Lyon Travel Forum

Any information on this little place would be much appreciated. We shall be spending 3 weeks here, but intend to tour around the area by car for sure. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Should we also invest in a Eurail Pass?
Great market towns? Love Markets. Thanks, Merci!

Hi Dawne. Tassin la Demi Lune is a suburb of Lyon and a great base for touring the area. I'm not sure why you are interested in the Eurail Pass when you will have a car. If you want to take day trips on the train, just buy point to point tickets. I'm sure it would be cheaper.

BTW, if you stay in France for more than 17 days, it is often better to lease a car. That's what we do. We use the Peugeot Open Europe lease-back plan and have done this for years. We've been very pleased with it. You get a brand new car of your choice fully insured and with 24-hour roadside assistance if you need it. Renault also has a lease plan. When we're touring other countries, we lease in France and drive to the other country, returning to France to return the car. It gives us some time in France and avoids out-of-country pickup/return fees. You can contact them at http://www.autofrance.net/

For more information on the area, type Lyon into the VT Search Window above and check all the Tips posted already by VT members. There are lots of sightseeing and restaurant tips with photos and contact information.

We always do a Google search for the town and area and contact the local tourist information bureau because they have current information on activities and markets that is useful.

If you haven't visited Lac Annecy, you might want to try it from your base. It's a bit of a trip but well worth the effort. The lake is one of Europe's cleanest; it's setting in the Alps is spectacular and the small town of Annecy at the end of the lake is utterly charming. You can do a boat trip on the lake or drive around it. There are lots of interesting villages nearby too.

Have a great trip.

from what I read my guess is that you intend on using Tassin as a sort of base from which you will radiate by car on a daily basis
Lyon is my birth place, I grew up in Beaujolais and as a young professional I lived a number of years in Vancouver (the West End) and,somehow, worked all over B.C. I am now retired in the South and have great pleasure in returning to the Maple Leaf area for short vacations.
Of course there is plenty of things to see in Lyon. In addition to boast a Medieval and Renaissance quarter which is one of the best in Europe (UNESCO world heritage) Lyon also has a Gallo-Roman museum, two Roman arenas one of which is used for modern performances
when you visit the "Vieux Lyon" don't drive. leave your car in Tassin or some other place and move around with the metro.It will take you to the heart of the vieux lyon at the Fourvière foothill.

On a week day morning you may wish to go to the market and "faire votre marché" along the Saône river embankment (quai Saint Antoine) juste accross from the old town.

A short drive from Lyon (one hour or so) you may want to visit and may be sample the Beaujolais. On your way, if you drive the "vallée d'azergues" road do not miss a number of old villages standing in the hills in the "pays des pierres dorées". That refers to the color of the limestone they are built of and to the special coloration they turn to at sunset or sunrise. Don not miss Saint Laurent d'Oingt, Chatillon d'Azergues, Charnay. Now if you want to eat goat cheese directly at the farm push a little further up into the hills (Haut Beaujolais)

Now you may also drive south down the Rhône valley in the Avignon area which is within easy reach by the autoroute
etc..etc...

If I may be of further help do not hesitate
cochize



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coming to think of it, if you really love markets:
- in Lyon you may also visit the daily "marché de la Croix Rousse" which has been there for more than a century.
- now, if you really want a taste of a mediterranean "marché provençal" with its colors and scents and special atmosphere, then drive south on the A7 (autoroute) for more or less 200 km. There are plenty of markets in most small towns and villages.

For us, living near Pont-Saint-Esprit on the Rhône valley (a small town of 12000) it is always fun to attend the saturday morning marché

wish you a good trip
jean-paul