Plan your visit
Montbrison is one of France’s prettiest villages — perfect for a slow stroll and a long lunch. Locate it on the map, book a room nearby in a click, or add it to your travel list to build your itinerary.
About Montbrison
In the plain of the Forez, between the Loire and the mountains of Auvergne, Montbrison is a charming historic town, the former capital of the counts of Forez, whose rich past is still written in its streets. At its heart rises the magnificent Gothic collegiate church of Notre-Dame d'Espérance, one of the finest in the region, near the old counts' quarter, the Diana — a beautiful 13th-century heraldic hall with a remarkable painted ceiling of hundreds of coats of arms. The old town gathers squares, mansions and a lively market famous for the local Fourme de Montbrison blue cheese. Wrapped in the green countryside of the Forez, between plain and hills, Montbrison combines medieval heritage, fine architecture and gastronomy. Historic, elegant and welcoming, it is an appealing and authentic town at the heart of the Loire department.