Route des 4 châteaux: from Saint-Rambert-en-Bugey to Mont Luisandre

Date of your route : Mar 08, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A short, peaceful cultural walk.
After the statue of the Virgin Mary and the path leading down to the tarmac road, walk less than 30 metres uphill along this tarmac road to find the path leading down to the Le Brevon stream. There are no longer any signposts on the embankment.

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Date of your route : May 29, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

Hello
The main attractions of this route are the Cormillon site and the view of Mont Luisandre.
The route consists of 10% footpath, 20% tarmac and the rest on tracks suitable for vehicles (I passed about ten quad bikes on the way there and the same number on the way back).
The yellow-purple markings are few and far between and rather faded.
From Grattoux to Morgelas, you’ll need to keep going.
To find point 2, once on the tarmac road, I couldn’t find a sign, but after continuing along the road towards Mont Luisandre and turning back, I found a narrow path leading down to the river.
Thank you, however, for this hike idea; the steady pace makes for good exercise (a lovely climb to reach the summit).
Pascal

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Date of your route : Apr 22, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A great route that connects two of the castles on the 4 Castles Route.
I had a bit of trouble finding my way along the route in the forest between points 9 and 10; there’s a junction where I took the wrong path, which was marked with a purple and yellow marker! In fact, above this marker (a plastic staple) there was a small black cross (it was the first time I’d seen one; usually the crosses are painted with a yellow and a purple stripe). I followed this path for about 300 metres (it was downhill) before realising my mistake by checking my 1:25,000 IGN map.
A brief clarification of the route might be helpful.
In any case, a brilliant walk, thank you.

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Date of your route : Sep 19, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Please note: in the first part of the route, when you descend to the Brevon stream, you must follow it downstream to find the bridge, rather than going upstream as we did, as this wasn’t indicated on the map

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Date of your route : Jul 08, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A really good hike; everything is very well signposted, with signs and markings clearly visible. It takes less time to walk back down to the town than it does to climb up.
At the first castle, they’d put up red and white tape to block access; we had to work out how to get past, and it turns out the path was closed between 25 and 26 June – they’d simply forgotten to take it all down.
The view is really lovely, but the hike isn’t that easy, especially in hot weather.

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Date of your route : Jul 20, 2013
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

We chose this hike primarily for its cultural heritage value, as it allowed us to combine walking in the great outdoors with exploring architectural sites.

We remained thoroughly motivated and charmed throughout the first part of the route, from the village of Saint-Rambert-en-Bugey to the site of Saint Rambert’s martyrdom.
Unfortunately, the rest of the route disappointed us. Although we walked several kilometres through wooded areas and pleasant natural landscapes, the stretch between the hamlets of Malatrait and Morgelas seemed endless and offered nothing of particular interest. Moreover, despite a constant climb, we were kept in suspense by the outcome of this hike: the arrival at Mont Luisandre and thus at the castle of the same name, to round off this visit to the first two castles of the Route des 4 Châteaux in style; what a disappointment it was when we arrived at the site! We were greeted by a tiny information panel placed right next to a ruin that had been reinforced to support a huge metal cross, which held no appeal whatsoever. Although we were aware we were visiting the site of a ruined castle, we were very disappointed by its general state of preservation, which does not justify a visit (we do not question its architectural interest, quite the contrary).

Disappointed to end our hike here after having been kept on our toes for several kilometres by the desire to admire an architectural site, we decided to continue on our way to the Château des Allymes, located about a kilometre away. This extra detour was well worth it and allowed us to round off the route on a very positive note: an exceptional panoramic view from the château, the charm and uniqueness of the place, and the guides’ explanations. We recommend that the more adventurous do the same.
To return, we headed back to our starting point via the road linking Ambérieu-en-Bugey to Saint-Rambert-en-Bugey, passing by the Château des Allymes (known at this point as the ‘Route des Allymes’); it is a very quiet road, with a very pleasant landscape, tarmac-surfaced and gently sloping.

As for the duration of our hike to Mont Luisandre, it took us 5 hours, including a half-hour break. The walk to the Château des Allymes took between 30 and 45 minutes, and the return journey by road took an hour and a half. That makes a total of 7 hours’ hiking.

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