Discover Belley: culture, history and nature

If you’re looking for a hotel in Belley, you can shape your stay around different themes: heritage, gastronomy, or green spaces and hiking. The Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste, open daily, the annual Les Épicuriennes festival, and a hike from Belley in the Forêt de Rothonne offer practical starting points for choosing the focus of your trip.

Heritage and guided tours

On a visit to the Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste, you can see the north portal, an 18th-century statue of the Virgin Mary, the reliquary of Saint Anthelm, and recently restored 19th-century wall paintings. These offer a range of details to focus on: a portal, religious objects, and wall paintings. The cathedral is open daily.

The Hôtel Brillat Savarin at 62 Grande rue is also among Belley’s historic buildings. It is partly listed as a historic monument; the listing dated November 15, 1926, applies to the galleries with two arcades. If you’d like to explore the historic center on a guided tour, you can visit the Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste, the Palais épiscopal, and the Place des Terreaux.

The Parcours mémoriel dédié aux Poilus du 133e RI offers another historical perspective. Visitors can see practice trenches and a firing position there. These facilities were used to train soldiers of Belley’s 133e RI before the First World War. The site’s history thus extends beyond buildings and art to include military training before the war.

Food and Les Épicuriennes

Les Épicuriennes is an annual, four-day food festival in Belley. The program includes a market of local producers, demonstrations by chefs and professionals, and a large buffet. There are also workshops and competitions for amateurs and young apprentices. The market, demonstrations, and competitions each offer a different focus within the festival: from local produce and professional presentations to contributions from emerging talent. If you’d like to plan your trip around Les Épicuriennes, check the current event dates before making arrangements.

Gardens and views

Parc Jean-Pierre Camus brings together different garden and park areas. It includes a French-style parterre garden and a romantic section with a small wood. From there, you can enjoy a view of the rooftops of the old town. The park also has a children’s playground. Its mix of formal gardens, a small wooded area, and views of the town is quite different from the historic sights in the center.

Hiking and facilities in the Forêt de Rothonne

The circuits de randonnée pédestre de la forêt de Rothonne form an easy circular route starting from Belley. It is 8.9 kilometers long, takes about two hours, and is free to access year-round. The estimated duration provides a useful guide for planning your day; the route is rated easy.

Other facilities in the Forêt de Rothonne cater to people with different needs: seven accessible wooden pieces of equipment for recreational exercise are installed along one kilometer. There are also accessible picnic tables and an arboretum adapted for people with special needs. While the circular route is described in terms of distance and duration, these facilities focus on exercise equipment, picnic options, and the arboretum.

Plan your stay

The activities also vary in duration: Les Épicuriennes takes four days and is held annually, while the circular route is estimated to take about two hours. If you’re visiting for the festival, plan your trip around the event dates. For a hike, you can use the estimated duration as a guide. If you’re looking for a hotel in Belley, first decide whether heritage, the festival, or forest activities will shape your stay, then compare hotel offers for your travel dates.

Discover more destinations: Saint-Vulbas, Fareins, Mijoux, Montrevel-En-Bresse, Grilly, Thoiry, Ferney-Voltaire, Hautecourt-Romanèche.

Back to the regional travel guide: Ain.