# Pérouges, the medieval village, Lyon > Pérouges is a tiny medieval weavers' town on a hill 30 kilometres north-east of Lyon, one of the 'Most Beautiful Villages of France'. Through the old gate lie cobbled lanes, half-timbered houses with overhanging upper floors, a square with an old lime tree and a fortified church. It's so well preserved that The Three Musketeers and Fanfan la Tulipe were filmed here, and its sugar galette is famous across the region. Free; allow 2 hours. Web page: https://yesgo.io/france/lyon/perouges - City: [Lyon](https://yesgo.io/france/lyon), France - YesGo score: 25/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 2 h 30 min - Opening hours: Town always open; museum and shops by day - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Free; museum by ticket - From Lyon: ≈ 30 km; train + 15-minute walk - Galette: Pérouges sugar galette - Label: Most Beautiful Villages of France - Duration: ≈ 2 hours - Location: A hill above the Ain plain, Ain department - Coordinates: 45.90333, 5.17944 - Facts checked: 12.11.2026 ## Key facts - **30 km** — from Lyon (source: English Wikipedia) - **1236** — townspeople won their liberties (source: English Wikipedia) - **1911** — restoration began (source: English Wikipedia) - **90** — inhabitants left in the 19th century (source: English Wikipedia) ## About Pérouges Pérouges is a medieval town on a hill above the plain of the River Ain, on the old trade road between Lyon and Geneva. It was home to craftsmen, farmers and **linen weavers**. As early as **1236** the townspeople won communal liberties, and weaving flourished until the end of the 18th century. In the 19th century new roads and the railway bypassed it, and the population fell from 1,500 to 90; the town all but emptied. From **1911** it was rescued and restored, and today Pérouges is one of France's most intact medieval towns, listed among the 'Most Beautiful Villages'. ## What to see - **The Porte d'en Bas** — the gate into the old town. - **Place du Tilleul** — an old lime tree and half-timbered houses. - **Sainte-Marie-Madeleine** — a fortress church with arrow slits. - **Rue des Rondes** — the ring street along the old walls. - **The Vieux Pérouges museum** — in the House of the Prince. - **The Alps view** — from the edge of the hill on clear days. ## Streets and square You enter through the **Porte d'en Bas**, and cobbled lanes begin straight away, lined with houses of stone and **half-timbering**: upper floors jut out over lower ones, with flowers at the windows. The Rue des Rondes rings the centre along the line of the double walls, taken down in the 18th century. The heart of the town is **Place du Tilleul**, with a huge lime tree planted as a symbol of liberty after the French Revolution. Old houses surround it, including a 13th-century inn where scenes of many films were shot. > **What to try** Be sure to try **Pérouges sugar galette**, a thin sweet tart of buttery dough with lemon zest and sugar, its recipe set down in 1912. It's sold warm in the shops on the square, and the smell of baking drifts through the whole town. You can take one home too. ## A town on film Pérouges has kept its 15th–17th-century look so well that directors love it for period films. Monsieur Vincent (1947), The Three Musketeers (1961), Fanfan la Tulipe (1962) and many others were shot here. Strolling the lanes, you'll recognise scenes from the films: old signs, wells, stone stairways and wooden balconies that seem to be waiting for the cameras to roll again. ## The church and museum The **church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine** is built right into the line of fortifications: its walls, with arrow slits and a wall-walk, defended the town. Inside is a simple Gothic nave with old statues. The **House of the Prince** holds the Vieux Pérouges museum: weavers' household objects, furniture, old artefacts and a watchtower. From the edge of the hill on a clear day you can see the Bugey mountains and even the Alps. A spring music festival runs from Baroque to jazz. ## How to get there 1. By TER train from Lyon Part-Dieu to Meximieux-Pérouges, about 30–40 minutes. 2. From the station to the old town, a 15–20-minute uphill walk. 3. By car from Lyon, 35–40 minutes on the A42 motorway. 4. Car parks at the foot of the hill; no cars in the old town. ## Tips for your visit Two hours is enough for Pérouges, as the town is tiny. Mornings are quiet and lovely, while tourists arrive by lunchtime at weekends, so come early or on a weekday. Pérouges makes an easy half-day trip from Lyon, leaving the rest of the day for the city, in [Vieux-Lyon](https://yesgo.io/france/lyon/vieux-lyon) or up on [Fourvière hill](https://yesgo.io/france/lyon/fourviere-basilica). The cobbles are uneven and can be slippery, so wear good shoes; it's hard going with a pushchair. The town has a few restaurants and souvenir shops. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Walk in through the Porte d'en Bas - [ ] Find the old lime tree on the square - [ ] Try the sugar galette - [ ] Circle the town on Rue des Rondes - [ ] Look into the fortress church ## Places in Lyon: compare and choose Places in Lyon rated by YesGo. - [Fourvière Basilica](https://yesgo.io/france/lyon/fourviere-basilica) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free - [Place Bellecour](https://yesgo.io/france/lyon/place-bellecour) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free - [Saint-Jean Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/france/lyon/lyon-cathedral) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free - [Vieux-Lyon](https://yesgo.io/france/lyon/vieux-lyon) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Free - [Vienne](https://yesgo.io/france/lyon/vienne) — YesGo score 28/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h 30 min · Free - [Pérouges](https://yesgo.io/france/lyon/perouges) — YesGo score 25/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Free ## Don't mix it up Pérouges is the medieval town near Lyon; Perugia is the Italian city its founders are said to have come from. ## Tips - Come early to beat crowds. - Eat the galette warm. - Wear good shoes. - Train to Meximieux. ## Questions ### How do I get to Pérouges from Lyon? By train to Meximieux-Pérouges and a 15–20-minute walk, or 40 minutes by car. ### What is there to see in Pérouges? The lime-tree square, half-timbered houses, the fortress church and the museum. ### How long do I need in Pérouges? About two hours. ### What should I eat in Pérouges? The Pérouges sugar galette. ### Which films were shot in Pérouges? The Three Musketeers, Fanfan la Tulipe, Monsieur Vincent and others. ## How we checked Facts from English and French Wikipedia. Train times and museum hours weren't confirmed with an official source — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English and French Wikipedia: Pérouges - Town website, perouges.org --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.