Parc Naturel Régional du Pilat

Lyon & the Rhône Valley

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In the mood for a rural escape? Make a beeline for the Parc Naturel Régional du Pilat, which spills across 650 sq km between Lyon and St-Étienne. A haven for ramblers and ecotourists, it's peppered with stuck-in-time villages and crisscrossed with walking trails; check http://pilat-rando.fr for trail maps and descriptions. Bring your camera; it offers breathtaking panoramas of the Rhône Valley from its highest peaks, Crêt de l'Œillon (1370m) and Crêt de la Perdrix (1432m).

A handy access point from St-Étienne is the village of Le Bessat (reachable via Bus TIL 102), where you can start several scenic walks.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Cité du Chocolat Valrhona

    Cité du Chocolat Valrhona

    26.4 MILES

    Death by chocolate! On the main road in Tain l'Hermitage, the Cité du Chocolat is a chocoholic's dream come true. This vast complex run by famous…

  • Lyon "Confluences Museum" (France)

    Lyon Confluence

    29.44 MILES

    Lyon's race toward the future is personified in this reborn industrial district near the southern tip of Presqu'île. Once a landscape of empty warehouses…

  • LYON, FRANCE, DECEMBER 22, 2014 : Musee des Confluences just inaugurated. Musee des Confluences is located at the confluence of the Rhone and the Saone rivers and a project of the Confluence district 239742373

    Musée des Confluences

    29.08 MILES

    This eye-catching building, designed by the Viennese firm Coop Himmelb(l)au, is the crowning glory of Lyon's newest neighbourhood, the Confluence, at…

  • Lieu de Mémoire

    Lieu de Mémoire

    23.88 MILES

    Through evocative displays and audiovisual presentations, this museum paints a vivid picture of an extraordinarily resilient wartime community. Residents…

  • Musée de la Mine

    Musée de la Mine

    8.15 MILES

    An old industrial mining site that was once the lifeblood of St-Étienne has been transformed into a fascinating exhibition complex. On a 75-minute guided…

  • Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain

    Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain

    9.61 MILES

    The country’s second-largest Art Moderne museum after Paris’ Centre Pompidou, this museum features an exceptional collection of 20th-century and…

  • Musée d'Art e d'Industrie

    Musée d'Art e d'Industrie

    7.45 MILES

    Set in a palatial 19th-century building, this museum showcases St-Étienne's three big industries back in the day, namely bicycles, ribbons and guns!…

  • Musée Gallo-Romain

    Musée Gallo-Romain

    20.52 MILES

    Across the Rhône from Vienne, the Musée Gallo-Romain highlights Vienne's historical importance, displaying several rooms full of dazzling mosaics and…

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Nearby Lyon & the Rhône Valley attractions

1. Musée d'Art e d'Industrie

7.45 MILES

Set in a palatial 19th-century building, this museum showcases St-Étienne's three big industries back in the day, namely bicycles, ribbons and guns!…

2. Musée de la Mine

8.15 MILES

An old industrial mining site that was once the lifeblood of St-Étienne has been transformed into a fascinating exhibition complex. On a 75-minute guided…

3. Cité du Design

8.33 MILES

Find out about the Biennale Internationale Design fair and browse diverse, regularly changing exhibitions at the Cité du Design, in a gleaming glass-and…

5. Musée Gallo-Romain

20.52 MILES

Across the Rhône from Vienne, the Musée Gallo-Romain highlights Vienne's historical importance, displaying several rooms full of dazzling mosaics and…

6. Temple d'Auguste et de Livie

20.54 MILES

Best of all the Roman monuments in Vienne is this striking Roman temple right in the heart of the old town. Take a look at the superb Corinthian columns…

7. Église & Cloître St-André Le Bas

20.57 MILES

You can't miss this imposing church on the northern fringes of the old town. The back tower is decorated with tiny carved stone faces. In the cloister,…

8. Théâtre Romain

20.7 MILES

This vast, well-preserved Roman amphitheatre was built around AD 40–50 at the base of Mt Pipet, on the eastern fringes of the old town. At that time, it…

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