Premium Private Tours of Lyon for Foodies who love Luxury

Elegant Lyon, whose old town is a UNESCO world heritage site, is France’s gastronomic capital. The historic streets of vibrant Vieux Lyon are extraordinarily atmospheric and bursting with quaint bouchons, terrific, traditional bistros that historically were inns or post houses. They contrast deliciously with the new wave, creative cuisine coming out of the city’s numerous Michelin-starred kitchens. Chefs worldwide come to train here, and “foodies” from everywhere make gourmet pilgrimages to the city’s most famous eateries. Lyon’s citizens live to eat; the locals think about food, talk about it, and are always busy planning the next meal. Daily food markets are bursting at the seams with freshly picked (by hand) fruits and vegetables; artisan cheeses, fresh-made pastries to swoon over, baked bread, local truffles, wild honey, local Bresse chickens, air-dried Jambon (French cured ham), wines from the nearby outstanding Côtes Rôties and Beaujolais vineyards and so much more!

On this fabulous private tour of Lyon, you will taste your way through the city and enjoy both traditional and modern examples of Lyonnaise cuisine. You will spend a few days in the vines visiting up-and-coming wine producers and mythical wine Maisons in the picture-postcard dreamy region of Beaujolais and the super prestigious Rhône Valley. In Lyon, you will have a culinary expert take you food shopping, learn how to shop for and prepare a traditional Lyonnaise meal with a local chef, make chocolate with a maestro, sip champagne in an art deco style setting, and enjoy guided tours of the genuinely remarkable local markets, including Les Halles de Lyon – Paul Bocuse. And the ultimate highlight of this trip is, without a doubt, your dinner at the mythical Michelin starred L’Auberge du Pont de Collonges de Paul Bocuse- exceptional!


Lyon Food and Wine Tours Highlights:

  • Private cooking experiences and wine tastings
  • Private sunset yacht cruise with champagne
  • Guided market tours at the extraordinary Les Halles de Lyon – Paul Bocuse and the Croix-Rousse
  • Entertaining wine tour of Beaujolais with Vintage Bentley
  • VIP Rhône wine tour
  • Chauffeured Mercedes & elegant, friendly drivers
  • Michelin starred dining
  • Luxurious, historic hotel in Vieux Lyon and a Private Wine Château

Below is a suggested Itinerary for your private Lyon Food and Wine Tours

  1. Lyon

    Bienvenue! Food Tour in UNESCO heritage quarter and Champagne Tasting

    Beautiful Private Venue for Champagne Tasting
    Beautiful Private Venue for Champagne Tasting
    • 5* Boutique hotel in Vieux Lyon
    • Food Tour Lunch with Wines, Champagne tasting
    • Privately Chauffeured Mercedes

    Arrive at Lyon’s airport or train station, and your friendly driver and elegant Mercedes will be waiting. Transfer to your beautiful hotel to drop off luggage and freshen up. You will meet your friendly local guide for this unforgettable tour’s first gourmet activity- a private food tour in the UNESCO listed historic district of Vieux Lyon. The pedestrianized area of Saint-Jean features a beautiful cathedral and winding, narrow streets lined with cafés and restaurants. The architecture here is from the Renaissance epoch, with an Italianate feel. You can admire stunning façades and Palais, a testament to Lyon’s wealthy past as a silk production center. You will see many “Traboules” (there are hundreds), curious passageways that run beneath or even through private buildings often via a courtyard, making a secret maze through the old town. The name comes from the Latin “Transambulare” (walkthrough), and these alleyways date back to the 16th century when silk carriers created the house to house passages as shortcuts. They were used heavily during WWII by the resistance as escape routes, and you will hear stories and anecdotes.

    You will meet a passionate cheesemonger, wine bar owner, restaurant owner, chef, and even a beer master on this culinary walking tour as you taste your way through town! You will learn all about the local history and food culture, too. In the afternoon, check-in and enjoy some jetlag relief at your hotel’s exclusive spa.

    Before dinner, you will be welcomed in a luxurious, private apartment overlooking chic Rue de la République, for a unique Champagne tasting. The premium Champagne producer (Côte des Bars ), Champagne Lombardi, has renovated this beautiful space into a unique tasting venue, complete with cellar, reception area, and tasting room. Then carry on to enjoy dinner (on your own with our suggestions) in Lyon’s famous “bouchons,” the name given to traditional restaurants in Lyon where copious food is served in cozy dining rooms by bigger than life owners. Bouchons are boisterous and warm, a “must” while in Lyon. We hope you had a fabulous start to the trip!

