France Guide
The Rhône valley
Pérouges
Twenty-nine kilometres northeast of Lyon, on the N84, PÉROUGES ( 
www.perouges.org ) is a lovely village of cobbled alleyways and ancient houses. By train from Lyon, you will arrive at the station in Meximieux where the tourist office on 1 rue de Geneve ( 
04.74.23.36.72 www.mairie-meximieux Tues & Thurs 9.30am– noon & 3–6pm, Wed 9.30am– noon, Fri & Sat 2.30–6pm), will equip you with a choice of three walking routes to medieval Pérouges, perched high on a hill. Each route takes 30min and requires sturdy shoes; route 2 is perhaps the most scenic, skirting a fishing pond and traversing narrow stone bridges.
Pérouges' charm has not gone unnoticed by the French film industry – historical dramas like The Three Musketeers and Monsieur Vincent were filmed within its fortifications – nor by some of the residents, who have fought long and hard for preservation orders on its most interesting buildings. The result is an immaculate, if perhaps rather stifling, work of conservation. Local traditional life is also thriving in the hands of a hundred or so workers who still weave locally grown hemp.
No particular monument stands out, but the central square, the place du Halle, and its main street, the rue du Prince, have some of the best-preserved French medieval remains, while the beautifully plain Church Fortress stands serenely near the main gate. The lime tree on place du Halle is a symbol of liberty, planted in 1792. The place both to stay and eat in Pérouges, if you can afford it, is the Ostellerie du Vieux Pérouges ( 04.74.61.00.88, www.ostellerie.com ; Price: €201 and over), in a medieval town house fronting the square; its restaurant serves traditional mountain dishes of duck and carp, with menus at €40 and €61. Those with a more modest wallet should head for Auberge du Coq, rue des Rondes ( 04.74.61.05.47), where menus from €15.90 feature Lyonnais delights such as snail casserole and coq au vin. Pérouges' speciality is a delicious, sugary galette, washed down with cider; make for the galette shop just up from Auberge du Coq, on rue des Rondes.