Mr & Mrs Smith

Le Vieux Moulin on Chemin du Vieux Moulin in Alix (+33 (0)4 78 43 91 66; www.lemoulindalix.com) is a stone-built Rhôneside mill, where you can fill up on mustardy sausages or frogs’ legs. Request a table in the conservatory at Les Terrasses de Pommiers at 706 montée de Buisante in Pommiers (+33 (0)4 74 65 05 27; www.terrasses-de-pommiers.com), where beautiful Beaujolais views accompany classic cuisine such as roasted sea bream or fillet of beef. Exposed brickwork and low beamed ceilings create a cottagey feel at La Vieille Auberge, at 201 rue Paul Causeret in Oingt (+33 (0)4 74 71 28 79; www.la-vieille-auberge-restaurant.fr). The food is simple (chicken with cream of mushrooms, andouillette), but superb in flavour. Just north of Lyon, L’Auberge de l’Ile on Place Notre Dame, L’Ile Barbe (+33 (0)4 78 83 99 49; www.aubergedelile.com) is a romantic 17th-century house serving divine dishes such as foie gras ravioli and slow-poached cod in garlic cream. Guy Lassausaie, on Rue de Belle Cise in Chasselay, is another excellent option with a contemporary atmosphere (+33 (0)4 78 47 62 59; www.guy-lassausaie.com).

Vines grow all around Bagnols. Ask the concierge to point you towards a friendly cave for tastings.

June–July Lyon’s Roman amphitheatre hosts Les Nuits de Fourvière (www.nuitsdefourviere.fr), a month-long performing arts festival. November The third Thursday of the month sees Beaujeu’s townsfolk flock to taste the year’s Beaujolais Nouveau; the first barrel is pierced at midnight, after a procession of burning torches made from the dead vines – known as the Fête des Sarmentelles (www.rhonealpes-tourism.co.uk). December The Festival of Light is held just before New Year in Lyon, when windows are lit with candles and there is a lantern procession through the city. Concerts and operas are held at the same time (www.lyon-france.com).