Culoz-Béon is one of the busiest of the towns and villages of Southern Bugey, both for its railway station and for the Grand Colombier road that starts in the village. It is a new municipality (commune nouvelle) created on 1 January 2023 by merging Culoz and Béon, which became “delegated municipalities” (communes déléguées), keeping their names as local divisions. It has 3,453 inhabitants (INSEE municipal population 2023, in force since 1 January 2026): 2,979 in Culoz and 474 in Béon. The postcode is 01350.
Key facts
The municipality covers about 2,931 hectares, between the Rhône, the Lavours marsh and the slopes of the Grand Colombier. According to the town hall, the arrival of the railway in the 19th century boosted Culoz’s growth and brought industry (SABLA, CIAT, Valisère); it was among the first towns in France to have electricity.
In addresses, the village name is still used: “Culoz, 01350 Culoz-Béon” or “Béon, 01350 Culoz-Béon”.
Culoz-Béon town hall
The town hall (mairie) is at 46 rue de la Mairie, in Culoz. Telephone: +33 (0)4 79 87 00 29 (service-public directory). According to the municipal website, checked on 9 November 2026, reception is open every morning from Monday to Friday, 9 am to 12.30 pm. Appointments for identity cards and passports are booked online on the same website.
For any question about the municipal council or its elected members, the reference is the municipality’s official website; Bugey360 does not name elected officials, to avoid out-of-date information.
Market
Culoz market takes place on Wednesday mornings, on rue de la Mairie, from 7.30 am to 12.30 pm according to the tourist office. It is a food market, with clothing stalls in summer. The tourist office listing still shows last year’s dates: if in doubt, the town hall can confirm. Other markets are listed in our guide to markets in Southern Bugey (in French).
Culoz station and transport
Culoz station, Place Pierre Semard, is the most important in Southern Bugey. According to the community of communes, it is the only station in the area with a staffed ticket office; it also has ticket machines and the Accès Plus assistance service for passengers with reduced mobility. TER (regional train) lines served, according to the town hall and the community of communes:
- Geneva/Annecy – Grenoble – Valence;
- Saint-Gervais/Évian/Geneva – Bellegarde – Lyon;
- (Chambéry) – Culoz – Ambérieu – Lyon;
- Chambéry – Culoz – Geneva.
No TGV (high-speed) service is mentioned by these local sources. Timetables are on the TER Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes website. The station page of the municipal website also lists the town’s taxis.
Regional coach A43 links Culoz with Belley and Chanay. Culoz station is also one of the stations near the Seyssel – Belley stage of the ViaRhôna cycle route. All timetables and connections are gathered in our guide to getting around Southern Bugey.
Services and health
- Media library (médiathèque): 38 avenue Antonin Poncet.
- France services advice sessions (free help with official procedures): at the town hall, on Wednesday mornings, by appointment (community of communes).
- Recycling centre (déchetterie): En Brachay industrial area, rue de Luyrieux.
- Children: nursery and primary schools, a collège (secondary school for ages 11 to 15), and the Colombier early-years and children’s centres, presented on the municipal website.
- Health: the town hall publishes the list of health professionals practising in the municipality. The area’s hospital, with an emergency department, is the Centre hospitalier Bugey Sud in Belley (see our health guide, in French).
The tourist office occasionally runs an information desk at the Maison du vélo (cycling centre) in Culoz.
Heritage
Montveran castle, spelt Montvéran by the town hall, is a fortified house from the early 14th century built on a rock overlooking the western entrance to Culoz. Owned by the Luyrieu family until the 16th century, it has been listed as a historic monument since 20 September 1946. It is private property; according to the directory listing, guided tours are offered in summer.
According to the town hall, the Carthusian monks of Arvière grew vines on the slopes of Culoz. Our guide to the heritage of Southern Bugey (in French) puts these sites in context.
The Grand Colombier and nature
Culoz is the starting point of the most famous climb up the Grand Colombier, the highest point of the Bugey: 18.3 km with 1,262 m of climbing according to the tourist office. The Tour de France came this way in 2012, 2016, 2017, 2020 and 2023, and a stage finish is announced for Sunday 11 July 2027. After a rockfall on 19 June 2026 on the RD 120, the road from Culoz has been open again since 3 September 2026, according to the tourist office. The pass roads close every winter; cyclists will find car-free days and conditions in our guide to cycling the Grand Colombier. Above the village, the Fenestrez viewpoint looks out over the valley.
Lower down, the municipality borders the Lavours marsh nature reserve, part of which extends over the former municipalities of Culoz and Béon. The Culoz lake, on the Île de Verbaou, offers supervised swimming in summer, with the Le Colombier campsite nearby. The ViaRhôna runs alongside the Rhône towards Belley (our ViaRhôna guide is in French).
Restaurants and addresses in Culoz
Three restaurants in the municipality are in the directory:
- Au Campagnard Autrement, a family restaurant in the centre serving traditional cooking;
- Les Epicurieux, avenue de la Gare, seasonal cooking and workshops;
- L’Écrin des Granges, a fine-dining restaurant and guest house in the hamlet of Châtel.
The full list of Culoz-Béon listings, with a map, appears at the bottom of the page. To widen your search, see restaurants in Southern Bugey.
Events and news
Local events (the US Culoz tea dance on 5 December 2026, the Tour de France stage finish in July 2027 and others) are in the Southern Bugey events calendar. Dated information, such as service cuts or road closures, is published in the news.