Lyon sits at a crossroads between Burgundy, the Alps and the Rhône Valley, which makes it one of the best bases in France for day trips. Within an hour or two you can walk the cobbled lanes of a medieval village, swim in an Alpine lake, taste Beaujolais in the vineyards or explore Roman ruins.

Quick answer: the best day trips from Lyon are Pérouges (medieval village, under an hour), Annecy (lake and old town, about two hours), the Beaujolais wine villages, Roman Vienne (20 to 30 minutes by train), Grenoble in the Alps and Beaune in Burgundy. Vienne, Grenoble, Annecy and Beaune are easy by train; Pérouges is doable by train with a walk; the Beaujolais is best by car or on a tour.

Day Trips from Lyon at a Glance

Destination	Distance	By train	By car	Best for
Pérouges	About 35 km	About 35 min + 20–25 min walk	About 40 min	Medieval village, galette
Vienne	About 30 km	About 20–30 min	About 35 min	Roman temple and theater
Beaujolais villages	About 35–60 km	To Villefranche, then car or tour	About 45 min	Wine, golden-stone villages
Grenoble	About 110 km	About 1 h 15–1 h 30	About 1 h 15	Mountains, cable car, museums
Annecy	About 140 km	About 2 h	About 1 h 45	Lake, canals, old town
Beaune	About 160 km	About 1 h 45–2 h	About 1 h 45	Hospices de Beaune, Burgundy wine

Travel times are approximate and depend on the service and traffic. Check current timetables on SNCF Connect before you go.

How to Do Day Trips from Lyon

• Stations: most regional (TER) and high-speed trains leave from Lyon Part-Dieu; some also stop at Lyon Perrache, which can be closer if you are staying on the Presqu’île or in Vieux Lyon. Check which station your train uses.
• Tickets: TER tickets are usually flexible and do not need advance booking, while TGV fares rise closer to departure. Regional discount cards and weekend offers can make TER travel cheaper.
• Car: a car is worth it for the Beaujolais and rural Burgundy. Avoid leaving Lyon at rush hour, and watch for summer weekend traffic toward the Alps.
• Tours: organized wine tours to the Beaujolais and Burgundy are a good option if you want to taste without driving.

Pérouges

Pérouges is a perfectly preserved medieval village on a hilltop northeast of Lyon, ranked among the Most Beautiful Villages of France. Its walls enclose cobbled lanes, half-timbered and stone houses and the Place du Tilleul, a square shaded by a large lime tree. The village has often been used as a film set for historical dramas.

• Try the galette de Pérouges, a thin, sugary tart sold warm in the village’s cafés and bakeries.
• The village is small: two or three hours is enough, so it combines well with the Dombes lakes and the Parc des Oiseaux bird park at Villars-les-Dombes if you have a car.
• By train: take a TER to Meximieux-Pérouges station, then walk about 1.5 km uphill to the village. By car: park in the lots below the walls; the village itself is pedestrian.

Vienne

Just south of Lyon on the Rhône, Vienne was an important Roman city, and it is the easiest day trip from Lyon by train. The highlights are the Temple of Augustus and Livia, one of the best-preserved Roman temples in France, standing in the middle of a town square, and the large Roman theater on the hillside, which hosts the Jazz à Vienne festival in early summer.

• Across the river, the Gallo-Roman museum and archaeological site at Saint-Romain-en-Gal displays mosaics and remains of houses and baths.
• Don’t miss Saint-Maurice Cathedral and the Pyramid, a monument that once stood in the Roman circus.
• Vienne is also known for its Saturday market, one of the largest in the region.
• Half a day is enough for the main sights; a full day lets you add the museum and a riverside walk.

Beaujolais Villages

North of Lyon, the Beaujolais is a rolling landscape of vineyards and villages, and it divides into two very different parts.

