Visit the beautiful little town of Bourg-en-Bresse

Departure from the free, shaded car park at the Monastère de Brou. You can shorten the walk by parking in one of the various car parks in the town centre.

(S/E) Return to Boulevard de Brou and follow it to the right towards the town centre until you find Rue Littré on your left. Take this road until it intersects with Rue de la République.

(1) The medieval town comes into view. On the left are pretty half-timbered houses. At no. 30, you will see a beautiful 16th-century house with mullioned windows. A gate with a small door allows you to walk back and forth along Impasse Littré to see a row of 15th-century houses. Leave this cul-de-sac by turning left and walking up Rue de la République towards the town centre. At the junction with Rue Jules Migonney, note the Porte des Jacobins, built in 1437.

(2) Turn left onto this street and continue to the next intersection, then turn left onto Rue du Lycée. Walk back along this street to admire the façades of the former Jesuit college and its chapel.

(3) Retrace your steps to Rue Jules Migonney and turn left. Take Rue Gustave Doré, then turn left onto Rue du Docteur Ebrard. At No. 5, admire the façade of the Hôtel de Meillonnas. Turn immediately right onto Rue Clavagry, then left onto Avenue Alsace Lorraine.

(4) After the tourist office, take Rue Lalande, which climbs towards a Protestant church with a bell tower. At No. 7, admire the façade of the 15th-century house. Continue along Rue Lalande until the next intersection, then turn right and walk back to see the Maison Gorrevod, built in 1425 by wealthy cloth merchants.

(5) Retrace your steps and go up Rue Bourgmayer on the right. At No. 2 bis, look up to see 16th-century mullioned windows, then at No. 6, an Art Deco house from the 1920s. At No. 11 is the Hôtel de Loras, with its 18th-century Regency façade. On your left, you will cross Rue des Marronniers with its beautiful corbelled houses. On the right, note the turret or watchtower reminiscent of the town's fortifications.
Turn right onto Rue de la Pompe Bourgmayer. This is the former rampart walk. Pass the Place des Lices (an esplanade for medieval tournaments) on your right. Continue straight ahead along Montée Bastion.

(6) Turn right onto Esplanade de la Grenette. The former grain market, dating from 1899, has been converted into a village hall and cinema. Continue straight ahead onto Rue Bichat, then further on, turn left onto Rue Notre-Dame, which will take you to the cathedral (which is definitely worth a visit).

(7) Leaving the cathedral, take Place Neuve towards the south, then turn right onto Rue Gambetta. At number 16, you will see another half-timbered façade dating from 1496. Turn left onto Rue Victor et Hélène Basch. At No. 5, you will see 17th-century half-moon ironwork, at No. 12 a 16th-century façade, at Nos. 22 to 24 the former 15th-century mint, and at No. 21 the former government building. Pass Place Edgar Quinet and you will come back to the Porte des Jacobins, which you saw at the start of the tour.

(2) Turn left onto Rue de la République to return to the intersection with Rue Littré.

(1) Turn left onto Rue Littré and follow the route in reverse until you reach the monastery car park (S/E). A visit to the monastery and its church is highly recommended.