  2. Lyon

    Chef's Market Tour, Cooking Class, Extraordinary Dinner at Bocuse

    Food stall in market
    Food stall in market
    • 5* Boutique hotel in Vieux Lyon
    • Full Breakfast, Cooking Class Lunch with wines, Michelin starred tasting menu dinner with wines
    • Private Sunset Cruise

    Enjoy breakfast at the hotel, and a later start today, to catch up on sleep. Today you will learn how to chop, mince, cut, dress, roast, and bake, like a French chef! Meet your private, professional chef, and start with a tour of the buzzing farmers market on the river Saone bank. The atmosphere is fantastic! After food shopping together, you will walk to his cute cooking school in the heart of the historic Renaissance district and enjoy a 3-hour hands-on class, followed by lunch served with wines. You will learn useful tips and entertaining anecdotes about French cooking. Your handsome chef Thierry has been trained at Ferrandi and Paul Bocuse’s institute and the experience while educational, is completely relaxed and friendly.

    The afternoon is free then, leaving you can explore Fourviere hill and its impressive basilica or pay a visit to the fine arts museum and its beautiful quiet cloister and garden decorated with sculptures, a restful haven in the city! This evening you will have ample time to get ready and dress up for tonight’s fantastic Michelin experience, a food and wine pairing dinner in the mecca of gastronomie française- Paul Bocuse Auberge du Pont de Collonges. This is the most famous Michelin starred restaurant in the world. It is not your chauffeur who will drive you there tonight, but your private captain! You will sail to Paul Bocuse’s restaurant on a small yacht, with a glass of champagne in your hand, admiring Lyon in a different light as you glide past colorful buildings and a mysterious island. A valet will welcome you as you step out of the boat and accompany you to this legendary restaurant located a couple of minutes walk away from the pier, on the riverbank. This is a once in a lifetime experience for food lovers; you will create wonderful memories here at this self-described culinary circus. Indeed, dinner is a beautiful show!

  3. Lyon

    Explore Lyon by Electric Bike & Fun Private Wine Workshop

    Église du Bon-Pasteur in La Croix-Rousse
    Église du Bon-Pasteur in La Croix-Rousse
    • 5* Boutique hotel in Vieux Lyon
    • Full Breakfast, Wine workshop with pairings
    • Electric Bike Tour, Private Chauffeur

    Today, you will explore some of Lyon’s most exciting areas on a relaxing, private bike tour, an excellent way to balance out all of the delicious, sumptuous cuisine you will be enjoying on this trip! Meet your guide, put your helmets on, and jump on your electric bicycles for a glorious ride along the Rhône river. You’ll cycle past the beautifully renovated quays, riverboats, and Lyon’s surprising outdoor Olympic swimming pool with its daring design from the sixties. Follow the river further south (don’t worry, the ride is gentle) until you reach the peninsula’s tip, the Confluent. This is where the river Saone and Rhone meet and where the impressive Musée des Confluence sits. If you’re interested in ethnography and natural science, you must pay a visit, and even if you’re not, take some time to admire the building itself, which is a statement of modern architecture. Follow the river bank and arrive in the renovated docks area “Confluence.” Depending on your preferences, you can enjoy a salad in a riverside restaurant, a wood-oven pizza in a trendy eatery or a gourmet sandwich in front of the river. Your guide will explain the area’s history and how it changed this last decade, from warehouses to environmental-friendly condos during the ride.

    In the afternoon, your guide will take you to the former silk-weaving district La Croix-Rousse hill, a bohemian-chic area with a multitude of cafés, boutiques, and beautiful views over the city below. Your bike guide will drop you off at a lovely venue, and take the bikes off your hands, freeing you up for the next activity. You will now meet your bubbly, American wine expert in her gorgeous home with traditional high ceilings (made extra high for the weaving looms the artisans used while working here it the 1800’s). Your super friendly and knowledgeable host will guide you through a fun wine workshop with a particular focus on the wines of the Rhône and Beaujolais (which you will be visiting on this trip). The wines will be paired with local cheese and charcuterie, but of course. And after an afternoon full of wine and laughter, your private chauffeur will whisk you back to your hotel for a rest. The night is yours, with all our tips for dining. Apart from the many Michelin restaurants and traditional bouchons, Lyon is also the home of many young chefs with a strong classic training and cooking experiences across the globe. All of them are deeply involved in sustainable sourcing and farm to table dining. We’ll make recommendations for fantastic dining with a twist, such as an acclaimed gourmet vegetarian restaurant or trendy French-Vietnamese bistro.

