Well ok, since you asked for it
Although I have friends who live in Lyon, I never really spent time there. To me it's just another city. And if you want to see a nice city, do Paris. It's expensive, picturesque, cheesy, culturally vibrant, dangerous, and romantic all at once. They even speak quite a bit of English over there nowadays, unlike 5 years ago.
If your itinerary is only to and from Paris to Lyon with Dijon in the middle, then other than what I mentioned, most other places I know are quite out of the way. If you stay at a villa or a chateau though, then it really matters how much you're paying and not so much a location, all of France is mostly quite beautiful, and the people in the countryside are mostly quite friendly. Just don't run into France's version of 'ah bengs', unlike our local breed, the French version steal cars and carry knives, and they love picking on people who are not white.
If you have time, I really suggest Grenoble. All French combined with the alps make for a fabulous place to wake up to. There is a monastery near there, on top a mountain clearing, which you can write to, they run a guesthouse where you can stay for a couple of days. I think they're called, La Salette if IIRC. You don't really have to be Catholic, they're quite open there. It is a very beautiful place, even the sample pictures are jaw dropping I think.
Other than that, not much more to add.