We are planning a trip to France (not until Oct) and are wondering how much time we would need to visit Dijon and Lyon. We tentatively have 2.5 days for each area. Any hotel recommendations (no more than 200E a night if possible)? Also, has anyone taken the train from Lyon to Barcelona? We fly out of Barcelona (spending a few days ) and thought the train would be the most fun way to get there even though it's at least 5 hours (from what I read in RS book). Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
Marcia
Posted by
Washington DC
28082 posts
There are four departures a day that will get you from Lyon to Barcelona in 5 to 6 hours. Only one, the AVE at 2:23 PM, is a direct train. The other itineraries are either partly or totally via TGV. I didn't look for fares; I wonder whether the Spanish train is cheaper?
I'd certainly go by train, but I'm not a fan of airports.
Posted by
3123 posts
Your allotment of 2.5 days for each of the two cities is probably good. Near Dijon, a day trip to Beaune would be one thing I'd recommend. You could also make Beaune a stop en route to Lyon. It is a charming small town and a great place to appreciate the wine of the region, as well as the museum and the well-preserved historic architecture.
Posted by
Normandie
302 posts
Well, I like Dijon quite a bit but as a former resident of Lyon, if I knew of someone who had 5 days to split between the two towns I would probably allocate 1 to Dijon, 1 to Beaune, and the rest to Lyon. If you like medieval towns perhaps half of one of the Lyon days could be spent in Pérouges.
But I write this in complete ignorance of what it is you like, so I have no idea what you're looking for.
Posted by
OP
150 posts
Thank you all for sharing your thoughts. We will take a day to visit Beaune for sure. Love good wine, food, architecture, art, meeting new people from other cultures, experiencing the beauty of new places. We've only been to Paris so we just want to get a feel for other areas in France. Even if just for a few days. This may sound silly, but we also are dreaming of moving to Europe (would do it today if we could) and if it can't be Paris, a city we can't get enough of, maybe we could afford somewhere like Dijon.
Posted by
Dijon, Burgundy, France
120 posts
Marcia, I'm writing you from Dijon right now (11.30pm, time to go to bed!) and I'm sure you'll love my town and my region (Burgundy) and will want to come back for a longer stay. If you have specific questions about Dijon I'll be happy to help you via private messages. Bon voyage!
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
I have visited both cities and would tilt towards Lyon. Sorry, Coco! I could even make the case for spending all 5 days there, but of course you want a taste of Burgundy too.
But here's what you should do. (You = plural, vous, you-all, youse.) Read your guidebooks and rank the sites you most want to see in each place, with estimated times for each. Activities too. Take the ONE site or activity you most want to see from the lists and put it at the top of a third list. Repeat, adding each site under the list. Creating a ranked list, most-essential first. Include the times.
Using the times, take your top 5 days, leaving slack for meals, logistics, and dolce far niente (pardon my Italian). Sort back into destinations. There is your breakdown.
Posted by
22 posts
We've been to Lyon twice and stayed at Hotel des Celestains both times and loved it. Very centrally located friendly and reasonably priced.
Posted by
Dijon, Burgundy, France
120 posts
"I have visited both cities and would tilt towards Lyon. Sorry, Coco!" No worries Adam ;) Population in Lyon is 3 times bigger than in Dijon and not everyone enjoy big cities. I can't resist putting the Dijon TO videos again. Go Dijon!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5CojSGoJ4k
Posted by
OP
150 posts
I love the friendly competition! Coco, I will PM you later this year for sure! Both cities have great appeal and I can't wait to weigh in on which one is the most appealing, guessing it will be a tie :) We know one thing for certain, we won't want to leave Europe to come back home.
Posted by
Virginia
100 posts
Lyon is a great foodie city. However, unless you are going down to Orange, I wouldn't find it worth more than a full day. But Dijon and the northern Burgundy area is full of things to see and do.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
Personally, I loved Lyon, and found Dijon a bit of a snooze. Sorry again Coco! But then, I didn't have a car and wasn't seeing other parts of Burgundy, except for a day trip to Beaune (I really enjoyed the Hospices de Beaune).
Note that Lyon has far more than just food. There's the resistance museum (which also has material on collaboration), the Lumiere museum (probably less interesting for the general visitor, but as a film fan it was magic), the Roman museum (didn't even have time for that one), walking around the different neighborhoods, the Parc de la Tête d'Or (great on a nice day), and more.
So, I agree with the above advice to look at what there is to do in each place and see which one is worth more time to you.
Posted by
Dijon, Burgundy, France
120 posts
Don't be sorry Harold! Everyone is different. From what I hear from my returning guests (mainly Americans) they don't seem to be bored at all ! ;)
Posted by
OP
150 posts
No way we will be bored in either city. And given what's happening in and to America our focus may well be on where could we see ourselves living some day. For now we are grateful to be able to travel to such beautiful places regardless of their size!
Posted by
Normandie
302 posts
As a former Lyon resident, I have to say: reading Monty's comment
"However, unless you are going down to Orange, I wouldn't find it (Lyon) worth more than a full day."
...I have to say just this:
Wow.
Just wow.
After having lived 3 years in Lyon, there's a lot I still haven't seen.