Saint-Bois: Discover heritage and cycling routes

Saint-Bois brings together local heritage, distinctive plant habitats, and cycling and hiking routes. If you are looking for a hotel in Saint-Bois, these themes can help you choose what to explore according to your interests: historic buildings, nature, or time on a marked route.

Local history in buildings and memorial sites

Saint-Bois’s washhouse stands on a riverbank and is fed directly by the waters of the Gland. The war memorial stands in the central square and was inaugurated in 1920. Eleven names are engraved in the stone. The memorial also serves as a site for patriotic ceremonies on November 11 and May 8. These two dates give the memorial a clear connection to local remembrance.

The church can also be understood through its building history and floor plan: it was inaugurated in 1869 and has a three-bay nave and two side chapels. The nave is thus divided into three bays, with the side chapels extending the church interior. Smaller stone memorials offer a different perspective. The Croix de Veyrin is a stone wayside cross. The Croix de Crozet bears the same inscription as the Croix de Saint-Bois: “1852, souvenir de Jubile”. The inscription on the Croix de Compignière reads “vers la joie, par la croix”.

Other traces of the past include the former Château de Châtillonnet, which now lies in ruins. At the Château de Perrouzet, an original tower and an original gate remain visible; the château is overgrown with vegetation. The dovecote is the only well-preserved remnant and is clearly visible. The Crozet oven is also part of the town’s heritage and is considered the most remarkable of Saint-Bois’s four ovens. Together, these sites offer different perspectives on architectural forms, inscriptions and surviving remains.

Dry grasslands and plant life

The “Pelouses sèches de Saint Bois” are listed as a Type I ZNIEFF ecological area. Their dry grasslands are home to orchids and protected, rare or endangered plant species. The area’s name and the plants described make it a distinct nature destination alongside the buildings and memorial sites. Species composition and condition can change, so these details do not describe an unchanging population.

Cycling routes compared by length and character

The red-marked “Les Enfants du Marais” mountain biking loop is 41.5 kilometres long and starts in Belley. It passes through Saint-Bois and runs mainly along paths through fields and forests. The Four de Veyrin is a point of interest along the route. Check access conditions before setting out.

Another option is the marked “Vallée du Gland” cycling loop, which also passes through Saint-Bois and is 39.7 kilometres long. The two distances can be compared directly: “Les Enfants du Marais” is 41.5 kilometres long, while “Vallée du Gland” is 39.7 kilometres long. Both are loop routes; their descriptions also differ in that “Les Enfants du Marais” runs mostly along field and forest paths and has the Four de Veyrin as a named point of interest.

Hiking with time for a full loop

The “Peyzieu - Izieu et retour” circular hiking trail lies within the municipality of Saint-Bois. The “01 - Peyzieu - Izieu et retour” hiking loop is listed as taking six hours. This makes it possible to plan the hike differently from the two cycling loops, for which distances are given in kilometres. Before setting out, check the hiking route conditions and allow for the stated duration in your day’s plans.

Discover more destinations: Gex, La Boisse, Bourg-En-Bresse, Montréal-La-Cluse, Villieu-Loyes-Mollon, Versonnex, Loyettes, Saint-Laurent-sur-Saône

Go to the regional travel overview: Ain.