  4. Lyon - Vaux-en-Beaujolais – Villié-Morgon - Oingt - Lyon

    Beaujolais Wine Tour, Picnic in Vines, Rare Old Vintages, Vintage Bentley

    Domaine Gérard Brisson
    Domaine Gérard Brisson
    • 5* Boutique hotel in Vieux Lyon
    • Full Breakfast, Picnic Lunch with winemaker
    • Privately Chauffeured Mercedes and Vintage Bentley Vineyard Drive

    The verdant hills, medieval hamlets, and historic châteaux of the beautiful Beaujolais await you. This gorgeous wine region north of Lyon (and just south of Burgundy) specializes in fruity red wines made with the Gamay grape. Although the region is one of the oldest wine regions in France (vines were planted here by the Ancient Romans), until very recently, the Beaujolais wines were considered to be merely easy-going, light, everyday wines (not collector’s wines). However, many passionate winemakers are making increasingly excellent wines, and you will taste some of the best examples of Beaujolais being made today. Ten villages have attained “cru” status which going north to south include Juliénas, St-Amour, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Brouilly, and Côte de Brouilly.

    This morning your first visit is with a very friendly local winemaker, Jean-Luc, and you have an “insider’s experience” in store! Your driver will bring you to the village of Vaux-en-Beaujolais, nicknamed Clochemerle after a book written there in the 1930s, a social satire depicting countryside life in a small wine village at the time. You will spend the morning at a scenic vineyard with Jean-Luc, exploring the vines on a “vigneron walk,” visiting the winery, and tasting his white, red, and rosé Beaujolais, along with his sparkling Crémant. Then indulge in a picnic right in the vines with a bottle of Beaujolais Cru, this is what memories are made of. There is no better way to understand a region and its wines than to share the simple things in life together with a local. This is a charming, unstuffy glimpse of the true “art de vivre à la Française.” Carry on next to the Grand Cru village of Morgon, where you have another fun visit planned. We love Domaine Gérard Brisson for two reasons other than their great, rare old vintage Morgon cuvée wines. They are even more passionate about cheese than we are and offer a fantastic cheese and wine pairing, and secondly, they have top class vintage Bentleys available on site for a spin around the vines- both of which you will enjoy today!

    Before your driver takes you back to Lyon, you’ll have time to visit one or two of Beaujolais’s loveliest hamlets, such as Salles Arbuissonas, Oingt, or Saint-Amour. For dinner tonight, you might like to try a brasserie. For the full “Brasserie experience,” we recommend Brasserie Georges, an institution, where you can taste delicious choucroutes and their home-brewed beer!

  5. Lyon

    Chocolate Making Class, Gourmet Shopping, Michelin Starred Dinner

    Sève Chocolate Making Experience
    Sève Chocolate Making Experience
    • 5* Boutique hotel in Vieux Lyon
    • Full Breakfast, Gourmet Tastings, Chocolate Tasting
    • Privately chauffeured Mercedes

    If you’re an early riser and interested in antiques and vintage
    furniture and design, we highly recommend Lyon’s Puces du Canal
    (France’s second-biggest flea market, after Paris’s Puces de Saint-Ouen). There are few places as wonky, eccentric, and unbelievable as this famous market, with over 400 merchants, and you will most certainly find some gems. Your local food expert guide will take you gourmet shopping in the late morning, with some tastings included. Among other select locations, you will visit the exceptional Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse. This covered market is named after Bocuse and is a gourmet Mecca. Here Lyon’s chefs buy their top produce, and where the locals come for food splurges, the quality is top-notch, and this is one of the highest-end markets in France. Your guide will then escort you in the early afternoon to the mythical Sève Chocolate studio. A private, VIP chocolate making class with the one and only Maître Chocolatier Pâtissier Richard Sève himself, will be organized for you! This is fun, and you will learn some cool chocolate secrets, not to mention taste some goodies.

