Among the towns and villages of Southern Bugey and the Valromey, Artemare sits at the mouth of the Séran valley: this is the way into the Valromey from Belley or Culoz. The municipality has 1,139 inhabitants (INSEE municipal population 2023, in force since 1 January 2026) over about 332 hectares, and its postcode is 01510. It is a member of the Bugey Sud community of communes, the grouping of local municipalities.
Key facts
Artemare is not a “new municipality” (commune nouvelle): unlike several Valromey municipalities, it has not merged with its neighbours. Its territory includes the hamlet of Cerveyrieu, known for its waterfall, and the Fierloz massif, south-west of the village. For an overview of the whole valley, see our introduction to the Valromey.
Artemare town hall
- Address: 1 rue des Écoles, 01510 Artemare.
- Telephone: +33 (0)4 79 87 32 64 (service-public directory).
- Email: mairie@artemare.fr.
- Website: artemare.fr, which publishes opening hours (“Contact et horaires” page), planning procedures, hire of the community halls and municipal documents.
Bugey360 does not name elected officials: the membership of the municipal council is published by the municipality.
Market and shops
As of 9 November 2026, no weekly market is reported in Artemare, either on the municipal website or on the tourist office’s markets page. The nearest market in the valley is held on Thursday mornings in Champagne-en-Valromey; our guide to markets in Southern Bugey (in French) lists the others.
For groceries, the directory lists L’Écoserie, an independent organic grocery on rue Neuve. An evening Christmas market is announced on rue Neuve on Saturday 28 November 2026 from 6 pm.
Transport
Artemare has no railway station. The area’s two TER (regional train) stations are Virieu-le-Grand – Belley and Culoz, according to the community of communes.
The transport page of the municipal website refers to the regional Cars Région Ain coach network, without specifying any line or stop in Artemare: you need to check the network’s timetables. It also presents:
- the Bugey Sud community of communes’ on-demand transport, booked in advance, reserved for people over 75, people with reduced mobility, recipients of the APA (a French allowance for older people who need care), jobseekers or people on back-to-work schemes, and young people aged 15 to 18 (proof required);
- a list of local taxis, with their numbers.
Our guide to getting around Southern Bugey details the coach lines and trains.
Services and health
The municipal library runs storytelling sessions for young readers; a holiday club (accueil de loisirs) offers programmes during the school holidays (municipal website). The municipality also has community halls and a gym.
The official sources we consulted do not publish a list of health professionals practising in Artemare. The area’s hospital is the Centre hospitalier Bugey Sud, in Belley; key health information for the area is gathered in our health guide (in French). For help with online procedures, the Maison France services Bugey-Sud (a public one-stop help centre for official paperwork) holds sessions on Thursday mornings in Champagne-en-Valromey and on Monday afternoons in Virieu-le-Grand, by appointment.
Heritage
The heritage section of the municipal website presents four sites:
- The Vierge du Fierloz: a cast-iron statue of the Immaculate Conception erected in 1896 on the Fierloz massif, for the 14th centenary of the baptism of Clovis, with a Saint Michael slaying the dragon at the foot of the column. The site has been classified as an Espace naturel sensible (protected natural area) since 2016 and has more than 200 plant species.
- Saint-Martin church, built between 1844 and 1847 after the old church at Yon was destroyed by a storm in 1836. It keeps an 18th-century high altar and a baptismal font from the Yon church.
- Machuraz castle: an estate mentioned as early as the 12th century, where the monks of Saint-Sulpice developed a vineyard; the present castle, remodelled in the 19th century in neo-Gothic style, has been listed as a historic monument since 2006. It is private property and cannot be visited.
- The Cerveyrieu waterfall (see below).
Nature: Cerveyrieu and the Grand Colombier
The Cerveyrieu waterfall is a drop of about 60 metres formed by the Séran, above the hamlet of Cerveyrieu. Designated an Espace naturel sensible by the Ain Département since 2017, the site is accessible all year according to the tourist office; its flow varies greatly and the waterfall can run dry in summer. The dedicated guide details access and viewpoints.
Artemare is also the starting point of one of the four roads up the Grand Colombier, via Virieu-le-Petit: 15.9 km with 1,251 m of climbing, including a 22% section, according to the tourist office. It is the steepest and narrowest road according to the tourist office, which advises motorhomes and long vehicles against this side. The climbs and the days reserved for cyclists are presented in our guide to cycling the Grand Colombier. On foot, the tourist office lists a “foot of the Grand Colombier” walk starting from Artemare; other routes are in our guide to hiking on the Grand Colombier.
Where to eat and stay in Artemare
- Les Caudalies hotel-restaurant, 17 rue Neuve: rooms, restaurant and terrace in the village centre.
- Le Séran restaurant, 1 rue de Savoie: traditional home cooking and a set lunch menu.
- Le Vaugrais campsite, at Cerveyrieu: heated pool, rentals and snack bar, closed out of season.
The listings appear with a map at the bottom of the page. Other addresses in the valley are on our restaurants and where to stay pages.
Events
Events in Artemare (the evening Christmas market, library readings, lotto nights) are included in the Southern Bugey events calendar when they are published with a date. Dated information for the area appears in the news.