offwegooo.com
Travel guide
The Monts du Lyonnais
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: May to September
offwegooo.comPrint it, fold it, take it with you
Welcome
The Monts du Lyonnais, in a few days
An hour west of Lyon, the Monts du Lyonnais roll up to 946 metres in meadows, hedgerows and hilltop villages. People come for a Gothic collegiate church above a town known for its cured meats, the smallest commune in the Rhône, a hat-making museum at Chazelles and ridge-top trails.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise free · about 1 hA hilltop town at 600 metres crowned by a 15th-century Gothic collegiate church, and still the capital of the area's charcuterie.
- Afternoon · Atelier-Musée du Chapeau · about 1 h 30A hat museum in a former Chazelles-sur-Lyon factory, where working machines and craftsmen turn fur felt into finished hats.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Château Blanchard€110 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Signal de Saint-André free · half a dayAt 934 metres, the range's second-highest point, named after the survey marker Cassini set up here for his map of France.
- Afternoon · Riverie free · about 30 minThe smallest commune in the Rhône, at 42 hectares: a few lanes of tight stone houses on a hilltop above the Gier valley.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Château Blanchard€110 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Yzeron free · about 1 hA village on a rocky outcrop above the slopes running down to Lyon, with views over the city and, on clear days, the Alps.
- Afternoon · Parc de Courzieu · half a dayA wildlife park in the Brévenne valley, known for its wolves and a free-flight bird of prey show where the birds skim over the audience.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Château Blanchard€110 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Montrottier free · about 45 minA village at 669 metres on the edge of the Monts de Tarare, around the remains of a 10th-century castle built by Savigny Abbey.
- Afternoon · The Roman Gier aqueduct at Chaponost free · about 45 minThe longest and best preserved of the four aqueducts that supplied Roman Lugdunum, about 85 kilometres long; Chaponost has its finest run of arches.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Château Blanchard€110 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Baguette: the daily bread, bought fresh from the boulangerie. Ask for a "tradition", made with nothing but flour, water, salt and yeast.
- Croissant and pain au chocolat: breakfast pastries, best in the morning while still warm.
- The cheese course: served after the main dish and before dessert, from Comté to Camembert.
- Steak frites: the bistro standard. Order it "saignant" for rare or "à point" for medium.
- Galettes and crêpes: savoury buckwheat pancakes from Brittany filled with ham, egg and cheese, then sweet ones for pudding.
- House wine: ordered by the carafe or the "pichet" at lunch, and often better value than a bottle.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Say "bonjour" when you walk into a shop, a bakery or a café, and "au revoir" as you leave. Skipping it comes across as rude.
- Lunch runs from about noon to 2pm and dinner starts around 7.30pm. In between, most restaurant kitchens are closed.
- Most shops close on Sunday, and many small towns shut on Monday too. Bakeries and markets open on Sunday morning.
- Do not pay for bottled water at the table: ask for "une carafe d'eau", tap water that is served free with a meal.
- Around the big Paris sights, walk past anyone with a petition or a friendship bracelet. They are there to distract you while someone else takes your wallet.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ French
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Thank you | Merci |
| Please | S'il vous plaît |
| Yes | Oui |
| No | Non |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| Goodbye | Au revoir |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? |
| I don't understand | Je ne comprends pas |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes ? |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
| Help! | Au secours ! |
| Cheers! | Santé ! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €80 a day, mid-range
Best seasonMay to September
PlugC/E · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingService is included by law, round up
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccination needed. Check that tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/monts-du-lyonnais
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.