6 Days from Lyon: The Day-Trip Itinerary

Six days from Lyon adds Grenoble and a real taste of the Alps, under 1h30 away by hourly TER, on top of the Beaujolais, Vienne, Perouges, and Annecy days already in this itinerary. It’s the fullest single week of day trips Lyon can support. Need a different length? Try the 5-day or 7-day itinerary instead.

Book these before you go

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 4 Perouges ~40 min
Day 5 Annecy 1h51-2h24
Day 6 Grenoble and the Alps under 1h30

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 the city itself; the regional TER tickets for the coming days are a separate purchase.
  • Spend the afternoon walking the Presqu’ile, Place Bellecour to the Opera, before the day trips start.
  • Dinner at a certified bouchon, book ahead.

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.
  • 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 booked the full day. Check Beaujolais’s official tourism site for the current wine route map before you go.

Day 3: Vienne

  • Vienne is the fastest, cheapest day trip on this 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 in an ordinary town square. Check Lyon-Vienne train times on SNCF before you head to the station.

Day 4: Perouges

  • Perouges is a walled medieval village 35km northeast of Lyon, small enough to walk end to end in a few minutes, so treat it as a half-day stop.
  • Drive the A42 in about 30 minutes, roughly EUR 2 parking outside the gates, or take the TER to Meximieux-Perouges plus a 20-minute uphill walk. Try the galette, the village’s sugar-tart specialty.

Day 5: Annecy

  • Annecy earns its spot as the longest day trip on this itinerary, roughly 101km away with direct TER trains from Lyon Part-Dieu running anywhere from 1 hour 51 minutes to about 2 hours 24 minutes, averaging close to 2 hours each way, not the 90-minute figure some guides still repeat.
  • The canal-laced Vieille Ville, the Chateau d’Annecy, the lake itself, and the Col de la Forclaz viewpoint above it if you’ve got a car once you arrive.
  • Fares run roughly EUR 20-25 one-way in advance.

Day 6: Grenoble and the Alps

  • Grenoble sits just under 1h30 from Lyon by hourly TER, the closest genuine taste of the Alps on this itinerary.
  • The Bastille cable car, one of the world’s first urban cable car lines, hauls you up to Fort de la Bastille for panoramic views over the Belledonne, Vercors, and Chartreuse ranges.
  • It’s a different kind of mountain day than Annecy’s lake scenery, not a repeat of it.
  • Chamonix looks close on a map but runs 2h29min by car at best and up to 7-plus hours by train with a transfer, treat it as its own overnight trip, not a bolt-on here.

Is Grenoble worth it if you’ve already booked Annecy?

Yes, they’re not the same day. Grenoble sits under 1h30 away by hourly TER and delivers the Bastille cable car plus real Alpine panoramas over three mountain ranges, a mountain day rather than Annecy’s lake-and-old-town scenery. Pick it as a second Alps day on top of Annecy, not a substitute for it.

How long does Annecy actually take from Lyon?

Direct TER trains from Lyon Part-Dieu take anywhere from 1 hour 51 minutes to about 2 hours 24 minutes, averaging close to 2 hours each way, not the 90-minute figure some sites still repeat. That’s 4-plus hours round trip before any time on the ground, so budget a genuine full day, not a rushed half one.

Book Annecy’s train seats and both wine and village tours in the same sitting as the hotel, all three sell out faster on summer weekends than a Grenoble TER seat ever will. Want the full week inside Lyon itself instead? Our 6-day city itinerary covers the museums and Croix-Rousse without a single day trip.