Regional TER trains leave Part-Dieu and Perrache for the whole region, so you can be at an Alpine lake, in a walled medieval village or beside a Roman temple in the morning and back in Lyon for dinner. Annecy is the classic choice for a full day; the others fit a shorter day or a particular interest.
Annecy: a lake at the foot of the Alps
Photo: Le sixième rêve / Pexels, Pexels License
about 2 hTER from Lyon Part-Dieu to Annecy
Annecy's old town is built along the canals of the Thiou, the short river that drains the lake, and its symbol, the Palais de l'Isle, sits in the middle of the water like the bow of a stone ship. Over the centuries it served as a prison and a courthouse; today it is a small museum of the town's heritage. A few steps away the canals open onto the lake, clear and turquoise, with mountains rising straight from its shores. In summer you can rent a bike or a pedal boat, or swim from the public beaches; in winter the lake is quiet and the peaks around it are white.
Tip: A clear day makes this trip; in low cloud the mountains disappear. Look at the weather on the Semnoz, the mountain above the lake's western shore, before you buy the ticket. The Annecy tourist office has walks and boat trips.
35 minTER from Lyon Part-Dieu to Meximieux-Pérouges, then 20 min uphill on foot
A walled hilltop village where weavers once worked, with lanes paved in river pebbles and stone houses from the 15th to the 17th centuries. In the middle, Place du Tilleul is shaded by a lime tree planted during the French Revolution. Try the galette de Pérouges, a thin sugar tart sold warm in the village bakeries.
Tip: Pérouges takes a half day and suits a morning or an afternoon of its own. The lanes are steep and rough, so wear proper shoes. More on the local tourist office page.
TER from Lyon Part-Dieu or Perrache south along the Rhône
About thirty kilometres down the Rhône, Vienne was one of the main towns of Roman Gaul. In its centre the Temple of Augustus and Livia stands almost complete, its Corinthian columns surrounded by ordinary houses, and on the hillside above, a Roman theatre still hosts the Jazz à Vienne festival in summer. Across the river, the archaeological site and museum of Saint-Romain-en-Gal show the floor mosaics of Roman villas.
Tip: The temple, the theatre and the old streets need about half a day; add Saint-Romain-en-Gal if you want a full one.
Grenoble sits in a flat valley ringed by mountains, and its landmark is a short ride in the air: the cable car with spherical cabins, the "bubbles", which has climbed from the bank of the Isère to the Bastille fort since 1934. From the top the city lies at your feet, with the Vercors, the Chartreuse and the Belledonne range around it. Paths continue up the ridge towards Mont Rachais, or lead back down through the fortifications to the city.
Tip: The cable car costs €9.80 return and €6.50 one way; ride up and walk down to save money and see the fort walls. Hours change with the season, so check the Bastille cable car website.
