clayrr

Howdy, folks,

We've put together the bones of a driving tour - roughly the first two weeks of September - and have booked hotels. What I'd love to hear from you is suggestions for off-the-beaten-path restaurants, local attractions, anything we might not find in the big guidebooks.
Looking forward to hearing from you!

Here's the route:

Flying LAX-Lyon.
Overnight stops (most for two days) in Lyon, Clermont-Ferrand, Limoges, Bourges, Auxerre, Dijon, Beaune, Besancon. From there we go to Zurich to see friends, then fly home from Zurich.

(And for what it's worth, a travel agent found a fare for LAX-LYS/ZRH-LAX that I hadn't come up with in six hours of online hunting: $998 RT. I was pretty pleased.)

Thanks, all.

mamcalice

The best way to get restaurant suggestions for your trip is to use the search feature of this forum. Just enter "Lyon Restaurants", etc. in the search box for ideas. You might try the Michelin site and the Chowhound site, too.

StCirq

I hope you're not spending two nights in Limoges.

Ninkette

We had great dinners in Beaune at Ma Cuisine (Passage Sainte-Hélène Tel. +33 380 223 022)
and Caveau des Arches (http://www.caveau-des-arches.com/). I'd recommend reservations for both.

ira

Hi Clay,

Mind telling us why you chose those places for stopovers?

clayrr

StCirq & Ira:

We're hardly what you'd call run-of-the-mill travelers (my previous food-heavy trip reports notwithstanding), I grant you that.

But yes, there is a method in our madness, and it was perhaps unfair not to mention it in my question. We are in fact very good researchers about travel and dining issues, and so far we've booked one 3-star restaurant (Le Côte St-Jacques in Joigny). Partly, my question was just my way of saying "Hey" and starting a kind of conversation pre-trip, and partly it was indeed a serious attempt to find places that I'd miss if I stayed buried in the printed guides.

This is a househunting trip. My partner and I are 40-somethings who want to have a place of our own Over There. What we'll be able to afford will be a major fixer-upper, and it might take five years or more - spending our vacations there with do-it-yourself jobs - to have something habitable, but we'll end up with a vacation home and, eventually, a part-time retirement home. (And please, if anyone is inclined towards sirens and red flags about the insanity of long-distance DIY home improvements, well, thank you but no thank you.)

We picked the general circle of the itinerary I outlined above because that's where we'll be looking for property. There's affordable stuff in Brittany and Normandy but we don't want to live awash in les anglais. The Southwest is, I'm sure, very nice, but it's a little remote; too far for one- or two-week trips every year. Provence: trop cher. So, for a combination of accessibility, real estate affordability, weather (I've spent LOTS of time on www.meteo.fr), there we are. THAT is why we picked the Lyon-Limoges-Burgundy-Jura circuit.

Make sense, Ira?

PS: Sorry, StCirq, but two night in Limoges.

sap

Well, all I can say is "Wow" and more power to you. Best of luck with your dream. You are brave, adventurous and enviable!!!

Michael

Seeing Limoges can take a full day, and if not, go see Oradour-sur-Glane on the same day. There is a large and important porcelain museum, the <i>rue des bouchers</i> which has a butcher's house in its 19th century configuration and furnishing (it might not be open in September), an enamel museum in the bishop's palace, a show room of master works by the Companions de France (traditional building crafts), and a fairly extensive and well labeled botanical garden in the garden next to the bishop's palace.

Ackislander

Bourges was a very pleasant surprise, mostly because I didn't know anything about it at all except the cathedral, second, because we were coming from Perigord, where the scenery is rather more spectacular.

It reminded me quite a lot of an English cathedral town, very civilized. It is two and a half hours or so from Paris by car, no doubt less by train.

I cannot recommend a restaurant because after ten days of foie gras, gibier, and other duck parts, we were fooded out and were satisfied with a simple grill. But if you are going there, you probably have restaurant ideas.

HappyTrvlr

You will enjoy Le Cte st-Jacques!

cocofromdijon

In Dijon, do not miss the 25€ lunch menu at Stéphane Derbord's (one star Michelin) Many Fodorites will tell you the same, it is a must do! (Tuesday to Friday for lunch)
http://www.restaurantstephanederbord.fr/en/index.html
You can also get some ideas from my guests in Dijon who wrote comments here
http://www.myhomeindijon.com/Restaur...%20reviews.htm
Bon appétit!

