📍 France

LYON LOOP: VINEYARDS, MOUNTAINS AND GOLDEN STONE

Wine roads winding through Beaujolais, mountains rising abruptly, villages clinging to the edge. Around Lyon, adventure begins.

≈ 16
Days
630
Km
15
Stops
📖 9 min read 🔄 Last updated: 2026-01-17

Explore the landscapes around Lyon between vineyards and dramatic terrain. Discover the Beaujolais around Beaujeu, visit Pérouges and its medieval towers, follow Crémieu's limestone cliffs, then reach Saint-Symphorien valleys before descending toward Bugey's waterfalls and wild forests to Sainte-Croix monastery.

Your day-by-day itinerary

1
Day

Semur En Brionnais

winding lanes through stone settlements

Semur En Brionnais - Photo 1Semur En Brionnais - Photo 2Semur En Brionnais - Photo 3Semur En Brionnais - Photo 4Semur En Brionnais - Photo 5Semur En Brionnais - Photo 6Semur En Brionnais - Photo 7Semur En Brionnais - Photo 8
8 photos
Day 1
🔍

Discover

1
Perched village with sandstone houses; route between Saint-Hilaire collegiate church and grand canonical residence.
2
Château Saint-Hugues on spur, open view over Charolais.
3
Cobbled streets, gates and layout of ancient ramparts.
🎯

Activities

→
Heritage loop "collegiate church–castle–old village" (2–3 km, moderate elevation change).
→
Country walk towards the ridges for landscape reading of Brionnais.
🚗
Next stop
Distance: 78 km
Travel time: 1h20
2
Day

Beaujeu

burgundy wine routes converge

Beaujeu - Photo 1Beaujeu - Photo 2Beaujeu - Photo 3
3 photos
Day 2
🔍

Discover

1
Old center of the former capital of Beaujolais; half-timbered houses and Market Square.
2
Saint-Nicolas Church and narrow streets climbing towards the hillsides.
🎯

Activities

→
Hillside loop: wine-growing paths and viewpoints over the Val de Saône (4–5 km).
→
Marked urban route of remarkable facades.
🚗
Next stop
Distance: 22 km
Travel time: 30min
3
Day

Salles Arbuissonnas En Beaujolais

gamay vineyards terraced hillsides

Salles Arbuissonnas En Beaujolais - Photo 1Salles Arbuissonnas En Beaujolais - Photo 2Salles Arbuissonnas En Beaujolais - Photo 3Salles Arbuissonnas En Beaujolais - Photo 4Salles Arbuissonnas En Beaujolais - Photo 5Salles Arbuissonnas En Beaujolais - Photo 6
6 photos
Day 3
🔍

Discover

1
Priory of Saint-Martin-de-Salles: Romanesque cloister, church and conventual buildings.
2
Wine-growing village with golden stone facades; alleys and small gardens.
🎯

Activities

→
Walking loop "cloister–village–vineyards" (3 km, very easy).
→
Short climb to a viewpoint over the Beaujolais hills.
🚗
Next stop
Distance: 14 km
Travel time: 20min
4
Day

Oingt

hilltop village golden stone

Oingt - Photo 1Oingt - Photo 2Oingt - Photo 3Oingt - Photo 4
4 photos
Day 4
🔍

Discover

1
Medieval city of the Pierres Dorées; towers, gates and spiral alleys.
2
Upper esplanade: panorama over the Beaujolais mountains.
🎯

Activities

→
Tour of the ramparts and observation tower (heritage route).
→
Ridge path: short loop on the dry stone walls.
🚗
Next stop
Distance: 20 km
Travel time: 25min
5
Day

L Arbresle

mountain pass textile history

L Arbresle - Photo 1L Arbresle - Photo 2L Arbresle - Photo 3L Arbresle - Photo 4L Arbresle - Photo 5
5 photos
Day 5
🔍

Discover

1
Ancient town at the confluence of the Brévenne and the Turdine; alleyways and merchants' houses.
2
Religious elevations and 19th-century facades around the main square.
🎯

Activities

→
Urban route of bridges and quays (2 km, flat).
→
Hillside path for views over the Monts du Lyonnais.
🚗
Next stop
Distance: 26 km
Travel time: 30min
6
Day

Montagny Rhone

river terraces farming villages

Montagny Rhone - Photo 1Montagny Rhone - Photo 2Montagny Rhone - Photo 3
3 photos
Day 6
🔍

Discover

1
Medieval spur village; church with massive bell tower and castle remains.
2
Narrow streets and rubble stone walls typical of the Lyonnais.
🎯

Activities

→
Spur loop and viewpoint over the Garon valley (3 km).
→
Heritage route of chapels and ancient gates.
🚗
Next stop
Distance: 35 km
Travel time: 45min
7
Day

Saint Symphorien Sur Coise

alpine valley remote silence

Saint Symphorien Sur Coise - Photo 1Saint Symphorien Sur Coise - Photo 2Saint Symphorien Sur Coise - Photo 3Saint Symphorien Sur Coise - Photo 4Saint Symphorien Sur Coise - Photo 5
5 photos
Day 7
🔍

Discover

1
Historic center: Gothic church, corbelled houses and market halls.
2
Ramparts and gates; panorama over the Monts du Lyonnais.
🎯

Activities

→
Heritage loop within the walls (2–3 km).
→
Ridge path to a high point for landscape reading.
🚗
Next stop
Distance: 16 km
Travel time: 25min
8
Day