• Pierres Dorées (southern Beaujolais): villages built of golden limestone, such as Oingt, Theizé and Ternand, often compared to Tuscany. Oingt is one of the Most Beautiful Villages of France.
• The Crus (northern Beaujolais): the ten cru villages, including Fleurie, Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent and Juliénas, produce the region’s best Gamay wines. Many wineries welcome visitors, but book ahead, especially on weekends.
• Getting there: trains run to Villefranche-sur-Saône, the Beaujolais capital, in about 30 minutes, but you need a car, a bike or a tour to reach the villages. Never drink and drive; French limits are strict.
• When to go: the grape harvest in September is lively, and Beaujolais Nouveau is released on the third Thursday of November.

Annecy

Annecy is the most popular long day trip from Lyon. Its old town is crossed by canals, the Palais de l’Isle sits in the middle of the Thiou river, and Lake Annecy, framed by mountains, is famous for its clear water. In summer you can swim at the lakeside beaches, rent a bike on the lake path or take a boat trip.

Two hours each way is a long day, so start early, or consider an overnight stay. For more detail, see our guides to things to do in Annecy and whether Annecy is worth visiting.

Grenoble

Grenoble, the capital of the French Alps, is surrounded by mountains on three sides. Ride the Bastille cable car, with its bubble-shaped cabins, up to the fort for wide views of the city and, on a clear day, the Alps. Back in town, the Musée de Grenoble has a major collection of fine art, and the old town around Place Grenette and Place Saint-André is lively. It is an easy train trip and a good option on a clear day. Read more in our Grenoble travel guide.

Burgundy: Beaune

Beaune is the wine capital of Burgundy and a pleasant town to explore on foot. Its centerpiece is the Hospices de Beaune (Hôtel-Dieu), a 15th-century hospital with a dazzling roof of glazed, multicolored tiles. Around town, wine merchants and cellars offer tastings, and the Côte de Beaune villages such as Pommard, Volnay and Meursault are close by.

Trains reach Beaune in about two hours, sometimes with a change, so it is a full day. With a car, you can drive part of the Route des Grands Crus. Our wine guide to Burgundy explains the appellations and how to plan tastings.

More Ideas

• Aix-les-Bains and Lac du Bourget: France’s largest natural lake, with a spa town on its shore, about 1 h 30 by train.
• Cluny: the remains of what was once the largest church in Christendom, in southern Burgundy; easiest by car.
• Bourg-en-Bresse: the Royal Monastery of Brou, a masterpiece of late Gothic art, and the home of Bresse chicken.
• Chambéry: the historic capital of Savoy, with its château and elephant fountain.

Which Day Trip Should You Choose?

• Only half a day: Vienne, or Pérouges if you have a car.
• First-time visitors who want a postcard scene: Annecy, ideally in late spring or early autumn when the lake is less crowded.
• Wine lovers: the Beaujolais crus for a relaxed, affordable tasting day; Beaune for Burgundy’s famous names.
• History buffs: Vienne for Roman remains, Pérouges and Cluny for the Middle Ages.
• Mountain views without hiking: Grenoble and the Bastille cable car.
• Rainy day: Grenoble’s museums or Beaune’s Hospices and wine cellars, which are mostly indoors.

Whatever you choose, check opening days before you go: many smaller museums and some wineries close on Mondays or Tuesdays, and village restaurants often serve lunch only between about noon and 2 pm.

Getting There by Train vs Car

	Train	Car
Best for	Vienne, Grenoble, Annecy, Beaune, Pérouges	Beaujolais, Burgundy villages, combining stops
Pros	No parking stress, no drink-driving issues, city-center arrival	Flexible, reaches villages and wineries
Cons	Limited service to small villages, last trains can be early	Traffic around Lyon, paid parking, tolls on motorways

If you are staying in Lyon for several days, a sensible plan is to use trains for city day trips and rent a car for one day to explore the Beaujolais or Burgundy wine villages. Heading to the southwest too? Our guide to the best day trips from Bordeaux covers Saint-Émilion, the Médoc and the Atlantic coast. For more on the city itself, see our things to do in Lyon and our Lyon travel guide.

Summary

Lyon is an excellent base for day trips. Choose Vienne for a quick and easy half day, Pérouges for a medieval village, the Beaujolais or Beaune for wine, Grenoble for mountain views and Annecy for the lake. Most are easy by train, but a car makes the wine regions far more rewarding.