3 Days from Lyon: The Day-Trip Itinerary
Three days from Lyon adds Vienne to the Beaujolais day trip, the fastest and cheapest gateway of the bunch at just 19 to 30 minutes by TER. Base yourself in the Presqu’ile on day one, then spend days two and three on the two closest day trips Lyon has to offer. Need a shorter or longer version? Try the 2-day or 5-day itinerary instead.
Book these before you go
- Hotel: check Presqu’ile or Vieux Lyon rates on Booking.com
- Beaujolais half-day wine tour: browse times on GetYourGuide
| Day | Focus | Distance/time from Lyon |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Base in Lyon, Presqu’ile orientation | In Lyon |
| Day 2 | Beaujolais wine country | 30-45 min |
| Day 3 | Vienne | 19-30 min |
Day 1: Base in Lyon, Presqu’ile orientation
- Land in Lyon and check into a base near Part-Dieu or Perrache, both stations run the TER trains that do the heavy lifting on this trip.
- Buy a TCL day pass or single EUR 2.10 tickets for getting around the city itself; the regional TER tickets for the next two days are a separate purchase.
- Spend the afternoon walking the Presqu’ile, Place Bellecour to the Opera, before either day trip begins.
- Dinner at a certified bouchon, book ahead, the genuinely good tables fill fast.
Day 2: Beaujolais wine country
- Beaujolais sits 30 to 45 minutes north of Lyon by car or organized tour. Public transport into the actual vineyard villages, Fleurie, Morgon, Julienas, thins out fast, so a tour or a rental car matters here more than anywhere else on this list.
- A half-day tour typically visits 2 to 4 domaines with tastings included. Add the Pierres Dorees golden-stone villages, Oingt among France’s Most Beautiful Villages, if you’ve got the full day.
- Back in Lyon by evening for dinner in the Presqu’ile.
Day 3: Vienne
- Vienne is the fastest, cheapest day trip on this whole itinerary, 19 to 30 minutes by TER from either Part-Dieu or Perrache, tickets from roughly EUR 5 each way booked ahead.
- The Ancient Theatre, built around 40 CE and seating 13,000, still hosts concerts and the summer Jazz a Vienne festival; the Temple of Augustus and Livia, dedicated 10 BC, stands remarkably intact for a 2,000-year-old building in an ordinary town square.
- Cross the river to Saint-Romain-en-Gal for the archaeological site if you’ve got an extra hour or two, otherwise you’re back in Lyon by mid-afternoon.
- Check Lyon-Vienne train times on SNCF before you head to the station.
Which is faster, Vienne or Beaujolais?
Vienne wins outright: 19 to 30 minutes by direct TER against 30 to 45 minutes for Beaujolais by car or tour, and Vienne’s train ticket costs a fraction of an organized wine tour. Beaujolais still earns its slot for the wine and villages Vienne doesn’t have, but if speed and cost are what matter most, do Vienne first.
Do you need a car for Beaujolais wine country?
Public transport thins out fast once you’re off Lyon’s main train lines and into the vineyard villages themselves. A rental car or an organized minivan tour matters more here than for Vienne, which sits on a direct rail line. Skip the car-rental headache and book a half-day tour with tastings built in instead.
Book the Beaujolais tour first, it sells out faster than a Vienne train seat ever will. Want the deep version of the city itself instead of two day trips? Our Lyon travel guide covers Vieux Lyon, the traboules, and the bouchons in full.