Camping Le Val de Coise

Heading out for a hike or a bike trip? You’ll have plenty of choice for places to go, with the Livradois-Forez Regional Natural Park on one side, the Pilat Regional Natural Park on the other and the Gorges de la Loire about half an hour’s drive away too. If you’d rather theme your outings around food and drink, the wine routes around Juliénas and Chénas (an hour and a half’s drive) are well worth exploring, and Lyon (an hour and 15 minutes) allegedly has more restaurants per head than any other French city. There is also the excellent Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse market. Work up an appetite with a stroll through the old town, a visit to the Fine Arts Museum or a tour of the Gallo-Roman sites. Family days out? Take a step into the past among the turrets of Château de Bouthéon (15 minutes' drive), meet big cats and primates at Saint Martin la Plaine Zoo (40 minutes) or see birds of prey in flight at the Animal Park of Courzieu (45 minutes).