My wife and I will be in Lyon in July. We’re seasoned travelers. Looking for a day trip - preferable train travel. We like off the beaten path spots and places with great scenery.
Posted by
326 posts
Annecy is beautiful and easily reached by train.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
11815 posts
Vienne is 36 kilometers south of Lyon or 19 minutes by train, is a former, important Roman seaport. This isn't in US guidebooks, so I guess you can call it off the beaten path for Americans, but you can get there by train. It's in a beautiful setting and has many Roman ruins, as well as interesting museums. This is the Côte du Rhône wine region.
Posted by
Normandie, France
611 posts
I'll second Vienne. Much more interesting and far less crowded -- especially in summer -- than Annecy. If you go to Vienne (and if you're American) look up the Roman Temple of Augustus and Livia. We were in Vienne looking for a tabac that was open on a Sunday to buy some timbres fiscals for a carte de séjour renewal (this was before one could buy them online) and stumbled across this Roman temple in the middle of a square. We didn't know it at the time, but Thomas Jefferson visited this spot when he was in France and there's a plaque commemorating his visit in the square.
Pérouges is a second possibility. If I recall correctly, one would have to train to Meximieux and walk (about 20-25 minutes) to Pérouges -- the medieval hilltop city not the modern town. It's a pretty, scenic spot and interesting for an afternoon's visit.
Posted by
32 posts
Perouges is a wonderful choice. About 20-25 min by foot from train station but worth it!
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pérouges
Posted by
San Francisco
16205 posts
I suggest Roanne , a little NW from Lyon
Posted by
Annecy
14 posts
Many options:
* Pérouges and the bird Park
* lac aiguebellette and Izieu memorial (if you have a car)
* Chanaz (need a car) and Aix les Bains (ok by train)
* Annecy (easy by train)