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Christmas lights of Lyon

Thursday, December 5, 2024 – Arrival in Lyon

MORNING: Arrival in Lyon – your driver will meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel (depending on your arrival time).
Check-in at your hotel.
Lunch at a Bouchon, a traditional Lyon restaurant.
Afternoon: Meet your guide at your hotel and depart for a walking tour of Vieux Lyon. Vieux Lyon is the city’s most surprising district. Around the majestic Saint-Jean cathedral, push open the secret doors for a guided tour of the traboules, an impressive labyrinth of courtyards and passageways where Guignol was born. The cobbled streets have a medieval air, and the multicolored facades give Lyon an Italian Renaissance feel. A must-see tour of Lyon.
Dinner on your own
Night in Lyon –
NB: A MUST SEE – You’re lucky enough to be in Lyon during the sparkling nights. You’ll enjoy a fantastic nocturnal spectacle where all the locals have been celebrating religious events since the 19th century.
The aldermen’s vow
The first church dedicated to the Virgin Mary was built at Fourvière in 1168. It was ravaged during the Wars of Religion between Catholics and Protestants (1562). The church was restored to accommodate the successive wishes of the inhabitants and aldermen in the face of epidemics. On September 8, 1643, the town councillors of the time (the provost of merchants and the aldermen), went up to Fourvière to ask the Virgin Mary to protect the town from the plague arriving from the south of France. They vowed to repeat the pilgrimage if Lyon was spared. This vow is still honored on September 8.
A tradition born in the 19th century
In 1850, the religious authorities launched a competition for the creation of a statue, intended as a religious landmark on the summit of Fourvière hill. The statue was created by sculptor Joseph-Hugues Fabisch in his workshop on the quays of the Saône.
The inauguration, originally scheduled for September 8, 1852, was postponed to December 8 due to flooding on the Saône. On the day of the inauguration, bad weather once again disrupted the festivities: the religious authorities were about to cancel the inauguration. Finally, the sky clears… Spontaneously, the people of Lyon put candles in their windows and, by nightfall, the whole city was illuminated. Religious authorities followed suit, and the Fourvière chapel appeared in the night.
That evening, a true celebration is born!

Services included:
– Transfer to your hotel
– Guided tour of Old Lyon (2 1/2 hours)
– Lunch in a local restaurant
– Accommodation

Friday, December 6, 2024 – Lyon

AM: Meet your private guide at your hotel
In the morning, meet your guide and take the funicular up to Fourvière to discover the famous basilica overlooking the city and visit the Gallo-Roman museum. Descend the hill on foot.
Lunch in a local restaurant.

PM: free to shop in Lyon and enjoy the evening light show.
Dinner on your own.
Night in Lyon

Services included:
– Lodging, breakfasts and city taxes included
– Lunch in a local restaurant
– 2-hour guided tour of Lyon

Saturday, December 7, 2024 – Pierres d’or en Beaujolais

AM: After breakfast, enjoy a tour of the Beaujolais region with your driver and guide.
From Lyon, take to the back roads of southern Beaujolais. As you turn into the hills, the golden stone villages reveal their warm colors and play of light. Take advantage of this bucolic setting, in the heart of the vineyards, to share a few croissants over an introduction to local wine tasting. You’ll continue with a visit to Oingt, a 12th-century village listed as one of France’s most beautiful villages. You’ll discover the authentic charm of its medieval monument, built entirely of golden stone. Finally, your tour will take you to meet a winegrower, who will be delighted to tell you all about his estate. He’ll reveal the secrets of his know-how, and then you’ll taste some of his production.
Enjoy an exceptional moment to savor the riches of this historic wine-growing region, before returning to Lyon.

Dinner at your own discretion.
Night in Lyon
Services included:
– Lodging, breakfasts and taxes included
– Private guided tour of Beaujolais, with wine tasting.
– Coach transfer from Lyon to Beaune

Sunday, December 8, 2024: Departure

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