    The late afternoon is at leisure then to go sightseeing or relax with some spa treatments. If you are interested in film, we highly recommend the Lumière Brothers museum, dedicated to their invention of the “Cinématographe.” You could also enjoy a pleasant stroll in Parc de la Tête d’ or, Lyon’s oldest and most famous park with centennial trees, lake and rowboats, and tropical greenhouses. Freshen up at your hotel, and then you might like to have a pre-dinner drink at Les Muses wine bar on the opera house’s rooftop, where the well-heeled locals go. Tonight is your last dinner in Lyon and the best place to end your exploration of Lyonnaise cuisine. You will be wined and dined at La Mère Brazier; a two Michelin starred institution. Super talented executive chef Mathieu Vianney continues the tradition of legendary chef Eugénie Brazier (one of the female chefs who invented and perfected Lyonnaise cuisine) in a very talented and modern way.

  6. Lyon - Tain l' Hermitage - Millery

    Northern Rhône Wines and Sleep at the Château

    Sleep in the Wine Château
    Sleep in the Wine Château
    • Historic Wine Château
    • Full Breakfast, Lunch with wines, Cooking class dinner with wines
    • Privately chauffeured Mercedes

    Your chauffeur will sweep you away this morning to the Côte Rôtie in Northern Rhône, your last base for this week’s adventure. First up is the wine town of Tain l’ Hermitage, on the bank of river Rhône. A fabulous (gentle) hike in the most famous Syrah vines is on the agenda! With an amiable wine expert from the super-premium wine domaine Maison Delas, you’ll visit the famous Hermitage vineyards. Delas-Frères is a top-shelf producer in the Rhône with single vineyards and holdings in all the top sub-appellations in Northern Rhône such as Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Cornas, Saint Joseph, Saint Péray, and Condrieu. They also make renowned wines in Châteauneuf du Pape in Southern Rhône. An extraordinary wine tasting will be organized for you outside in a picturesque setting in the middle of the vineyards, with the majestic Rhône valley below. You will also see the tiny hermitage Chapel where the first stock of vine was planted by Knight Sterimberg, at least that’s how the legend goes! Back at the beautiful Delas house after the walk, you will taste more of their portfolio in a dedicated tasting room. Lunch will follow in a bucolic location overlooking the vines at Maison Gambert. This gastro bistro is excellent! Creative, colorful, fun cooking in a peaceful location.

    After lunch, you will have free time in Tain l’ Hermitage to get in some wine or chocolate shopping. This is after all the home of Valrhona, the Rolls Royce of Chocolate! In the afternoon then your chauffeur will bring you to your the last port of call on this fantastic food and wine-themed week- a private 17th-century château in Mont du Lyonnais in the Côteaux du Lyonnais wine country (midway between Lyon and Côte Rôtie). After settling in for a rest and free time for a siesta or a walk on the grounds, you will meet the owner who will take you to the stunning historic kitchen. Tonight you will enjoy a cooking class with a private chef. This is a gratifying, convivial, and relaxed way to conclude your vacation. Your dinner creations, along with the chef’s extras, will be served with fine estate wines after the class in a private salon. You will sleep on-site in a gorgeous room with ceiling frescoes and period furniture, magnifique!

  7. Millery- Lyon

    Au Revoir!

    See you again soon, Au Revoir
    See you again soon, Au Revoir!
    • None
    • Full Breakfast
    • Privately chauffeured Mercedes

    After a sumptuous, French Château breakfast, your driver will collect you to take you to Lyon’s airport or train station or your next port of call. If you wanted to extend this trip with a few more days in Burgundy, Paris, or Champagne, these all work logistically. We hope you had a truly spectacular time this week in Gourmet Lyon and its nearby wine country!

More information

If you would like us to customize an exclusive, luxury tour for you, get in touch with us and let us know your travel plans. We offer luxury food and wine tours for private groups of minimum 2 guests. All of our private, chauffeured tours are available year round upon request.

Contact us for your personalized quote!
Cellar Tours Private Luxury Food & Wine Tours

Cellar Tours

Cellar Tours is a Luxury Travel Specialist, operating since 2003 and offering exclusive Mercedes chauffeured Gourmet Vacations in Chile, France, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, South Africa, and Spain. We specialize in luxurious custom designed vacations, events and incentives related to food and wine. We are proud members of Slow Food, UNAV (Travel Agency Association in Spain), and the IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals).

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