9 Best Stops Between Lyon and Bordeaux
The direct drive from Lyon to Bordeaux is 344 mi (553 km) and takes about 4 hr 48 min without stops. Instead of powering through, here are the stops that turn this drive into part of the vacation, composed by Vaut le Détour, updated regularly.
Stops worth the detour on this route
sites préhistoriques et grottes ornées de la vallée de la Vézère · Montignac-Lascaux
Among Europe's richest concentrations of prehistoric art, with Font-de-Gaume and Abri du Cap Blanc decorated between 18,000 and 12,000 years ago.
Brantôme en Périgord · Brantôme en Périgord
Benedictine abbey founded in the seventh century along a bend of the Dronne, with troglodyte crypt and Romanesque church.
Charroux · Charroux
Fourteenth-century medieval bastide ringed by circular ramparts and graced with a flamboyant collegiate church.
Where to stop for lunch
Bistrot du marché Uzerche
L'Andelys
Le Bouche à Oreilles
Opening hours verified at composition time. Vaut le Détour only suggests tables that are actually open at your real arrival time.
Where to stay on this route
At the other end, the centre of Bordeaux books up early in season. We only show places rated above 8 out of 10.
🛏️ See places to stay in BordeauxPartner link: booking through it supports Vaut le Détour at no extra cost to you. A partnership never buys a place in our selections.
Along the way: what you'd drive past without knowing
On the road, Vaut le Détour tells the stories of the places you pass, read aloud while you drive. A taste:
The famous corrugated glass panels striping the façade weren't designed by Le Corbusier but by Iannis Xenakis, a contemporary composer who transformed his musical scales and rhythms into a visual score of concrete—making this the only architectural work ever conceived as a musical staff.
In 1900, the Michelin brothers handed out their first guide for free to France's 3,000 motorists to get them driving more and wearing out their tires faster—never dreaming they'd invented global gastronomic tourism or that one day their stars would drive certain chefs to suicide.
Nestled on the Millevaches plateau, this 2,000-soul town harbors an 11th-century Romanesque abbey sheltering one of the nation's premier contemporary art centers—where avant-garde installations stand beside thousand-year-old pillars, just steps from Corrèze's highest peak.
With your schedule, your crew (kids included), your tastes, your car, gas or electric. Free, in English.
Frequently asked questions
- How long is the drive from Lyon to Bordeaux?
- The direct drive from Lyon to Bordeaux is 344 mi (553 km) and takes about 4 hr 48 min in normal traffic. With a lunch stop and one or two visits along the way, plan on a full day: the drive then becomes a real part of the vacation.
- What is there to see between Lyon and Bordeaux?
- The stops truly worth the detour on this route: sites préhistoriques et grottes ornées de la vallée de la Vézère, Brantôme en Périgord, Charroux.
- Where should I stop for lunch between Lyon and Bordeaux?
- Around 12:06, for example Bistrot du marché Uzerche, in the heart of Uzerche. Vaut le Détour verifies the restaurant is open at your real arrival time.
- Is this route doable with kids, or in an electric car?
- Yes: the planner adapts visits and guides to children (age-based challenges), schedules lunch earlier, and for EVs guarantees charging stops, ideally during a meal or a visit, with charger price comparison.