A stunning medieval town in France

Posted 2 days ago, helping 34 travelers with their trips

1 traveler engaged with this Trip Moment, providing more real feedback

The day of our trip to Perouges turned out to be rainy. It seemed unpleasant, but then the weather turned out to be a plus – there were no people on the streets! This made the city even more unique! (Or rather, it turned out that everyone was in the restaurant in the square.) How to get there: From Lyon, take the commuter train from Part-Dieu station to Meximieux-Perouges station. Get off there and follow the map beyond the city. Google Maps shows two routes, both good (we took one on our way there and one on our way back); the walk takes about 20-30 minutes. A little history: Perouges was supposedly founded by a colony of Gauls returning from the city of Perouglia in Italy. In 1601, the city officially became French. It is now considered the "most beautiful village in France" among other beautiful villages, but this is not certain. Now it is a popular destination for tourists and filmmakers, with a population of about 1,300. Yes, people live there! We didn't see anyone on the streets, just restaurant staff, and the cars were parked there. The bread outside was still being sold—that means there's demand! There's a museum in town, but unfortunately, we didn't get to see it. We stopped by the local temple and met some locals, including children: a group of elementary school children, led by a teacher, were finishing up their studies and then left, chatting happily. The temple is very old, but it's also equipped with modern technology—check out the photos and payment methods. We went there for one day, and had plenty of time to stroll leisurely, exploring all the nooks and crannies. If it had been sunny, we might have walked more slowly, but it's definitely a day trip. I really liked it, and if we stay in Lyon for a couple of days again in the future, we'll definitely make it to Pérouges in good weather!