Located between Lyon and Geneva, Rhône and Jura, Ain offers a very large diversity of landscapes. Plains or mountains, running or still waters, uninterrupted shores or timbered hills, this département is as multifaceted as the river after which it is named.

The four regions of  Ain

Bresse - the gently undulating bocage bressan is planted with hedges of willows and oaks. Corn, a traditional crop shielded by a screen of centuries old verdure, still grows in the grazing meadows. A pastoral landscape enlivened by hundreds of white dots: healthy poultry that caper about in complete freedom and give the Bresse its letters of nobility.

Dombes -  mallards, red herons, storks, teals, sedentary or migratory birds, they all find refuge around the ponds of the singular ecosystem which is the Dombes. A natural and harmonious landscape where agriculture, hunting and fishing prevail. Famed since the 15th century for its elegant horses, the Dombes still remains greatly connected to this activity. Incidentally, it is still the second most renowned French region for breeding saddle horses.

Bugey - away from the major roads, Bugey is divided across mountains, valleys, coombs and undulating plateaus. A veritable hymn to nature, this sometimes harsh land finds its softness in its vines and forests where white and black truffles bloom. Consisting of a succession of picturesque villages with a scattering of chapels, cellars, wash houses, gazebos and observation spots, Bugey combines an intact nature and a heritage marked by ancestral traditions.

Pays de Gex - bordered by Lake Léman and dominated by Crêt de la Neige, which, at 1718m, is also the highest point of the great Jura range, the Pays de Gex offers all the charms of a protected environment a stone's throw away from the Rhone-alpine and Swiss towns. Not to be missed: the Parc Naturel du Haut Jura for a «nature sauvage» (untamed nature) experience and hikes to medium-sized mountains.

CDT de l'Ain
34 Rue du Général Delestraint BP 78
F - 01001 Bourg en Bresse Cedex
Tél: + 33 (0)474 32 31 30
Fax: + 44 (0)474 21 45 69
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www.ain-tourisme.com
Photo: Ain Tourisme