★★★★★
Private day by vintage Land Rover
Collected from our Lyon flat, then 40 minutes to a château to swap into the Land Rover. Wine and cheese on a hilltop in the vines, a four-course lunch, and no driving for us all day.
Eleanor D. · June 2024
Private Beaujolais Crus Day by Vintage Land Rover
The crus, northBelleville station, 9 amYour group onlyLunch included
The day to book if you want the northern crus to yourselves, with lunch in the fare and nobody watching the clock. You take the train from Lyon to Belleville, about 35 minutes, and meet your guide at the station at 9 am. From there a vintage Land Rover takes your party through the crus, to a lunch in the vines and back.
The northern crus in a day of your own
A train, or a car from Lyon
Courtesy return train tickets on request, or a paid car transfer from your door.
Your party only
Private and tailor-made, so the stops bend to what you want to see.
Lunch in the fare
A barbecue or picnic in the vines, weather allowing, or a restaurant.
Five cru villages
Fleurie, Saint-Amour-Bellevue, Chénas, Juliénas and Régnié-Durette.
A chapel and an abbey
A painted 12th-century chapel and the Cluniac abbey at Salles-Arbuissonnas.
5.0 from 89 reviews
Every one of them four or five stars.
Belleville station at 9: the train from Lyon or a car
This day starts in the vineyards, not in Lyon. On request the operator sends you courtesy return train tickets from Lyon, with a timetable and directions. The ride to Belleville-sur-Saône takes about 35 minutes. Your guide meets you at the station at 9 am, and at the end of the day gets you back in time for your train into Lyon.
If you would rather not take the train, you can pay for a return car transfer from Lyon instead. One guest was collected from their flat and driven about 40 minutes to a château, where the Land Rover was waiting. Still comparing every Beaujolais reservation option? The fares from Lyon sit side by side, private and shared.
The northern crus by vintage Land Rover
The route runs through the north of the region, where the crus grow. You stop in Fleurie, then in Saint-Amour-Bellevue for its medieval church, and in Chénas for a château with a First World War story. In Juliénas you drink a glass with local growers in an old church turned into a wine cellar. The road also passes Mont Brouilly, whose chapel has stood on the summit since 1854.
After lunch you stop in Régnié-Durette at a 12th-century chapel whose wall paintings were found under plaster in the 1980s. Then comes the Cluniac abbey at Salles-Arbuissonnas, where you may well have the place to yourselves, and the Château de Nervers to finish. About an hour and twenty minutes of the day is driving.
Because the day is private, the plan bends. The operator tailors it to what you like, and the ten crus of the Beaujolais are close enough together that most of them fit into one day.
Lunch in the vines: barbecue, picnic or restaurant
Lunch is in the fare, and it is the part guests remember. Weather allowing, you eat in the middle of the vines at the Domaine de la Madone, with a barbecue or a picnic you agree beforehand; otherwise it is a local restaurant. One guest had a four-course lunch; another watched a barbecue cooked for them in the vineyard.
Earlier in the day the guide stops in a vineyard to open a few bottles, with local cold cuts and cheese. Water and soft drinks, including local grape juice, are there all day. Tell the operator about any dietary needs at least two days before you travel.
How the eight hours run
- 9 am, Belleville station. Off the train from Lyon, or out of the car from your door.
- Fleurie, 10 minutes. The first cru village, with its wine shops.
- Saint-Amour-Bellevue, 20 minutes. A medieval church and the story that brings couples back.
- Chénas, 10 minutes. A château and its First World War anecdote.
- Juliénas, 20 minutes. A glass with local growers in a church turned wine cellar.
- Domaine de la Madone, 1 hour 30. Lunch in the vines, weather allowing, past Mont Brouilly on the way.
- Régnié-Durette, 20 minutes. The 12th-century chapel with its rediscovered paintings.
- Salles-Arbuissonnas, 45 minutes. The Cluniac abbey, often empty of other visitors.
- Château de Nervers, then the station. A last stop, and back in time for your train.
Who this suits: a private day with lunch in the fare
Book this if
You want the northern crus at your own pace, with a long lunch in the vines and no driving. It suits couples on a special trip, families (children from seven take grape juice and soft drinks), and friends who like old cars and back roads. It is also listed as wheelchair accessible.
Book something else if
You want a smoother ride: the private Signature day collects you from your Lyon address at 10 am, with lunch in the fare. You have only half a day: the private Defender half day costs $250 a person. You are going in winter: the winter day from Mâcon starts with mulled wine. You want a shared day at a lower fare: the crus full day leaves Place Bellecour at 9 am. Every private day sits on private beaujolais tours.
What the fare covers and what it doesn't
In the fare
- Wine tastings along the way (alcoholic beverages)
- Snacks: local cold cuts and cheese with the tasting
- Lunch (a restaurant, or a barbecue or picnic in the vines)
- Bottled water and non-alcoholic drinks such as local grape juice
Not in the fare
- Nothing listed: the tastings, lunch, water and snacks are all in the fare; wine you buy to take home is yours to pay
Meeting your guide at Belleville-sur-Saône
Meet your guide at Belleville-sur-Saône station, 15 boulevard Gambetta, Belleville-en-Beaujolais, at 9 am. Ask for the courtesy return train tickets when you book, and the operator sends them with a timetable and directions from Lyon. The ride takes about 35 minutes; check the train for your date before you book it.
The day ends back at the same station, timed for an easy train into Lyon. If you choose the paid car transfer instead, you are collected in Lyon and driven out to meet the Land Rover.
Know before you go
- It is a vintage car. It is not the ride for anyone who dislikes being driven in an old vehicle.
- Under-18s drink soft. Children are served only non-alcoholic drinks, such as local grape juice.
- Weather can move it. If the operator cancels for bad weather, you get another date or a full refund.
- Two days' notice for food. Give dietary needs at least two days ahead for the lunch.
- Made to measure. Tell your guide what you like, and the stops change to suit you.
- Priced per person. The fare is for each traveller, and only your party rides.
What travellers say about the Land Rover day
★★★★★
Private day by vintage Land Rover
A few producers, some fine views, and a barbecue cooked for us in the vineyard while we drank the wine.
Robert L. · August 2024
★★★★★
Private day by vintage Land Rover
Six stars if we could: excellent wine, the kindest people and an outstanding lunch.
Micael T. · September 2024
Frequently asked questions
Is lunch included?
Yes. Weather allowing it is a barbecue or picnic in the vines at the Domaine de la Madone, otherwise a local restaurant. Snacks, water and soft drinks are in the fare too.
How do I get to Belleville from Lyon?
By train: the operator provides courtesy return tickets on request, and the ride takes about 35 minutes. You can also pay for a return car transfer from Lyon.
Can children come?
Yes, from age seven. Children are served only non-alcoholic drinks, such as local grape juice, and the day is stroller accessible.
Is the Land Rover comfortable?
It is a vintage car, so it rides like one. If you want a modern vehicle, the crus full day travels in an air-conditioned minivan from Place Bellecour.
Is it wheelchair accessible?
Yes. The day and the transport are listed as wheelchair accessible, and strollers are fine too.
What if the weather is bad?
The day depends on the weather. If the operator cancels for it, you are offered another date or a full refund.
Other ways into the Beaujolais vineyards
Ready for the crus by Land Rover?
Check dates for the 9 am start at Belleville station, with free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Check availability