Beaujolais Wine Villages is a food day trips in Lyon.
The Beaujolais Cru villages lie 30 to 55 minutes north of Lyon, where ten AOC Crus produce Gamay wines of genuine depth. Booking recommended.
Editorially verified May 19, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Tip: Hire a car for the Route des Crus; public transport reaches Romanèche-Thorins but not the smaller villages.
Vienne is 20 minutes south of Lyon by TER and combines France's finest Roman theatre with Cote Rotie, the steep Rhone Valley appellation where syrah grown.
Tip: Take the TER from Part-Dieu; domaine visits need booking a week ahead for the Cote Rotie estates.
Perouges is a walled medieval hilltop village 40 minutes east of Lyon where the Galette de Perouges, a flat caramelised brioche sold from a window counter.
Tip: Arrive before 10:00 or after 15:00 to beat the tour groups; the galette window opens from 09:00.
Bourg-en-Bresse is the capital of the Bresse chicken AOC, 55 minutes from Lyon, where the blue-legged birds with their blue-white-red colouring have held.
Tip: Book lunch at a Bressan ferme-auberge a week ahead; the Dombes ponds nearby are worth a 20-min drive.
Macon is the southern gateway to Burgundy, 65 km north of Lyon, where the Macon-Villages and Pouilly-Fuisse appellations produce crisp Chardonnay.
Tip: Hire a car at Macon station; the best Pouilly-Fuisse estates cluster around Fuisse and Solutre-Pouilly.
Annecy on the alpine lake east of Lyon runs lakeside bistros pouring Savoy white wines and serving the lake's signature fera (perch) alongside tartiflette.
Tip: The old town along Rue Sainte-Claire is the bistro strip; summer-weekend lakeside seating books a fortnight ahead.
Ile Barbe in the 9e is the Saone island just north of central Lyon, home to Philippe-Marc Jocteur's flagship bakery and a riverside park; the dining options.
Tip: Pair the Jocteur bakery stop with the Quai Pierre Scize walk; the island is small and a short visit.