Getting Oriented

Lyon is France's natural hub, where the rivers Rhône and Saône meet and the mountainous wilderness of the Massif Central leans toward the lofty Alps. Lyon is a magnet for the surrounding region, including the vineyards of Beaujolais. South of Lyon is the quaint Rhône Valley. Along the southeastern border of France rises a mighty barrier of mountains that provides some of the most spectacular scenery in Europe: the French Alps, soaring to their climax in Western Europe's highest peak, Mont Blanc.

• Lyon. This city is most famous for the Vieux Lyon district, with its Renaissance traboules (passageways), and the bustling Presqu'île, a peninsula between the two rivers. Lyon's historic industrial power has generated ample cultural resources and the energy to create first-rate music, cinema, theater, opera, dance, and cuisine.
• Beaujolais. Follow the Saône River north from Lyon to the area around Villefranche and you will find the vineyards of Beaujolais, a moving pilgrimage for any wine lover. Diminutive villages with poetic names such as St-Amour, Fleurie, and Juliénas are surrounded by rolling hillsides bristling with grapevines. To the east lies Bourg-en-Bresse, famed for its church and its chickens.
• The Rhône Valley. Like predestined lovers, the Rhône joins the Saône to form a fluvial force rolling south to the Mediterranean. Their bounty includes hundreds of steep vineyards and small-town winemakers tempting you with samples. The ancient Roman ruins of Vienne and the Romanesque relics of Valence reflect the Rhône's importance as an early trade route.
• Grenoble and the Alps. Grenoble, in the Dauphiné, is the gateway to the Alps at the nexus of rivers and highways connecting Marseille, Valence, Lyon, Geneva, and Turin. Literati will love its Stendahl sites and art-filled musée. To the east, rustic towns announce the Alps, none more idyllic than Annecy, thanks to its cerulean blue lake, covered lanes, and quiet canals. The region's natural Alpine splendors are showcased at Chamonix and Megève, ski resorts that buzz with life from December to April.