Hello! Me and my two friends will be taking a week of vacation in Southern France in January. We will fly into Lyon and stay for about 3 nights, but then we are looking to go to a second place for a couple days. We don't need to fly out of Lyon. We want to take some day trips while in Lyon, maybe Geneva or Annacey (or maybe one of those would be better to go and stay for the rest of our time?), but we want to find another place to spend the latter half of our time. A smaller city maybe... or a hidden gem of a town? Suggestions for towns for our 2nd half as well as what to do/ where to take day trips while we are in Lyon would be great! Thanks!
Posted by
Austin TX after living in Boulder CO for 25 years
1166 posts
Definitely take a look at this website to see if any of these lovely villages are within your driving area - http://www.les-plus-beaux-villages-de-france.org/en
We are trying to visit as many of these villages as possible, and the ones we have visited have been exquisite.....
Posted by
Washington DC
27112 posts
Will you be traveling by car, or are you dependent on public transportation?
Lyon is quite a large city with a lot to see. If you spend 3 nights there, it means about 2.5 days. (I assume you're flying in from somewhere else in Europe, not from the US or Canada.) With that little time in Lyon, I wouldn't be looking for a day-trip.
At other times of the year I'd choose Annecy (though it can be very hot in mid-summer) rather than Geneva, but I don't know what Annecy would be like in January.
During a summer trip I spent 3 nights in Dijon, taking a day-trip to Beaune. I enjoyed that, despite the heat. I don't know whether that's the best choice in January.
I remember a long-ago post on this forum about Vienne, which caused me to put it on my "I-need-to-go-there" list, but I haven't been there yet. Vienne is less than 25 miles south of Lyon.
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
Hi Cecily,
What is "the rest of your time?"
in January I think you want to stay in cities. Fortunately Lyon is well placed to visit Arles, Dijon, and of course Paris by rail.
Logistically the beast of those is probably Paris, since you can fly home from there. Otherwise you'll have another leg of your trip getting to an airport. Not a good use of your time if you only have a few days.
Incidentally I think you want a minimum of 2 full, post-arrival-day days on the ground in Lyon, not including day trips. You would not be bored spending more time either, there is a lot to do & see (& eat).
So you might find the best use of your time is to stay in Lyon, with day trips (Annecy, Provence).
Posted by
Washington DC
27112 posts
A trip to a place that's only viable as a day-trip via the fast TGV trains will be extremely expensive if you wait until the last minute to buy tickets. Dijon and Annecy have 2-hour one-way service by TER (regional train with fixed fares), so there's no advantage to buying those tickets early. Getting to Provence reasonably quickly will probably include at least one segment on a TGV. And whether you head to Paris early, as your second sight-seeing stop, or on the evening before you return home, that's a train ticket you should buy as soon as you're certain of your travel plans. I see a price range of €25 to €105 one way from Lyon to Paris, depending on which train you choose and how early you purchase the ticket.
Posted by
Houston, TX
69 posts
I think Avignon is pretty cool, lots of history, having been the seat of the Catholic pope for a time in the 1300s, plus just a pretty city.
Grenoble's also pretty cool and would be a close-by gateway to the French Alps if you were interested in doing any winter sports.