The Beaujolais Day
From Roman Lyon to the natural wine revival
A full day in the Beaujolais region, structured around its history rather than its appellations. The route moves chronologically from the Roman foundations of Lyon through medieval feudal territory, monastic viticulture, the Ancien Régime, the French Revolution, the 19th-century transformation of the region and the recovery of the Beaujolais crus from the 1980s onwards. There are two wine tastings at historic estates and a break for lunch at a local bistrot between them.
Itinerary
9:00 am — Depart Vieux Lyon
9:45 am — Medieval village: Learn about the feudal lords who shaped Beaujolais and the 1395 decree that determined what grows here today
10:45 am — Château to hear about the monastic networks that systematised viticulture across the region
11:15 am — Full tasting at a historic wine estate, where we talk about the Ancien Régime, the Revolution and what both left behind in the landscape
1:00 pm — Lunch at a local bistrot (self-paid)
2:00 pm — Beaujeu, the ancient capital Railways, phylloxera and the appellation system
2:45 pm — Full tasting at a château, discussing the phenomenon of Beaujolais Nouveau, its collapse and the recovery of the past forty years
5:30 pm — Return to Vieux Lyon
Practical information
Meeting point: Place Saint-Jean, Vieux Lyon
Chauffeured vehicle throughout
Comfortable walking shoes recommended
Tours run to demand rather than a fixed schedule. Send an enquiry with your preferred dates and group size and I will confirm availability and arrange payment once a date is agreed.
Pricing and what’s included
€160 per person
Minimum group of four, maximum six. Private bookings available. A supplement applies for Geneva departures — please enquire.
Included: chauffeured transport, guide and both wine tastings.
Not included: lunch (your guide will recommend and reserve at a local bistrot) and wine purchased at the estates.
The Beaujolais Day: Frequently Asked Questions
Still have questions? Take a look at the FAQ or reach out any time. When ready to make an enquiry for a booking, please use the contact form below.
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No specialist knowledge is needed. The tastings are a genuine part of the day and both estates are worth visiting in their own right. The historical content gives them context — where the wine comes from, who grew it and why — and experts on site will provide the technical knowledge.
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No. Lunch is not included in the price. Your guide will recommend and reserve at a local Beaujolais bistrot between the two tastings. Dietary requirements can be accommodated — please mention when booking.
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Yes. Geneva to Beaujolais is approximately 2.5 hours each way and timings would be adjusted accordingly. A supplement applies — please enquire.
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Yes, at both Château de la Chaize and Château de Juliénas. Your guide can advise on what to take home.
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The route, the estates and the historical content are all chosen to tell a coherent chronological story rather than to showcase a selection of appellations. The two tasting stops — both at historically significant estates — are embedded in that narrative rather than being the purpose of it. It is a history tour that happens to include two serious wine tastings, rather than a wine tour with some history added.
The Lyon Evening
Two millennia of wine history, on foot through the city
Lyon has been the market for the vineyards that surround it since the Romans founded the city in 43 BC. The wine regions of Beaujolais, the northern Rhône and the Mâconnais all exist, in part, because Lyon needed wine and had the river infrastructure to receive it. This evening walk traces that relationship through the city's streets, stopping at three wine bars along the way, before ending with dinner at a Lyonnais bouchon. One glass of wine is included at each bar stop; dinner is paid independently by guests.
Itinerary
5:30 pm — Fourvière hill: The Roman city that created the demand for the surrounding vineyards and the starting point for everything that follows
6:00 pm — Vieux Lyon: The bouchon culture, the silk workers and the origins of Beaujolais Nouveau (one glass of Beaujolais cru included)
7:00 pm — The Presqu'île: The négociant families who controlled the Rhône wine trade and the vineyards that supplied them (one glass of northern Rhône included)
8:00 pm — Croix-Rousse: The canut quarter, the industrial city and the closing argument (one glass of Mâconnais included)
9:00 pm — Bouchon, Croix-Rousse or Presqu'île: The evening ends with dinner at a recommended restaurant (optional) — guests dine and pay independently
Practical information
Meeting point: bottom of the Fourvière funicular, Place Edouard Commette, 69005 Lyon
Approximately 4 kilometres on foot and the Croix-Rousse involves a 15-minute uphill climb — comfortable shoes essential
Dinner is recommended after the tour — please note the late finish
Tours run to demand rather than a fixed schedule. Send an enquiry with your preferred dates and group size and I will confirm availability and arrange payment once a date is agreed.
Pricing and what’s included
€85 per person
Minimum two guests, maximum six. Private bookings available.
Included: One glass of wine at each of the three stops, chosen to match the historical period being discussed at that stop.
Not included: Dinner is paid independently by guests. Guide will offer to reserve a table at a recommended local restaurant (bouchon).
The Lyon Evening: Frequently Asked Questions
Still have questions? Take a look at the FAQ or reach out any time. When ready to make an enquiry for a booking, please use the contact form below.
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No. Each glass is introduced in terms of where it comes from and why that region has the relationship it does with Lyon. No technical knowledge is assumed.
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Approximately 4 kilometres before dinner. The Croix-Rousse involves a 15-minute uphill climb; the rest is flat or gently sloping.
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The tour ends at a Lyonnais bouchon where your guide will have reserved a table. Dinner is paid for independently by guests — your guide can advise on what to order. The evening typically wraps up around 10:30 pm.
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Most wine experiences in Lyon are static — a tasting room, a masterclass, a single venue. This one moves through the city on foot, connecting the wine in each glass to a specific chapter in Lyon's history as a wine city, from the Roman foundations on Fourvière to the silk workers of the Croix-Rousse.
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The existing English-language walking tours of Lyon cover the traboules, the Resistance and the cathedral. This one covers the same city through a different lens — its relationship with the wine regions that have supplied it for two thousand years. It is a wine history tour that happens to take place on foot rather than a sightseeing tour with wine added.