn’t a discovery for me, but I was happy to take my favorite photographer along, who had never set foot in Bourg-en-Bresse. Unfortunately, it was during a very rainy weekend this summer, just after the heatwave (yes, we really had no luck with that), that we headed into the heart of the Ain for 2 days in Bourg-en-Bresse.
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Table of Contents
Practical Information for the Ain
The city is quite small and it is entirely possible to do everything on foot if you stay within Bourg-en-Bresse.
A useful pronunciation tip: if you don’t want to be spotted as an outsider immediately, do not pronounce Bourg as “Bour” as one might expect, but “Bourk”—it will give you a bit of a local vibe.
Getting there from Paris: by TGV Lyria (heading towards Geneva), count on about 1 hour and 50 minutes from Gare de Lyon in Paris.
The pro-tip: to get from Bourg-en-Bresse to Lyon (and vice versa), you can take the Philibert bus line 132. It will only cost you €2 per trip, but it will also take you 2 hours of travel time…
On-site, we tested a very practical local car rental system called Booj. Everything is done via the internet and your smartphone, and you even unlock the rental car with your phone (it’s very strange but also very practical).
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What to do in Bourg-en-Bresse?
In addition to the few sightseeing ideas I’m giving you below, I highly recommend a walk through the historic city center with its medieval half-timbered houses, private mansions, and small alleys. As for the history, you should know that the entire area where the city is built is very damp, which is the reason why the cathedral is built on piles.
If you happen to find yourself, like us, in the middle of a small folk dance performance, don’t hesitate to join the crowd and try a few steps—it’s always very friendly!
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Visit the Apothecary of the Hôtel-Dieu
The construction of the Hôtel-Dieu began in 1782, according to the plans of Pierre-Adrien Pâris, a renowned 18th-century Parisian architect. However, it was the architect from Bresse, Gaspard Chauverêche, who supervised the completion of the works until 1790. The Order of the Augustines of Béziers subsequently settled there to take care of the sick. The building, classified as a historical monument in 1925, is organized around a vast cloister topped by the chapel dome.
The Apothecary is installed in the south wing of the building and presents a set of 3 very well-preserved rooms (the laboratory, the back room, and the dispensary) that allow you to immerse yourself in the world of old-fashioned hospitals and pharmacies.
The laboratory where the sisters prepared their decoctions is still in perfect working order. The site also houses a rich collection of faience (cannon and chevrette pots, apothecary utensils), glass jars, Louis XV-style woodwork, furniture, and parquet floors.
You can discover this place only during guided tours and by prior reservation. In any case, it is a visit I recommend if you are in the area, because it is truly interesting to see such a well-preserved apothecary.
Apothecary of the Hôtel-Dieu
47 boulevard de Brou, 01000 Bourg-en-Bresse
Guided tour year-round on Saturdays at 2:30 PM by reservation and also on Tuesdays at
10:30 AM in July and August
Duration of the visit: 1h30/2h
Rates: €6 / €5 reduced / €2 for children 6 to 12 / free for Museum Night and Heritage Days_
Visit the Royal Monastery of Brou
This magnificent heritage complex is managed by the Center for National Monuments and is located just a few minutes’ walk from the city center. It was built in the 16th century at the request of Margaret of Austria (1480-1530), a princess with a quite exceptional destiny, for her late husband Philibert the Fair. Margaret is an important and extraordinary figure, as she was the daughter of an Emperor, Duchess of Savoy, and Regent of the Netherlands. This place she had built was meant to be a mausoleum, a monastery, and a princely residence all at once.
The monastery church, with its glazed tile roof, is a masterpiece of flamboyant Gothic style with its choir in stone and wood lace and its princely tombs. The site also has 3 cloisters, a museum, and the apartments of Margaret of Austria, which have been set up since June 2018 as an interpretation space with multimedia tools to explain the political and artistic life of the princess.
Another very pleasant place in the site, where it is nice to settle down during the visit, are the cloisters of the building, the first one with its tree and central well giving it a lot of charm. The whole is truly vast, and if you want to visit everything, I advise you to devote at least 2 hours of your time to it.
There is also a temporary exhibition at the moment, titled “Veiled / Unveiled,” which has been in place since June and lasts until September 29, 2019. This exhibition presents the veil in art from antiquity to the 21st century.
Royal Monastery of Brou 62 boulevard de Brou 01000 Bourg-en-Bresse From October 1st to March 31st: open from 9 AM to 5 PM From April 1st to September 30th: open from 9 AM to 6 PM Temporary exhibition included in the monastery entrance fee The temporary exhibition pro-tip: free guided tour some Sundays at 3 PM Rates: €9 / free for under 26s The pro-tip: there are also guided tours at no extra cost every day the monastery is open; the times are indicated at the entrance of the monument on a slate
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The “A la Folie… pas du tout !” Festival
Since 2009, every summer, music, reading, dance, musical theater… have taken place at the Royal Monastery of Brou. This year was also the anniversary edition of the À la folie… pas du tout ! festival with, as always, a very eclectic program: jazz, hip-hop, rock, classical, French chanson, world music, electro…
For our part, we attended the beautiful concert/show by pianist Sarah Lavaud based on the message of humanity in the text “Wind, Sand and Stars” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. This show offered us a moving dialogue between the works of Ravel, Debussy, Janáček, Hersant, and the text of Saint-Exupéry.
Festival “A la Folie… pas du tout !”
