Quiet and undiscovered trails a short distance from Lyon, the Gastronomic capital of France
Varied walking through pastures, field, orchards and forests.
Sweeping views across rolling hills and valleys
Lovely B&B's where great food and wine is guaranteed.
Quiet, off-the-beaten-track experience where you're guaranteed an authentic French experience
Welcome, transfer from Lyon to the Mont Lyonnais Hills and settle in to your first guest house.
A delightful walk between through the north of the Mont Lyonnis. Climb through pasture and orchards onto the Lyonnais hills. A chance to summit Mont Popey overlooking the Turdine Valley before a choice of two trails, one via the village of St Romain de Popey. The other one goes via a great ridge walk and then descends to St Forgeux. Transfer to your second guest house. 17km, +600m
A remote and more wooded walk as you approach the highest summits between the Beaujolais and the Loire Valley. Rustic sturdy farms are scattered across the landscape as you spend most of the day above 700m with quiet trails and fantastic rural views. Your accommodation is in a lovely old farm built from granite. 16km, +630m
Continue south on the GR7 through lush green rolling hills to reach the historic hill-top village of Montrottier. Traverse across the slopes of Mont Pothu and descend to your hotel in the village of Brullioles. Great views across the Mont Lyonais. 17km, +380m
The 4 day circular trail heads back towards Sain Bel the next day. The 6-day walk continues to traverse south.
Continue south on the GR7 passing through the Brevenne Valley. After, climb through cherry orchards,which is a hive of activity in early June, to bring you back into the hills covered in pasture with magnificent views. Follow a picturesque ridge with great views until you descend to the pretty village of Courzieu. Short transfer to your guest house. 16km, +430m
The short break walking holiday finishes after breakfast the next day.
Continue south on the GR7 passing through the Brevenne Valley. After, climb through cherry orchards to bring you back into the hills covered in pasture with magnificent views. You’ll then reach the small village of Yzeron perched on the edge of the hills which plunge towards Lyon. 15km, +680m
From Yzeron your trail traverses around the valleys with views out across the hills towards Lyon and the Alps. Then climb to join the GR7 and reach the historic site of Rochefort. A short walk then takes you to the large village of St Martin en Haut. The hills become more gentle as you climb to almost 1000m on the edge of the Lyonnais Hills where pasture and fields give way to steeper wooded slopes. Below these, the fruit orchards spread out towards the Rhone Valley. Your day finishes in the pretty hill-top village of Riverie and your beautiful guest house. 22km, +610m
A beautiful walk from Riverie with great views of the south towards Mont Pilat. After reaching Ste Catherine you’ll climb up onto the edge of the plateau. By staying close to the edge you’ll have great views before turning north to reach an isolated chapel. You’ll then follow an easy trail traversing the valley slopes with typical views across the Mont Lyonnais. Return via part of an old railway line 15km, +350m
After breakfast, transfer to Lyon for your onward journey.
Please note that the order of the days may change on this French walking holiday depending on guest house availability
Self-guided
- Distance: 12-22km per day
- Ascent: 350-680m per day
- Small B&Bs & guest houses
- FULL BOARD
Beaujolais Medieval Village Tour
Beaujolais Wine Trail: Grand Crus
Medieval Burgundy: The Monk's Trail
The Mont Lyonnais are a series of beautiful rolling hills rising to the west of Lyon, France's second city. Less well-known than the neighbouring Beaujolais hills, this hidden country presents a picturesque rural scene where vines are replaced by a patchwork of lush grazing land, cherry orchards and forested tops. You have the choice between a self-guided 6-day traverse or a 4-day circular walking trail to discover these inviting, off-the-beaten-track hills. The walking is reasonably gentle as you progress south from the Beaujolais to the edge of the Cotes du Rhone vines. At times you’ll follow the long-distance GR7 trail and at others, you’ll discover wonderful local paths following pretty valleys or panoramic ridges.
