Lyon Day Trip from Paris
Lyon is France’s food capital with two thousand years of history still on display, and this day is built to taste both: a pedicab tour of the city center, a real bouchon lunch with wine, and an afternoon walking the traboules and riding the funicular up to Fourvière — with all admissions included and time left to wander. Two hours from Paris by TGV, maximum eight guests.
The Facts
$420 per person, tour only
Add $165 for 2nd Class rail
Add $255 for 1st Class rail
About 13 hours — 7:30 a.m. TGV from Gare de Lyon, back for a late dinner
Lyon Part-Dieu rail station — your guide meets your train
Maximum 8 guests — larger groups, contact us
Daily, year-round except national holidays
Pedicab city tour, prix fixe bouchon lunch with wine, guided walking tour, funicular, and all admissions
What You Do
- Pedicab tour (2 hours) — the Presqu’île and Old Lyon by cushioned pedicab, covering the squares while your legs rest for the afternoon
- Bouchon lunch — prix fixe with wine at one of the traditional bistros unique to Lyon
- Walking tour (2.5 hours) — the traboules of Old Lyon, the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière by funicular, and the Roman amphitheater
- Free time (1.5–2 hours) — the Silk Museum, coffee along the Saône, or shopping, with your guide’s directions in hand
The Day, In Order
The 7:30 a.m. TGV from Gare de Lyon has coffee on board and Lyon on the platform two hours later, where your guide meets the train. (Want the ride to fly? Download a podcast — we recommend Revolutions, Season 3, on the French Revolution.) The pedicab tour goes first: two gentle hours through the Presqu’île and Old Lyon, the city’s layout arranging itself while somebody else pedals.
Lunch is the reason many guests book: an authentic bouchon, the checked-tablecloth bistros found nowhere else, with hearty Lyonnais cooking and house wine in the signature round-bottomed glasses — prix fixe, included. The afternoon walks it off through the traboules, the covered passageways the silk workers threaded through Old Lyon’s buildings, then takes the funicular up to the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière for the view over the whole city and the Roman amphitheater beside it — older than the basilica by seventeen centuries.
Your last 1.5–2 hours are yours — museum, riverbank, or shops — before the TGV home around 7 p.m., back at Gare de Lyon in time for a late dinner. Or, in the grand tradition, a drink at Le Train Bleu inside the station.
Why the Train, Why Small
- Two hours each way by TGV — Lyon is the easiest great city to reach from Paris
- Pedicab first, walk second — the day is paced so 13 hours never feels like it
- Lunch, wine, funicular, and every admission included — no surprise costs
- Maximum 8 guests with a guide who knows which traboules are open and which bouchons are real
The Honest Notes
- Bouchon cooking is the real thing — quenelles, salade lyonnaise, and yes, andouillette for the brave; tell us about dietary needs when booking
- The pedicab is gentle with cushioned seating — but mention back or mobility issues and we’ll plan accordingly
- Old Lyon is cobblestones and the traboules have stairs — comfortable shoes
- High-season or last-minute rail can exceed the listed add-on prices — we contact you before booking if so; arranging your own rail? Wait for our confirmed times
- Cards work almost everywhere; a little cash helps in the smallest shops
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is a bouchon?
A traditional Lyon bistro — the city’s own institution — serving local specialties like quenelles (delicate fish dumplings), salade lyonnaise, and andouillette. Your prix fixe lunch with wine is included in the tour.
What are the traboules?
Covered passageways running straight through Old Lyon’s buildings, originally used by silk workers moving goods across the city. You’ll walk through several with your guide — including ones casual visitors never find open.
How much free time do we get?
About 1.5–2 hours in the afternoon — enough for the Silk Museum, shopping, or a riverside coffee before the train.
Can we stay longer in Lyon?
Yes — book one-way rail with us and return whenever you like. Lyon makes an excellent base for the Rhône wine region; tell us your plans and we’ll set it up.
Is this tour good for food lovers specifically?
It’s built for them — Lyon is France’s gastronomic capital, the bouchon lunch is the centerpiece, and your guide happily points your free time at the food halls and chocolatiers.
Reserve Your Lyon Day Trip
Book in the calendar above, or call or text 424-386-5222. France’s food capital is two hours away and lunch is included — some decisions make themselves.