Luxury hotel holidays to the Rhone Valley

It is far more varied than the view from the motorway suggests, and it rewards a few days of its own. North of Lyon lies the Beaujolais, a landscape of rolling granite hills covered in vines, with the golden-stone villages of the Pierres Dorées in its southern part. Here we offer the Château de Bagnols, a thirteenth-century château classified as a historic monument, now a hotel set among the vineyards, which makes a peaceful base for exploring the region’s wine villages. Lyon itself, at the meeting of the Rhône and the Saône, is France’s third city, and the Hotel Cour des Loges, a group of Renaissance houses around a glazed courtyard in the heart of the old town, with a Michelin-starred restaurant, allows you to explore it entirely on foot. South of Lyon, the river runs between steep terraced vineyards through the northern Rhône, past Vienne, with its Roman Temple of Augustus and Livia and its Roman theatre, where La Pyramide, the Relais & Châteaux hotel and restaurant made famous by Fernand Point, the mentor of a generation of French chefs, continues with two Michelin stars. Further south, the landscape turns Mediterranean: the Drôme Provençale, with its olive groves, lavender and the château of Grignan, and the Ardèche, with its limestone gorges and the replica of the Chauvet cave, among the oldest known decorated caves in the world. A combination of two bases, for example the Beaujolais and Lyon, or Lyon and Vienne, gives a good sense of the region’s range in four or five nights.

Lyon has a culinary tradition unlike that of any other French city, rooted in the produce of the surrounding regions: Bresse chicken, Charolais beef, freshwater fish from the Dombes, cheeses from the Alps and wines from the Beaujolais and the Rhône. Its famous bouchons, small, informal restaurants serving traditional Lyonnais dishes such as quenelles, saucisson brioché and tablier de sapeur, sit alongside restaurants of international reputation; Paul Bocuse, who trained under Fernand Point at La Pyramide, made the city a byword for fine cooking, and his legacy can be seen at Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, the covered market where the city’s chefs shop. We can arrange market visits with a local guide, cookery classes and reservations at restaurants ranging from traditional bouchons to Michelin-starred tables. Beyond the food, Lyon has a historic centre recognised by UNESCO since 1998, with Roman theatres on the hill of Fourvière, the Renaissance streets and hidden passageways, or traboules, of Vieux Lyon, the elegant squares of the Presqu’île between the two rivers, and the hillside district of the Croix-Rousse, once home to the city’s silk weavers. The Musée des Beaux-Arts, in a former abbey, has one of the largest collections of art in France, and the Musée des Confluences, at the meeting of the rivers, is a striking modern museum of science and anthropology. The city is compact, walkable and far less visited by British travellers than Paris, and two or three nights here make a rewarding city break or a natural part of a longer tour.

Yes, and the region offers a wide range of wines within a short distance. The Beaujolais is far more serious than its reputation for Beaujolais Nouveau suggests: its ten crus, including Fleurie, Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent, Brouilly and Juliénas, produce characterful Gamay wines on granite soils, many of which age well, and the region has a new generation of growers whose wines are much sought after. Prices remain modest by the standards of neighbouring Burgundy, and many domaines receive visitors warmly. South of Lyon, the northern Rhône is Syrah country, with small, steep and highly regarded appellations: Côte-Rôtie on the terraces above Ampuis, close to Vienne; Condrieu, the home of Viognier; and Hermitage, on its granite hill above Tain-l’Hermitage, together with Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Joseph and Cornas. Tain-l’Hermitage is also home to the Valrhona chocolate company, whose Cité du Chocolat is an enjoyable diversion. Further south, beyond Montélimar, the southern Rhône produces Grenache-based blends from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas and Vacqueyras, which link naturally to a stay in Provence. We arrange private visits and tastings with growers, many of whom receive visitors only by appointment, together with vineyard walks and sessions with a specialist guide, and we recommend no more than two or three visits a day. A driver is a sensible choice for days spent tasting, and the Château de Bagnols and La Pyramide are both ideally placed for the Beaujolais and the northern Rhône respectively.

The region is very well connected. By rail, Eurostar connects in Paris with TGV services from the Gare de Lyon to Lyon in around two hours, so the whole journey from London can be made comfortably in a day; our rail holidays combining Paris, Lyon and Avignon, or Paris, Lyon, Carcassonne and Bordeaux, show how naturally Lyon fits into a longer journey by train. Lyon’s airport has direct flights from London and several regional UK airports, and is around half an hour from the city centre. For clients who prefer to drive, Lyon is around seven hours from Calais by motorway, and an overnight stop in Champagne or Burgundy makes the journey more comfortable. Lyon itself is best explored on foot and by its efficient public transport, but a car or private driver is needed for the Beaujolais and the vineyards of the northern Rhône. The region sits at a crossroads, and combines naturally with Burgundy to the north, Provence to the south, which is around an hour by TGV from Lyon to Avignon, the French Alps and Annecy to the east, Geneva and Lake Geneva, and the Auvergne to the west. It is also an ideal stopping point on a drive to Provence, the Côte d’Azur or Languedoc-Roussillon, and we often suggest two nights rather than one, so that Lyon or the Beaujolais can be enjoyed rather than simply crossed. Nearby, the medieval village of Pérouges and the Royal Monastery of Brou at Bourg-en-Bresse make rewarding excursions.

The region spans quite different climates, from the continental conditions of Lyon and the Beaujolais, with cold winters and hot summers, to the Mediterranean warmth of the Drôme and the Ardèche further south, and each season has its own appeal. Late April to June is a particularly good time: the vineyards are green, the countryside is fresh and the temperatures are comfortable for walking in the city and touring the villages. Early summer brings two well-known festivals: Jazz à Vienne, held in the Roman theatre in late June and early July, and Les Nuits de Fourvière, a season of music, theatre and dance in the Roman theatres of Lyon. July and August can be very hot in Lyon and the valley, and this is the time when a countryside base with a pool, such as the Château de Bagnols, is most welcome; it is also the season for lavender in the Drôme Provençale. September and October bring the harvest, the most atmospheric time in the vineyards, although some smaller growers are too busy to receive visitors during the picking itself. The third Thursday of November marks the release of Beaujolais Nouveau, celebrated across the region. In early December, around the 8th, Lyon’s Fête des Lumières transforms the city with light installations over four nights; it is a striking occasion, but it draws very large crowds and hotels are booked many months in advance. Winter is otherwise quiet, and a good time for a gastronomic city break in Lyon. We will always advise on timing in relation to your interests and the hotels you are considering.