Bourg-en-Bresse

Cheerful, flower-festooned Bourg-en-Bresse is esteemed among gastronomes for its chickens—the striking-looking 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 southeastern-most 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.