Bourg-en-Bresse

Cheerful, flower-festooned Bourg-en-Bresse is esteemed among gastronomes for its fowl—striking-looking chickens, the poulet de Bresse, with plump white bodies, bright blue feet, and red combs (adding up to France's tricolore, or national colors). The town's southeasternmost district, Brou, is its most interesting and the site of a singular church. This is a good place to stay before or after a trip along the Beaujolais Wine Road.