Itinerary ideas for Rhone region from Geneva
Jun 7th, 2009, 08:06 PM
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Itinerary ideas for Rhone region from Geneva
We're starting to plan a trip for next May that will start & end in Geneva to visit friends there. We'll definitely spend some time in Annecy, and Seguret looks like a place we'd love. Any other favorite villages or cities in that area that you could recommend would be appreciated. We're planning on renting a car in Geneva & returning it there as well.
We love small towns & villages with lots of history & old architecture, as well as pretty countryside. We're very fond of Rhone wines but would be drinking it primarily in local restaurants rather than lots of visits to wineries. What's Lyon like? Does it have a "big city" feel? We have loved Paris, Seville, and Kyoto but tend to enjoy small places even more. Our trip length is 16 days and we prefer to spend 2-3 nights in each town (or longer if there are lots of day trips from a base town).
Thanks in advance for any ideas.
We love small towns & villages with lots of history & old architecture, as well as pretty countryside. We're very fond of Rhone wines but would be drinking it primarily in local restaurants rather than lots of visits to wineries. What's Lyon like? Does it have a "big city" feel? We have loved Paris, Seville, and Kyoto but tend to enjoy small places even more. Our trip length is 16 days and we prefer to spend 2-3 nights in each town (or longer if there are lots of day trips from a base town).
Thanks in advance for any ideas.
Jun 8th, 2009, 01:17 AM
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Hello alan,
I'd say that you couldn't visit the Rhone-Alpes region without visiting Lyon. Whilst it is of course a big city, with everything that a big city has to offer, it doesn't have the hustle and bustle of a Paris/London/Kyoto and is a lot more laid back.
It's very easy to escape the centre of Lyon and as with most cities (in my opinion) the more interesting things go on off the beaten track. If it's history and architecture you like, you couldn't do much better then Lyon which has two (that's right, count 'em!) Roman amphitheatres, some of the finest renaissance architecture in the world and entire swathes of the city that are UNESCO world heritage sites due to their historical/architectural/cultural importance.
On top of all this, Lyon is widely regarded as the gastronomical capital of France and accordingly the restaurants serve some of the best food anywhere in the world. Personally I'd reduce the amount of time you plan to spend in Annecy, which whilst pretty, is more of a day trip kind of place, and add the extra time to extend your stay in Lyon, if that's what you decide to do.
Hope this helps.
I'd say that you couldn't visit the Rhone-Alpes region without visiting Lyon. Whilst it is of course a big city, with everything that a big city has to offer, it doesn't have the hustle and bustle of a Paris/London/Kyoto and is a lot more laid back.
It's very easy to escape the centre of Lyon and as with most cities (in my opinion) the more interesting things go on off the beaten track. If it's history and architecture you like, you couldn't do much better then Lyon which has two (that's right, count 'em!) Roman amphitheatres, some of the finest renaissance architecture in the world and entire swathes of the city that are UNESCO world heritage sites due to their historical/architectural/cultural importance.
On top of all this, Lyon is widely regarded as the gastronomical capital of France and accordingly the restaurants serve some of the best food anywhere in the world. Personally I'd reduce the amount of time you plan to spend in Annecy, which whilst pretty, is more of a day trip kind of place, and add the extra time to extend your stay in Lyon, if that's what you decide to do.
Hope this helps.
Jun 8th, 2009, 06:30 AM
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Lyon is a fabulous city. It has a marvelous beaux arts museum and a delightful old quarter with bouchon after bouchon offering some of the best food in the world, a river culture, a lovely cathedral perched on a hill..... It's my favorite city in France after Paris.
Jun 8th, 2009, 07:18 AM
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Despite my at least twice-yearly visits to Lyon, I never get bored of the place and am looking forward to my next trip there in a little over two months.
StCirq - for me Lyon just pips Paris to the number one spot. There are elements of Paris that I absolutely adore, but there are also parts of it that I absolutely detest. With Lyon, I just find the city as a whole a more enjoyable experience and never get fed up of being there.
StCirq - for me Lyon just pips Paris to the number one spot. There are elements of Paris that I absolutely adore, but there are also parts of it that I absolutely detest. With Lyon, I just find the city as a whole a more enjoyable experience and never get fed up of being there.
Oct 1st, 2009, 03:31 PM
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We're now looking at 3 nights in Geneva (staying with friends), 4 nights in Lyon, 5 nights in Vaison-la-Romaine (with a lot of day trips to Gigondas and other wine towns, the Luberon, etc), 3 nights in Annecy and then back to Geneva to fly home.
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