Starting on the edge of the southern Beaujolais you'll first head east climbing towards the highest summits in the Mont Lyonnais which reach 1000m in altitude. These quiet picturesque hills see few walkers despite beautiful rolling countryside, wonderful vistas and pretty hamlets and villages. Your walking trail then heads south crossing the Brevenne Valley which cuts through the region. Here you'll pass through cherry orchards and fields of strawberries and raspberries. These hills are the garden of Lyon. Your trail heads back east to reach the village of Yzeron which is perched on the edge of the Lyonnais hills which descend steeply towards Lyon. You'll stay at altitude as your walking trail heads towards the southern end of the Mont Lyonnais where perched villages overlook the Pilat mountains to the south, passing Roman remains as you go.
7 nights/8 days: 6 days independent walking moving between guest houses (There is also a short break option with 5 nights and 4 days walking)
Everyday of week subject to availability from 1 April to 31 October
On this self-guided walking holiday, there are different walking trail options on some of the days meaning that you can vary the difficulty. On the 7-night version of the walking holiday, the average length of walk is 17km with 550m of ascent. Maximum distance in any one day is 22km and 700m of ascent. The 5-night version is easier as it does not include one of the harder days and only has only 4 days of walking. The average walk on this version includes 16km and 500m of ascent. Maximum ascent in the day on the 5-night version is 600m. Hills are generally moderate in steepness. Good paths, tracks & small lanes. The paths are on granite rocks and can be stony in places.
This walking holiday is graded moderate. You should have some experience of day walking and be in reasonable health. See more information about walking grades.
7 nights in small and comfortable guest houses with ensuite accommodation, with plenty of local character. Full board - all breakfasts, all picnic lunches during the walking days and 7 evening meals (or 5 on short break version) included in the price.
Our self-guided walking tour in the Mont Lyonnais is available from the beginning of April to the end of October. From April to October the Lyon area is generally warm, although it can be hot during the months of July and August. However, relative humidity is often low (except during unstable thundery weather.) Ideal walking temperatures (ie late teens to the low twenties centigrade) are generally experienced from late April to early June and from mid-September to mid-October. Rainfall becomes more and more sporadic and linked to thunderstorms as you move from spring to summer, and this continues into the Autumn. On average there is rain on one in every three days, but this is often for relatively short periods. Autumn is often characterised by warm sunny days. Sunshine totals are characteristic of its southerly position in France and the sun's strength means that you must protect yourself against the sun even on overcast days.
Other things to consider are the fact that the leaves are often not the trees until at least mid-April, although the fruit trees are often in blossom during April which makes for a colourful scene. In October the Lyonnais Hills takes on a different character with autumn colours.
This walking holiday in the Lyon Hills follows a mixture local of long-distance trails waymarked in red and white and local trails waymarked in yellow. There is a fairly dense network of signposts with place names and directions. The walking follows clear paths, tracks and minor roads for its entire duration. Our walking notes are very detailed (more information here) and include intermediate distances for sections of the trail. They also include information about the sites which can be explored along the route. We supply one walking guide per person on this holiday. As well as the detailed walking notes we supply official walking maps produced by IGN at a scale of 1:25,000. Your walking trail is highlighted on the maps.
On this walking holiday your main luggage is transferred between guest houses so you only have to carry a day rucksack with picnic lunch (supplied by the guest houses and included in the holiday price), water and spare clothes, waterproofs, camera etc. Uusally your guest houses are responsible for transporting your main luggage on this walking tour, so if you have any specific requests such as a lift to the next guest house then you can speak with the guest house where you are staying. Please limit the weight of your bags where possible to 20kg. We only use hotels and small guest houses in historic buidlings and some of the rooms are accessible by stairs.
Transfers between Lyon Airport or train station and the Lyon hills are included in the price of your independent walking holiday. Pick ups are generally between 2 and 5pm. Please contact us if you require pick up at at different time. We can also pick you up from a hotel if you are staying in Lyon before your walking holiday.
Train: Eurostar and the TGV provide a relaxing journey from London Lyon Part Dieu. There are direct Eurostar trains from London on certain days of the week. Otherwise Eurostar trains go via Lille or Paris. In Paris you need to change station (2 stops on the RER).