Riverie

gorge canyon river flows

Riverie - Photo 1Riverie - Photo 2
2 photos
Day 8
🔍

Discover

1
Small highland town surrounded by ramparts; cobbled streets and keep.
2
Belvedere over the Rhône valley and Pilat.
🎯

Activities

→
Tour of the ramparts and ascent to the high point (short route).
→
Ridge walk to neighboring terraces (2–3 km).
🚗
Next stop
Distance: 18 km
Travel time: 30min
9
Day

Sainte Croix En Jarez

monastery isolation gorge shadows

Sainte Croix En Jarez - Photo 1Sainte Croix En Jarez - Photo 2Sainte Croix En Jarez - Photo 3Sainte Croix En Jarez - Photo 4Sainte Croix En Jarez - Photo 5Sainte Croix En Jarez - Photo 6Sainte Croix En Jarez - Photo 7Sainte Croix En Jarez - Photo 8Sainte Croix En Jarez - Photo 9
9 photos
Day 9
🔍

Discover

1
Former charterhouse transformed into a village: cloister, cells and conventual buildings.
2
Small squares and houses built against the monastic structures.
🎯

Activities

→
Loop of the Carthusian hamlets (3 km).
→
Forest trail at the edge of Pilat for viewpoint.
🚗
Next stop
Distance: 73 km
Travel time: 1h15
10
Day

Perouges

medieval fortified towers intact

Perouges - Photo 1Perouges - Photo 2Perouges - Photo 3Perouges - Photo 4Perouges - Photo 5Perouges - Photo 6Perouges - Photo 7Perouges - Photo 8
8 photos
Day 10
🔍

Discover

1
Medieval city surrounded by ramparts; cobblestone streets, weavers' houses.
2
Porte d'En Haut and tower, views over the Ain plain.
🎯

Activities

→
Rampart tower and circuit of remarkable houses (2 km).
→
Peripheral rural path for panorama over Dombes and Bugey.
🚗
Next stop
Distance: 28 km
Travel time: 35min
11
Day

Jujurieux

monastery gorge waterfall echoes

Jujurieux - Photo 1Jujurieux - Photo 2Jujurieux - Photo 3Jujurieux - Photo 4Jujurieux - Photo 5Jujurieux - Photo 6Jujurieux - Photo 7Jujurieux - Photo 8
8 photos
Day 11
🔍

Discover

1
Village of thirteen castles: defensive dwellings and 19th century industrial châteaux.
2
Urban fabric between valley and Bugey hillsides.
🎯

Activities

→
"Castles and belvederes" loop (3–4 km).
→
Heritage route through the center: historic facades and workshops.
🚗
Next stop
Distance: 10 km
Travel time: 15min
12
Day

Vaux En Bugey

waterfall gates limestone passages

Vaux En Bugey - Photo 1Vaux En Bugey - Photo 2Vaux En Bugey - Photo 3Vaux En Bugey - Photo 4Vaux En Bugey - Photo 5
5 photos
Day 12
🔍

Discover

1
Former fortified town; narrow streets, stone houses and remains of walls.
2
Views over vineyards and meadows of the Albarine valley.
🎯

Activities

→
Round trip to the Buizin vats: giant's potholes and waterfalls (marked trail).
→
Short loop in the old village and high points (2 km).
🚗
Next stop
Distance: 45 km
Travel time: 50min
13
Day

Cremieu

cliff-top fortress limestone crown

Cremieu - Photo 1Cremieu - Photo 2Cremieu - Photo 3Cremieu - Photo 4Cremieu - Photo 5Cremieu - Photo 6
6 photos
Day 13
🔍

Discover

1
Small town of character: monumental halls, Augustinian convent and medieval alleys.
2
Climb to the castle and panorama over the Dauphiné plain.
🎯

Activities

→
Intra-muros circuit of gates and ramparts (3 km).
→
Ridge walk around the castle (short loop).
🚗
Next stop
Distance: 140 km
Travel time: 1h50
14
Day

Brancion

castle ruins overlooking village below

Brancion - Photo 1Brancion - Photo 2
2 photos
Day 14
🔍

Discover

1
Perched medieval site: castle, keep and Romanesque church on rocky spur.
2
Cobbled main street and stone houses opening onto the valley.
🎯

Activities

→
Belvedere and forest edge loop above the village (2–3 km).
→
Interpretation trail of the castle site and church.
🚗
Next stop
Distance: 105 km
Travel time: 1h40
15
Day

Baume Les Messieurs

cave sanctuary hidden abbey

Baume Les Messieurs - Photo 1Baume Les Messieurs - Photo 2Baume Les Messieurs - Photo 3Baume Les Messieurs - Photo 4Baume Les Messieurs - Photo 5
5 photos
Day 15
🔍

Discover

1
Village at the bottom of a Jura recess; abbey and hamlets backed against the cliffs.
2
Recess viewpoints: limestone cliffs, caves and resurgences.
🎯

Activities

→
Viewpoints and waterfall loop (4–5 km, progressive elevation gain).
→
Heritage trail around the abbey and monastic quarters.

🗺️ Itinerary map

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🛡️ Travel advice - France

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❓ Frequently asked questions

What weather should you expect?

Spring (April-June): Perfect weather, blooming countryside, ideal for all regions, moderate crowds, excellent value, romantic atmosphere.

Summer (July-August): Warmest weather, peak tourist season, highest prices, crowded attractions, perfect for Mediterranean coast, festival season.

Fall (September-October): Harvest season, comfortable temperatures, fewer crowds, wine regions spectacular, excellent photography, good value.

Winter (November-March): Christmas markets, ski season Alps, fewer crowds, lowest prices, cozy indoor attractions, cultural experiences.

How many days should I plan?

We believe you will enjoy this itinerary best by dedicating between 13 and 19 days. The next step will allow you to adjust the duration of your stay.

What to discover in France?

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