2 Best Sights in Lyon and the Alps, France

Tournon's hefty Château, dating to the 15th and 16th centuries, is the chief attraction. The castle's twin terraces have wonderful views of the Vieille Ville, the river, and—towering above Tain-l'Hermitage across the Rhône—the steep vineyards that produce Hermitage wine, one of the region's most refined, and costly, reds. In the Château is a museum of local history, the Musée Rhodanien.

A ride on one of France's last steam trains, the Chemin de Fer du Vivarais, makes an adventurous two-hour, 33-km (21-mile) trip along the narrow, rocky Doux Gorges to Lamastre and back to Tournon. Check the website for a complete train schedule.