Good morning all. We will be attending an event in Montagnat in August. We usually visit Southern France / Provence or Paris. This region is very unfamiliar to me. We love villages like Gordes, towns like Aix / Avignon. Any recommendations for the Ain or nearby regions? We enjoy eating in small, quaint restaurants, enjoy a bit of wine, but as not really keen on long wine tastings. Love driving around through villages. We wouldn’t need a vibey nightlife. We were thinking to spend a couple nights in Lyon, head to Montagnat for the event for a couple nights, but then have no idea where to go next. Maçon, Beaune and Annecy are places I’ve always been keen to visit (I realize they are not nearby, but we would be happy to drive around France ). Any suggestions welcome

Bourg-en-Bresse for its church:

https://flic.kr/p/8pzH5s
Pérouges is a plus beau village:

https://flic.kr/p/8pzF5U
And you might want to explore the area north of the Ain, the Jura, rather than going south to the Alps and the Provence:

https://flic.kr/p/8pzJVf https://flic.kr/p/8pzCVJ https://flic.kr/p/8pwoBT

May be you will find some ideas here:
https://www.france-voyage.com/touris...epartement.htm
and don't forget the gems of and around Lyon as well as the Lake Geneva area.

+1 for Perouges. On the way there, if you like caves, La-Balme-les-Grottes is definitely worth a stop.
Nearby, we ate (and slept) very well at Hôtel le Val d’Amby in Hières sur Amby.

the Palais Idéal du Facteur Cheval in Hauterives is,,, unique, Look it up.

If you head towards Annecy, try to take in some of the Vercors on the way. Fabulous scenery and Pont en Royans surely ticks your cute-village box.