Thursday, December 5, 2024 – Arrival in Lyon<\/strong><\/p>\n MORNING: Arrival in Lyon – your driver will meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel (depending on your arrival time). Services included: Friday, December 6, 2024 – Lyon<\/strong><\/p>\n AM: Meet your private guide at your hotel PM: free to shop in Lyon and enjoy the evening light show. Services included: Saturday, December 7, 2024 – Pierres d’or en Beaujolais<\/strong><\/p>\n AM: After breakfast, enjoy a tour of the Beaujolais region with your driver and guide. Dinner at your own discretion. <\/p>\n Sunday, December 8, 2024: Departure<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n End of our services<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Highlights of the stay:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nCheck-in at your hotel.
\nLunch at a Bouchon, a traditional Lyon restaurant.
\nAfternoon: 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.
\nDinner on your own
\nNight in Lyon –
\nNB: A MUST SEE – Y<\/strong>ou’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.
\nThe aldermen’s vow
\nThe first church dedicated to the Virgin Mary was built at Fourvi\u00e8re 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 Fourvi\u00e8re 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.
\nA tradition born in the 19th century
\nIn 1850, the religious authorities launched a competition for the creation of a statue, intended as a religious landmark on the summit of Fourvi\u00e8re hill. The statue was created by sculptor Joseph-Hugues Fabisch in his workshop on the quays of the Sa\u00f4ne.
\nThe inauguration, originally scheduled for September 8, 1852, was postponed to December 8 due to flooding on the Sa\u00f4ne. 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 Fourvi\u00e8re chapel appeared in the night.
\nThat evening, a true celebration is born!<\/p>\n
\n– Transfer to your hotel
\n– Guided tour of Old Lyon (2 1\/2 hours)
\n– Lunch in a local restaurant
\n– Accommodation<\/p>\n
\nIn the morning, meet your guide and take the funicular up to Fourvi\u00e8re to discover the famous basilica overlooking the city and visit the Gallo-Roman museum. Descend the hill on foot.
\nLunch in a local restaurant.<\/p>\n
\nDinner on your own.
\nNight in Lyon<\/p>\n
\n– Lodging, breakfasts and city taxes included
\n– Lunch in a local restaurant
\n– 2-hour guided tour of Lyon<\/p>\n
\nFrom 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.
\nEnjoy an exceptional moment to savor the riches of this historic wine-growing region, before returning to Lyon.<\/p>\n
\nNight in Lyon
\nServices included:
\n– Lodging, breakfasts and taxes included
\n– Private guided tour of Beaujolais, with wine tasting.
\n– Coach transfer from Lyon to Beaune<\/p>\n\n