Pérouges

Linen weavers once filled Pérouges, a walled medieval town on a small hill of the Côtière with views towards the Alps and the Bugey. When roads and railways bypassed it in the 19th century its population fell from 1,500 to 90, but restoration from 1911 saved its stone houses and cobbled lanes. Now car-free, they look so authentic that film crews keep coming back.

Highlights

• The Tree of Liberty, a lime planted in 1792 on the Place du Tilleul
• The fortified church of Sainte-Madeleine
• Galette pérougienne at one of France's oldest inns
• A spring festival of music from Baroque to jazz, April to June
• Film location for 'The Three Musketeers' (1961) and 'Fanfan la Tulipe'

Summary based on Wikipedia and Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA), written with AI assistance.