Photo : Zairon / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Fléchères, in the Ain, is the largest château open to visitors in the Lyon area. Built in one go from 1606 to 1625 and preserved intact, it offers exceptional insight into the life of the great Lyon notables of the 17th century.
Over 30 hectares, the French formal garden and the English park invite walks beneath magnificent trees, with fine views of the château and the Beaujolais hills.
Originally a medieval keep on top of an earth mound, the Château de Montribloud was rebuilt in the 18th century by the architect Morand.
The Royal Monastery of Brou, at Bourg-en-Bresse, is a masterpiece of early 16th-century Flemish Flamboyant Gothic.
An early 14th-century castle on the foothills of the Bugey, with intact military architecture, open to the public since 1966.
Fort l'Écluse is in the Ain, in the Pays de Gex, just outside the village of Longeray in the commune of Léaz, between Switzerland and the Haute-Savoie.
Rebuilt by Voltaire between 1758 and 1766, the Château de Ferney has the typical features of aristocratic country houses around Lake Geneva.
Gateway to the Dombes, Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne has kept its timber market hall, half-timbered houses and a 17th-century apothecary's shop.