Saturday nights in July and August
Until August 26, 2023
Concerts at 8:30 PM, in the 2nd cloister. In case of bad weather, concert in the church
Royal Monastery of Brou
Rates: €9.50 / free for under 26s (ticket gives access to the monument on the day of the
concert)_
“Colors of Love” light show
This show takes place during the summers at the Royal Monastery of Brou and then in the city center of Bourg-en-Bresse. It is projected onto the church façade 3 nights a week during the summer season.
In 2019, it was the 5th edition of this festival, and the show was a creation by Gilbert Coudène, which highlighted legendary couples with light and music. Unfortunately, as it was raining cats and dogs the night we were there, we couldn’t go see the projections at the city hall and the theater. We were already soaked after seeing the projections at the Royal Monastery of Brou.
Colors of Love Show Projection in 3 locations: the monastery, the city theater, and the city hall From July 7 to September 2, 2023, Fridays and Saturdays from 10 PM (continuous screening) Brou Monastery from 10 PM (duration 15 min / 5 shows per night) City Hall and Theater, from 10:15 PM (duration 10 min / 6 shows per night) Free and open to all
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Visit the Ecomuseum Maison de Pays de Bresse in the surroundings of Bourg-en-Bresse
The Bresse farms with their Saracen chimneys are truly iconic of Bresse. They are built with half-timbering and filled with cob. To discover this rural heritage a bit more, I advise you, if you are by car, to visit the Ecomuseum Maison de Pays de Bresse (about a 15-minute drive), which showcases Bresse heritage from the 15th century to the present day through several buildings typical of the 15th and 18th centuries.
On the program: representations of daily life, tools of artisans from the past, agricultural machines, presentation of local fauna and flora, explanations by local volunteers with ancestral knowledge (a thought for the kind old gentleman who gave us a tour of one of the houses), trying on Bresse clogs…
On-site, there is also a small shop with local products, and it can be an opportunity to make some purchases to bring back gifts, for example.
Ecomuseum Maison de Pays de Bresse 100 route de Bourg 01370 Saint-Etienne-du-Bois Open from 04/13 to 10/27 2019 from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 AM to 12:30 PM and from 1:30 PM to 6 PM Rates: €5.50 / €3 for children and reduced rates / free under 10s
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My favorite spots in Bourg-en-Bresse
As usual, I am sharing below the few great spots that I had the opportunity to test on-site (a hotel and some restaurants).
Where to stay in Bourg-en-Bresse? Hôtel Griffon d’or
This small charming hotel has 17 rooms and suites and is housed in an old Post House from 1701. We had a classic attic room that was 16 m2, but extremely functional. I really liked the charm of this room under the roof with its exposed beams. Special mention for the breakfast, which is composed of fresh, homemade, and local products, many of which are also organic and fair-trade.
The extra touch: the hotel has a relaxation area with a sauna and jacuzzi accessible for free to hotel guests. We unfortunately didn’t have time to take advantage of it, much to my chagrin…
The place also has a cozy lounge to sit and read some books about the region and even a billiards table! We played a very close game with the favorite photographer (but I won anyway!). And finally, the cherry on top, the hotel also offers a charming little terrace; unfortunately, with the bad weather we had during our weekend, we absolutely could not take advantage of it…
Hôtel Griffon d'or 10, rue du 4 septembre 01000 Bourg en Bresse Rates: classic room starting from €98 per night The pro-tip: the hotel has free private parking for its guests
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Where to eat near the Monastery of Brou? Restaurant Verre Gourmand
This address is decent and practical because it is located 2 minutes’ walk from the monastery; it’s a good option if you are in the middle of a visit or want to see the monument before or after eating.
To taste: the pike quenelle obviously and the poultry roulade in cream sauce (only light things).
As for wines, you can try Bugey wines if you want to drink local, and there are some interesting discoveries to be made, particularly with the Roussette grape variety (which is a grape variety also found in Savoy wines). There aren’t really local wines by the glass in this restaurant (well, I didn’t find any the day I came), but if there are only two of you, there are half-bottles (between €12.50 and €18 for Bugey wines).
Restaurant Verre Gourmand 142 Boulevard de Brou, 01000 Bourg-en-Bresse Tel 04-74-23-30-60 Price: menu at €16.50 with starter + main or main + dessert (except evenings and Saturdays) / menu at €22 with starter + main + dessert (except Saturday evening and the eve of public holidays) / menus at €32 and €42
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Where to eat in town in Bourg-en-Bresse? Restaurant Mets & Vins
This restaurant is the one of Chef Stéphane Prevalet. Together with his team, he offers revisited local cuisine, which combines flavors according to the seasons with fresh and mostly regional products. The setting is chic and elegant, and the tables are spaced well enough from each other to provide a bit of privacy for everyone, which I found quite appreciable.
My advice: regarding drinks, I recommend you try the wines from the nearby Bugey vineyard once again.
Restaurant Mets & Vins 9-11 rue de la République 01000 Bourg-en-Bresse Open from Wednesday to Sunday / closed Sunday evening, all day Monday and Tuesday Weekday lunch formula at €15 with starter + main or main + dessert and €19 with starter + main + dessert / weekends menu at €29
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Thanks to the city and the Bourg-en-Bresse tourist office and the Royal Monastery of Brou for this getaway in my home region.
I hope that with all this, I have made you want to discover Bourg-en-Bresse and the Ain, and if you too have your great addresses and tips for this destination, don’t hesitate to share them in the comments below!
Photo credits: Nicolas Diolez Photos are not royalty-free; permission from the photographer is mandatory before any use
