Dombes Tourism - Tourist Office

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A new way to enjoy travelThe Dombes : secrets of ponds !
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a land made of water

With its thousand ponds, the Dombes offers you a wonderful and unsual landscape.

The region is the most important freshwater fish producer in France. Here, you will discover ancestral traditions, such as pond fishing and horse breeding, and you will enjoy observing its exceptional wildlife, particularly wild birds.

Golf courses, excellent gastronomy, festivities, hiking trails… all is here for you to enjoy you stay.

A tasty espace

in Dombes

French people are not only well known for eating snails, but also for loving tasty frog legs.

Did you know that the recipe was born in Dombes ? Here, a few years ago, you could catch frogs in the beautiful ponds. Nowadays, fishing is not allowed because frogs are less frequent in Dombes, but this traditional dish can be found on most of the menus in our restaurants. You can also taste other specialties such as carp, pike and other freshwater fishes « made in Dombes ».
Actually, during autumn and winter, the ponds are being fished. At sunrise, you are invited to admire the fishers in the cold mist, settle the nets, taking the fishes : a tradition that hasn’t changed for centuries. Through this experience, you will not only taste the fish for lunch but also keep a memory of the French way of life. Indeed, the way to cook and share those fish meals is a part of our traditions.

The Dombes also has its own chicken, especially the famous white one : the free-range “Prince of Dombes”. And if you like chicken, during you stay, have a stop in the Bresse country nearby and taste the world-famous Bresse chicken. The only chicken in the world with a PDO (Protect Designation of Origin) !

Dombes Landscapes

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