Flights: The airlines Easy jet, and British Airways have scheduled flights from the UK - Luton, Edinburgh, Birmingham, London Heathrow and Gatwick - to Lyon St Exupery airport.
Note: Please check concerning the availability of a walking holiday before booking any flights or trains. If you need further information or would like to discuss any aspect of your travel arrangements, please contact us, we’re here to help you.
Self Drive
Channel ferry crossings from Dover are provided by a number of operators including P&O Ferries & DFDS seaways. Crossings are also provided by train with Eurotunnel.
Once in France, the journey from Calais to the Beaujolais area takes about 7 hours (excluding long breaks).
Tolls amount to about 35 euros each way. Controlled parking is available at the airport for 60 euros. Other secure but non-surveilled parking is available free of charge at your first guest house. We can provide you with a transfer to collect your car at the end of your walking holiday.
For useful advice about independent walking and preparing for your self guided holiday please take a look at the articles in our top-tips section of High Point Holidays' blog. Once you have booked on this Lyon hills walking holiday, further information about the walking, the region and what to bring, will be sent to you. Please contact us if you need any further information.
All customers booking with High Point Holidays are required to have suitable travel insurance to include cover suitable for the activity as well as emergency evacuation and medical treatment. You are required to accept our terms and conditions as part of your booking.
On your self-guided walking holiday we use mainly small guest houses in historic rural buildings and one small country hotel. A mixture of styles and settings with lots of character and warm welcomes. Lovely home-cooked cuisine, using fresh produce from the region. They are mainly 3 star equivalent in quality offering a comfortable stay. You have the opportunity to book extra nights at Riverie.
This small best and breakfast is located in a remote region of the Lyon Hills at 700m where you can relax and admire the views. The guest house is located in a converted traditional stone-built farm, typical of the Lyon hills. A real getaway with warm hospitality.
Chateau de Riverie is located in an 11th century chateau in the heart of the village of Riverie with views of Mont Pilat, the Rhone Valley and Alps. You'll receive a warm welcome at this unique guest house where you'll be treated to a sumptuous meal cooked by Stephane. If the weather is favourable, enjoy a drink in the garden at 700m with fantastic views of the surrounding hills.
Extra nights are possible at any of the stopovers during your walking holiday in the Lyon Hills, for example, you could stay an extra night in Yzeron and undertake an extra walking tour from this perched village. Two nights are already programmed at Chateau de Riverie with a loop walk from this village.
The nearby city of Lyon is a great destination for a city break and can be easily combined with this walking holiday, as you'll be picked up and dropped off in the city. Lyon, France’s second city and gastronomic capital, is a lively historic city ideal for those in search of lots to see and do. Classed as a world heritage site, Lyon has it all; Roman amphitheatres, medieval streets, renaissance architecture, and modern art. We can book a city break for you and provide you with all the information you need for a great stay.
We can also organise a city stay in Lyon with walking days in the surrounding area accessed by train.
Please consult us for a price on any of the above options.
This wine trail walking holiday can be combined easily with any of our walking holidays elsewhere in the Beaujolais and Burgundy, which all have transfers to and from Lyon.
If you want to learn more about the region's culture through tailor-made activities and visits, check out those trips that include a few days in the Lyon and Beaujolais region. Contact us to add them to your hike.
French Valley of the gastronomy tour
A trip crafted for foodies and wine lovers to experience the world's finest gastronomy from Paris to Dijon, Lyon, Avignon and Marseille.
The treasures of the Alps spanning Italy and France inn Chamonix, Lyon, Turin - two countries, two cultures, one amazing experience.
Beautiful scenery, wonderful food and kindness; generosity of all our hosts.
A Leete
Very French and very much off the British tourist track. We were made to feel very welcome. This walking holiday stands out for us because of the varied and wonderful accommodation, the friendliness of the owners, the all inclusive price and the clear walking notes.
H LUCAS