Local knowledge

Taxis

In towns, pick one up from a taxi rank or hail one on the street. If you’re travelling in more remote areas, try to book a car in advance – or prepare for a long walk.

Tipping culture

Restaurant and café bills usually include a service charge (service compris) but it’s customary to leave a small tip. For taxi drivers, add 10 per cent to the metered charge.

Siesta and fiesta

Many restaurants close after 2pm and reopen in the afternoon around 4pm; some are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Small shops also break for lunch, even in Lyon; most close on Sunday.

Packing tips

Credit cards, for gourmet treats and shopping sprees in Lyon. A notebook for jotting down recipe ideas. Running shoes – the food is so good that you’ll have to up your fitness regime to cope.

Recommended reads

French Women Don’t Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano (for the non-runners among you); Bocuse’s Regional French Cooking, a culinary must-read by one of the country’s foremost chefs; Tracy Chevalier’s beautifully woven tale of tapestry, The Lady and the Unicorn.

Cuisine

Haute! Haute! Haute! This patch of French soil has more (Michelin) stars than the Milky Way. Highly prized local ingredients include tender Charolais beef and excellent wines, including Chablis, Burgundy and, of course, Beaujolais.

Regional specialities

Vine and bovine are perfectly married in the region’s characteristic boeuf bourguignon; coq au vin is another classic. Cheese lovers should try Epoisses, a pungent creamy number said to have been Napoleon’s favourite. Follow the chefs to Lyon’s covered market, Les Halles, to sniff out what’s cooking in a restaurant near you, from boudin noir to foie gras; or you may prefer to follow your nose on a countryside tour of wineries.

Currency

Euro (€).

Time zone

GMT +1.

Dialling codes

Country code for France: 33. Beaujolais and Lyon: (0)4.

Do go/don't go

Visit in May to see cherry blossom in bloom, or during the autumn harvest when turning leaves give the region a spectacular colour. Summer in the city can be hot and humid, but never overwhelmingly so. The third Wednesday of November sees the town of Beaujeu come together to get a first taste of the year’s Beaujolais Nouveau. The winter months can be rainy.