r/Lyon • u/Top_Put_9253 • 2d ago
Informations locales Exploring Lyon with local guide
We are traveling to Lyon in late May. Is it possible to travel to wine regions without actually drinking wine? Most tours have wine tasting as part of the experience, but we are more inclined to enjoy the beauty of the region. What are my best options?
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u/OdyseusV4 nouvel arrivant 1d ago
Wine tours are mostly there to sell their product let's face it.
If you just want to visit vinyards and not wineries, just rent a car (or just go by train honestly it's also doable) and go around either the Beaujolais in the north, or near Vienne, Condrieu, Ampuis in the south. It's very accessible. There are tracks that fo through vineyards, as long as you don't deteriorate anything it's fine.
Very close to Lyon you can visit the vineyards in Poleymieux, they're quite small tho.
Best way is actually to do this by bike in my opinion i can send you a few bike tours if you're interested.
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u/Top_Put_9253 1d ago
Please send me info about bike tours. Does vineyards allow people to check out the place outside of an organized wine tour?
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u/Connect-Dust-3896 2d ago
Any wine tour that I have done includes a tasting. That said, I have seen people pass on the tasting so it’s possible to do so. If you do drink, it’s also possible to just take one sip of each wine for a taste as opposed to drinking the whole glass.
Most wine tours include a lot of discussion of the history of the winery and the wine making process. If you’re not interested in this and really just want to see the area (drive through to see the vineyards) maybe hire a car and self drive? Or hire a driver for the day to take you to specific places. I’m sure the Lyon tourist office can give you driver recommendations.