Unsure about your French table manners? Updated 24 January by Leyla Alyanak β Parisian by birth, Lyonnaise by adoption, historian by passion.
Lyon is strategically located in central France, so getting out for fabulous day trips is easy. I've tried to save you some time by sharing my own personal favorites, places I visit again and again. Lyon is a wonderful city and, like Paris, it's hard to leave. There's enough to keep you busy for days! You have the food, the magnificent outdoor murals, the mysterious secret traboules And that's just a start.
There's a reason my region yes, I happen to live here! Final thoughts on day trips from Lyon. During the Middle Ages, huge trade fairs attracted merchants from across Europe and again, Lyon was perfectly positioned, eventually becoming the silk capital of Europe.
Today, Lyon remains at the heart of France, about halfway between Paris and the French Riviera and surrounded by some of France's most iconic and exquisite sights. What follows is a list of the best day trips from Lyon , most of which I've experienced personally and can recommend most enthusiastically. This list will help save you research time so that you can spend that time enjoying the sights!
Most of the following day trips can be done by train. Where that's not the case, I've offered alternatives. I've also added an icon after each day trip destination to help you decide the best modes of transport. Aix-les-Bains is a charming town with mountains on one side and a gorgeous lake on the other, making it is easy to combine a city visit with a hike or a boat ride. This day trip is ideal if you want to visit a small, offbeat city surrounded by plenty of nature. It was a favorite of Queen Victoria , and much of the spa town remains as she would have seen it.