Doh

Abbaye La Bussiere is a very nice restaurant(/hotel) in a restored abbey with beautiful grounds a little ways outside Beaune (and Dijon). I definitely recommend it if you are in the area (and a 20-30e lunch is in your budget).

ThinGorjus

Lyon: http://www.lavoute-chezlea.com

The pike quennelles are very good here.

Thin

clayrr

Thanks, folks! These are exactly the kinds of things I was hoping to hear and I appreciate the advice. (Pike quenelles sound good unless it's 100 degrees outside.)

Michel_Paris

I can give a summary of my trip to Lyons

For restaurants:

Brasserie George – dinner, classic brasserie (founded 1836), popular, jazz band, near Pernache train station
Café Leffe, lunch, outdoor café in scenic Place des Terreaux
Panier et Salade, dinner, Old Town, not recommened bit of a tourist trap
La Machonnerie, dinner, Old Town, friendly, small, serves local cuisine (pike quenelles, pig feet) Ask for his home made gnaffron (drink)
L’Est, dinner, part of Bocuse chain, classic French food, near Brotteaux train station
Patisserie Paul has several locations, good for breakfast or lunch

I’d not drive around Lyon, The T (TCL, metro) goes where you want to go.

Day 1

Half day
Started at Place Bellecour, main square of city. Tourist Office is here, you can get pamphlets, book tours. Off of the square are some shopping streets.
Easy walk over to Old Town. You will probably, like me, end of here everyday at some point. Pedestrian, interesting buildings and shops, compact.
From here I walked to Brasserie George for dinner, along river

Day 2
T to Hotel de Ville.
Check out Old Opera building
Place Pradel,
Lower Croix Rousse disctric
Place Sathony, which turned out to be one of my favorite little squares
Passerel St Vincent, pedestrian bridge over river
From here, check out the famous painted building
Walked over to Place des Terreaux, a classic square with old interesting buildings all around you
Lunch at Café Leffe
Musee des Beaux Arts on square has very interesting entrance (old convent) worth a peek
T to Place Bellecour and booked tour of Old Town
Walked down Rue de la republique to kill time, nice fountain and merry go round
Tour of Old Town, went through famous passageways (traboulles)
Tip: can rent bycicles, one location in front of St Jean Cathedral
Dinner at Panier et Salade

Day 3
T to Croix Rousse (top of hill)
Rue Pierre Plantees…nice views over city
Stairways like in Montmartre
Rue Colomme then Neyret
3 Gaulles Amphitheatre. ruins…spot where first Christian (now saint) was killed by lion..populated by black cats.
Down Carmalites to Place Sathony, then Place Terraux
Walkd from Hotel de Ville to Republique T
Afternoon train to Chambery to do some business. Train along Alps, tunnels, nice views, old buildings some just feet away from tracks
Back to Lyon, T to Vieux Lyon. Walk along St George St, interesting shops
Dinner at Machonnerie (Cathedral end of Old Town). Wobbled home

Day 4
T to Vieux Lyon, then funiculatr up the hill to Fourviere Cathedral
Ok Cathedral, modern, nice views over city
Turn right outside of cathedral and take Parc des Hauteurs, which is a nice wooded walk, grardens, that winds around top of hill.
Jaricot and then Roger Radisson streets, working my way to roman amphitheatre. I missed the roman acqueducts, so different route would have been better.
Roman Amphitheatre is very interesting, check out ruins at top and carved columns and such near stage. They have plays and concerts here.
From stage exit, and turn left on street taking you back up the hill. There is a nice small cafe with some tables outside that are a nice place to stop. Keep going and you will see the entrance of the Gallo-Roman museum. A high class museum. Tour by going to bottom level and work your way up.
Once done, go back towards that café, and take Montee St Barthelemy to go down the hill towards Old Town. One of the nicest walks in Lyon, views ++
End up in Old Town
At the far end of Old Town (away from Cathedral) is a nice ice cream shop, between street and river. Marquiise Bakery along main street is also quite good.

I was staying feet away from the Part-Dieu train station. My morning ritual was breakfast at Paul’s in the station.

Hope this helps. I posted a long trip report of the above.