Bugey360 focuses first on Southern Bugey and the Valromey, in the south-east of the Ain département. It does not claim to cover the whole Bugey: the Haut-Bugey, the Ain plain and the Hauteville area are not followed at this stage. Ten municipalities have their own page, chosen because they have most of the area’s services, railway stations, markets or busiest natural sites. To place them in context, see our overviews of Southern Bugey and of the Valromey.
In France, the commune is the basic unit of local government, whether a city or a hamlet of a few dozen people; each has its own mayor and town hall (mairie). On this site we call them municipalities, towns or villages.
The area covered
The ten municipalities fall into four sectors: Belley and the Rhône in the south, the Grand Colombier and the marshes in the east, the Valromey valley in the centre, and the Retord plateau in the north. All are members of the Bugey Sud community of communes, a grouping of municipalities that share services, created in 2014 and based in Belley. Its official website lists 41 member municipalities; older documents give more, the difference coming from successive mergers.
Other municipalities in the grouping appear in the directory or the events calendar when an address or an event is located there (Ceyzérieu, Pollieu, Vongnes, Contrevoz, Virignin and others), without a dedicated page for now.
New municipalities and delegated municipalities
Since 2016, several villages in the area have merged into “new municipalities” (communes nouvelles). The official name of the municipality has changed, but the old names are still used every day, on signs and in addresses.
- Haut Valromey was created on 1 January 2016 by combining Hotonnes, Le Grand-Abergement, Le Petit-Abergement and Songieu, with Hotonnes as its main seat. Ruffieu joined on 1 January 2025 as a delegated municipality. In the current official geographic code, only Ruffieu is listed as a delegated municipality.
- Valromey-sur-Séran has existed since 1 January 2019. Its delegated municipalities are Belmont-Luthézieu (main seat), Lompnieu, Sutrieu and Vieu.
- Arvière-en-Valromey was created on 1 January 2019 by merging Brénaz, Chavornay, Lochieu and Virieu-le-Petit (main seat).
- Culoz-Béon has combined Culoz and Béon since 1 January 2023; both became delegated municipalities.
For a postal address, you generally write the village name, then the postcode and the name of the new municipality (for example “Virieu-le-Petit, 01260 Arvière-en-Valromey”).
The ten municipalities at a glance
INSEE municipal population figures, 2023 reference year, in force since 1 January 2026.
| Municipality | Status | Postcode | Population (2023) | Sector |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belley | Municipality, sub-prefecture | 01300 | 9,388 | Belley and the Rhône |
| Culoz-Béon | New municipality (2023) | 01350 | 3,453 | Grand Colombier and the marshes |
| Artemare | Municipality | 01510 | 1,139 | Valromey |
| Arvière-en-Valromey | New municipality (2019) | 01260 | 717 | Valromey |
| Brégnier-Cordon | Municipality | 01300 | 804 | Belley and the Rhône |
| Champagne-en-Valromey | Municipality | 01260 | 831 | Valromey |
| Haut Valromey | New municipality (2016, Ruffieu in 2025) | 01260 | 801 | Retord plateau |
| Lavours | Municipality | 01350 | 138 | Grand Colombier and the marshes |
| Valromey-sur-Séran | New municipality (2019) | 01260 | 1,351 | Valromey |
| Virieu-le-Grand | Municipality | 01510 | 1,111 | Belley and the Rhône |
A sub-prefecture is a town that hosts a local branch of the State administration for its district.
The town pages
Belley
The sub-prefecture and largest town in the area, Belley has the hospital, the France services centre (a one-stop office for help with official paperwork), the tourist office and the big Saturday market. The page on Belley and everyday life there brings together the town hall, transport, heritage and addresses.
Culoz-Béon
At the foot of the Grand Colombier, Culoz has the best-served railway station in the area and a market on Wednesdays. See the page Culoz-Béon: station, town hall, market.
Artemare
The gateway to the Valromey, Artemare has the Cerveyrieu waterfall within its boundaries and one of the road routes up the Grand Colombier. Details on the Artemare page.
Arvière-en-Valromey
A new municipality of four villages on the western side of the Grand Colombier, with the Fruitière du Valromey cheese dairy at Virieu-le-Petit. Page in French.
Brégnier-Cordon
In a bend of the Rhône, on the border with Isère and Savoie, the municipality shares the Glandieu waterfall with Groslée-Saint-Benoit. Page in French.
Champagne-en-Valromey
The main village of the valley, with the Maison de Pays du Valromey and a market on Thursday mornings. Page in French.
Haut Valromey
The largest municipality by area in our selection, which includes the Plans d’Hotonnes resort on the Retord plateau. Page in French.
Lavours
A small municipality of 138 inhabitants between the Rhône and the Grand Colombier, which gave its name to the neighbouring marsh. Page in French.
Valromey-sur-Séran
A new municipality in the Séran valley, with the Lèbe observatory and several local producers. Page in French.
Virieu-le-Grand
Virieu-le-Grand – Belley railway station, a lake with facilities and a Sunday-morning market. Page in French.
What the town pages contain
Each town page gives verified key facts (status, postcode, population), the town hall’s contact details as published by the official directory or the municipal website, the market where there is one, transport, services and documented heritage. Directory listings located in the municipality appear automatically at the bottom of the page. Cross-cutting information (markets, transport, health, official paperwork) is grouped in the Living in the Bugey section (in French); in English, see our guide to getting around.
Elected officials are not named: the list changes and each town hall publishes it on its website. Events in all these municipalities are gathered in the Southern Bugey events calendar, and dated information (roadworks, closures, new services) in the local news.
