My husband and I just returned from France where we spent three days in Lyon--our first visit. I was especially intrigued by the traboules and found a tour on TripAdvisor "Lyon Highlights & Secrets Walking Guided Tour". For the two of us, it cost $72.50 for a three-hour tour by Toni. Toni was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Not only did he show us several traboules, the Vieux Lyon, past noteworthy restaurants and wine bars, but he also took us up the funicular to Croix Rousse and regaled us with the history of that area of Lyon. Finally, after the tour, he sent further information via WhatsApp about bouchons and other sights in Lyon. I can't recommend this tour enough. It is limited to only @ 12 people, so it's intimate and everyone gets to ask their questions with detailed answers from Toni.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g187265-d17306770-Lyon_Highlights_Secrets_Walking_Guided_Tour_small_group_including_Funicular-Lyon_R.html
Posted by
Last Frontier aka Alaska 🏔️
3227 posts
Awesome, I am making a note of it for a future visit!
Posted by
Idaho, USA
7308 posts
Lindy, we really enjoyed Lyon and would be happy to return again. Something I appreciate about your link is that it will allow solo travelers to sign up! So many tours require at least two people for each reservation, even if it’s an available group tour. Sounds like a very nice tour.
Something fun - I reserved a historical quirky place to stay, and we ended up staying in a traboule! It was one where the front heavy wood door was locked, so people couldn’t walk past our place unless they lived there. The inside stone walkway had an abandoned feel to it, and our place was up a huge stone spiral staircase - so interesting & memorable!
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
700 posts
What was the name of the quirky place you stayed?
Posted by
OP
906 posts
Jean, your experience is the stuff dreams are made of! I would have loved staying in a traboule!
Posted by
Idaho, USA
7308 posts
Diane & Lindy, it was seven years ago, so I’m not sure if it’s still available. Here’s what I wrote about Lyon for the forum, and the link was specifically about our lodging there.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france-reviews/loved-this-unique-hotel-in-lyon
Lyon – I posted earlier about our hotel apartment in the Vieux Lyon area – a highlight and historical experience! We loved this town with the medieval old streets & Traboules to explore. Highly recommend the Gallo-Roman Museum & the Lumiere Museum. We also went to the Fine Arts Museum and the Tissues (Fabrics) museum. We bought two separate 1-Day Metro/Funicular passes for Days 1 & 3 and walked all over exploring the Traboules, medieval streets, market and Bellecour-to-Hotel de Ville area during Day 2. During our walking day, we enjoyed exploring all of the way back up to the Fourviere area near the Roman ruins and back down through some gardens. We had planned to see the Tete d’Or Parc, but the weather in Lyon was colder overcast with light rain. Summary: highly recommend Lyon for its diversity of things to do – Traboules, funiculars, museums, shops, etc.
Posted by
Idaho, USA
7308 posts
Oh, the place is still advertising; it is this one! On the photos, ours had the world map room divider & curved arch ceiling ribs similar to the ceiling of a crypt, and it was on the floor above ground level. The bed with the cheetah blanket and the traditional windows is it! (Some of the windows in other rooms to select look updated and may not be faced inwards towards the traboule for this unique experience.)
https://www.myboutiquehotel.com/en/boutique-hotels-lyon/mon-hotel-particulier.html