Coverage France
Audio Guide Pérouges
app, one-time €4.99
Pérouges is a fortified medieval village perched 300 metres above the Ain valley, its elliptical ramparts and cobblestone lanes so intact that it has been listed among the 'Plus Beaux Villages de France.' The lime tree at its centre has stood since 1792, planted as a symbol of liberty during the French Revolution.
9+ researched places in the app
Yes. Parroo is a self-guided audio guide for Pérouges: 9 researched places, from Medieval City of Pérouges to Church of Saint Mary Magdalene and The Ramparts of Pérouges, each with a short summary, a full article, and a roughly three-minute audio story in German, English, and French. Buy once, no subscription, no booking. Start whenever you like.
Audio sample: Medieval City of Pérouges
Pérouges
Places researched in this city
A selection of the 9 places we've researched in this city. The full set is in the Parroo app.
- Fortified village
- Medieval gates
- Church-fortress
- Historic squares
- Medieval streets
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01
Medieval City of Pérouges
Human settlement here stretches back to the Chalcolithic era, yet the tight grid of lanes and elliptical walls you walk today took shape under Guichard I in the 12th and 13th centuries, earning Pérouges its place among the 'Plus Beaux Villages de France.' The entire cité functions as a living museum, with cultural events woven into its protected streets year-round.
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02
Church of Saint Mary Magdalene
Built from 1422 under parish priest Guillaume Garnier, whose coat of arms is carved into the keystone of the apse vault, this church was designed as much for defence as for worship, its thick walls and narrow arrow-slit windows folded directly into the town's fortifications. The flamboyant Gothic style sits alongside unmistakably Romanesque proportions, the result of construction that stretched across several generations.
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03
The Ramparts of Pérouges
When a Dauphinois army besieged Pérouges in 1468, the town held out, and the French crown rewarded its resistance with a twenty-year tax exemption. The limestone, pebble, and brick walls that made that possible rise up to 20 metres high and measure 2.5 metres thick, enclosing the cité in a double ring that has barely changed since the 15th century.
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04
Linden Square
On 21 April 1792 residents planted a lime tree at the centre of this square as a 'tree of Liberty,' a gesture that also gave the square its current name, Place du Tilleul. The tree is now a classified natural site in its own right, and the half-timbered and Renaissance facades ringing it were restored from 1911 onward.
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05
House of the Princes of Savoy
After the Counts of Savoy lost their château de Saint-Georges-d'Espéranche, they made this 14th- and 15th-century manor their local seat, which says a great deal about Pérouges's strategic value in the long contest between Savoy, the Dauphiné, and France. Built in local Meximieux tuff stone with mullioned windows and monumental fireplaces, it now houses the Musée du Vieux Pérouges.
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06
Lower Gate
A Latin inscription carved into the stonework of this southeastern gate commemorates the 1468 siege, when Dauphinois forces attacked and were repelled, a defence the town still marks on its stones centuries later. The gate also frames a wide view over the Ain valley, making it one of the most photographed exit points in the cité.
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07
Hostelry of Old Pérouges
Originally built in the 12th or 13th century as a wealthy merchant's residence, this timber-framed building on Place du Tilleul has been run by the same family, the Thibauts, since 1912, and is the place most locals will point you toward for the galette de Pérouges, the flat sugared brioche that has become the town's edible calling card.
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08
2 more places to discover
In the Parroo app
Good to know
9 researched places, from the Medieval City of Pérouges and the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene to lesser-known spots like the Hostelry of Old Pérouges. Each one has a short summary, a full article, and a ~3-minute audio story.
Yes. Every place has a ~3-minute audio story, written from the perspective of a guide standing next to you and produced with premium narration, not the article read aloud.
German, English, and French. Pick whichever you'd rather read or listen in.
No booking, no signup. It's a self-guided walk you start whenever you like. You do need a connection for now to stream the audio and load articles; offline support is something we're still building.
A one-time €4.99 for the whole city, no subscription and no recurring cost. You buy Pérouges once and keep access to all 9 places with text and audio.
Open this city in Parroo
Get the full articles, audio stories, and map for this city in the Parroo app. One payment per geography. Yours to keep.
Updated: 2026-09-25