Lyon

Besides Lyon there are Roman ruins in Vienne 30 minutes away on the train
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienne,_Is%C3%A8re#Roman_Vienne

I guess pick up the Rick Steves France book at your library or bookstore for more ideas.

There are Roman ampitheatres in Arles and Orange; the shell in Orange is still used for opera in the summer. That town is also handy to Chateauneuf du Pape so you know it's grape-growing terrain. There's not much of the popes' summer castle left, though. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teauneuf-du-Pape
Avignon could be a good base midway for day tours. Yes, use a multi-destination flight search for your air travel.

Do not miss Lyon's own Gallo-Roman museum, which abuts the old theaters high above the town.

Jazz+Travels has some good info above.

Vienne is a really neat town -- the amphitheater there is still used for jazz concerts, and there are Roman monuments sprinkled throughout the town. The Temple D'Auguste et Live is smaller but beautiful and well-preserved.

Across the river from the city are the ruins of Saint Romain en Gal -- they are really incredible, with some beautiful mosaics that are more intact than what you see in some museums. I remember going there on class trips, and they even show some early, rudimentary plumbing that is still intact. The ruins are more expansive than what you would expect to see in France, and for the proximity to Lyon, it's definitely worth the time. I'm biased, of course -- I lived there as a kid.

Hello,
I live in Lyon "i am french"
Lyon is a good starting point for wine and Roman ruins.
In LYON you can visit the Fourviere museum and amphitheater
http://www.museegalloromain.grandlyon.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq-qZJLhbA4
If you want to mix Roman ruins and wine, about 30 km in south you can visit :
http://www.vienne-tourisme.com/1150-musee-gallo-romain-de-saint-romain-en-gal-vienne.html
and continue your visit by Condrieu (white wine) and Cote Rotie (red wine) two best wine appellation in the Rhône valley.
If you need more information.
jm

Lyon is my favorite city in France outside of Paris, and is a great place to spend a few days. Rick's France book has a very good chapter on the city. He does not have information on the surrounding areas like Vienne or the Rhone valley, so you'll need to supplement with other books for this.

If you are going to Marseille and the surrounding areas, his Provence And The French Riviera book has MUCH more information on this region than his general France book. For instance, Marseille itself is not in the France book. However, Lyon is not in this regional guide. So, if you're spending some time in both Lyon and Marseille, you'll probably want both books.

For Roman ruins near Marseille, don't miss Arles, Nimes, Pont de Gard, and the Roman theater in Orange. Confession - I missed Pont de Gard myself, but it certainly looks great (I've seen the aqueduct in Segovia, Spain). The others were all great; while the town of Orange is a bit grungy, the theater, with its huge and intact theatrical wall, is thrilling.

I loved Lyon even more than Paris. I spent much of my time in Vieux Lyon, the old town. My husband and I met a French couple and we all went to an English style pub and had fun. Lyon has beautiful cathedrals and wonderful restaurants. We went to Vienne for the Jazz Festival. It was an interesting town because it was small, walkable and had a lot of Roman ruins and architecture. I woke up early and walked through the town while shopkeepers were sweeping the walks. The Temple of Augustus and Livie is lovely. I think Vienne, for me, represented what I thought France used to be. The people were friendly and it was inexpensive.

Thoughts on Lyon:

Best area to stay is between the river and the funicular that takes you up the hill to where the amphitheaters and museum are. Use the funicular as a guide to when the hill gets steep, between there and the river, it's flat and easy walking. The hill is steep enough to build a funicular. If you can't stay there, stay as close to the other side of the river as possible.

Roman ruins in Vienne are worth seeing and another museum. It's about a 20 minute drive. Like a dummy, I went then realized it was Monday (museum and sights closed) so had to settle for going to a small church above a Roman theater and looking down into it and seeing other sights from the road.

I like wine but found myself drinking more beer, while I was in Lyon, because it seemed to be the drink of choice. I met a lot of friendly people in Lyon which gives me fond memories of my visit.

That's true, Brad. There are a few " English and Irish" pubs in Lyon. A man bought me a Guinness in a pub by Cathedrale Saint-Jean, in a friendly, non-lecherous way. The Lyonnaise are friendlier than Parisians. The people we met in Paris were nice, just more reserved.

Great advice ! Thank you !

I am probably going to fly into Lyon but may fly out of marseille. I have about 9 days and my meeting is only 2.5 days! So thinking about working my way down from Lyon to Vienne and the Côte rotie to orange/Arles and Chateauneuf de Pape etc. Any advice on where to stay in those smaller towns? I’m going alone. What about visiting wineries ? My understanding is that there are not typically “tasting rooms”. Perhaps I will need to sign up for a tour to take me around ? Wasn’t planning on driving.

My understanding is that there are not typically “tasting rooms”. Perhaps I will need to sign up tour to take me around ?

Most wineries in France do have some kind of a tasting area, even if it's a table in the garage. However, smaller ones are not necessarily set up for tasting, so it depends if someone is around. I've visited a number of wineries in the areas you're planning to visit, without any tours. But w/o a car, that's very difficult, especially in the northern Rhone. In the southern Rhone you'd probably have more luck, as you might be able to take a bus to towns such as Chateauneuf du Pape, Gigondas, or Vacqueyras, and visit several wineries there.