How much time in Lyon

With 2 little children, I think I'd choose Lyon. I've made several visits to each, and love Annecy as well as Lyon, but I think there would be more to interest children in Lyon. For one, there's the Parc de Tete d'Or, which is a beautiful park and has a great zoo. There's also the Museum of Miniatures, which I loved and I'm sure children would too. But whichever you choose, you wouldn't need a car, and in Lyon you wouldn't need or want a car.

Lyon is really great. There is a city card that is a terrific value.

Lyon is also often logistically brilliant too, depending on where you are going next. For example, there are direct trains that will get you to Charles deGaulle in 2 hours.

Thanks! So if we're going from Avignon to Annecy- would you train or drive? Then from Annecy to Lyon- train or drive? (We love trains so that is a great option- just not sure if we "need" a to get to Annecy from Avignon easily?) Sounds like we definitely will turn in our car as soon as we get to Lyon, if we have not already and spend 2 days there!

In Lyon, make sure you take metro line D and stand in the front of the first car. It's driverless, so as Rick says, you feel like you're piloting your own starship. Lots of fun for me and I'm much older than 10 - your kids will love it.

Rick's France book has a very good chapter on Lyon - look at it to see what interests you and your kids. I do second the recommendation for the Parc de Tete d'Or - on a nice day, all kinds of people go there and it's very nice.

Try to have a Saturday morning. The crafts market (west bank) and farmers market (east bank) were outstanding.

With children, definitely Lyon.

There's much the children will enjoy.

Before you decide to drop the car, if you're proceeding to your next destination by car, find out the difference between parking the car and turning it in and picking up another.

There's a good reason to keep the car - to visit many of the spectacular murals. See

http://www.lyon.fr/page/decouvrir-lyon/balades-en-ville/les-murs-peints.html

I have a terrific brochure with a (more extensive) list and their locations. One of my favorites is rue des grands Chefs. It's a bit of a distance from Lyon, so being able to drive there would be a definite advantages (as opposed to a costly taxi ride).

I cannot find the brochure on the web, but it's a pdf document I can attach to an e-mail if you wish.

As mentioned, the Parc de la Tête d’Or is magnificent, but quite awkward to get to via public transportation, but there's parking.

http://www.lyon.fr/lieu/lieux-danimation/parc-de-la-tete-dor.html

Scoll down and click on the map.

We really enjoyed Musée Cinéma et Miniature. Your children would probably enjoy it even more so.

http://www.museeminiatureetcinema.fr/accueil_eng.html

Not to be missed is Cathedral Saint Jean Baptiste. There's parking, so a car would be very convenient. Note: There's a terrace to the left of the dining rooms of the restaurant across the street, where you can enjoy beverages, snacks, ice cream, etc. Most people walk right by or presume the place is closed between dining hours.

Visiting a few traboules would be great fun, if there's time. Have a look on You Tube.

There's a hop on/hop off bus.

http://www.lyoncitytour.fr/en/lyon-bus-tour/lyon-tour/

If the weather is pleasant for enjoying the panoramic views from seats on the open air upper level, for me, it's worth the cost for a ride all over viewing all the fabulous scenery, even if you don't do much hopping off.

Lyon is a great place for feeding kids as there are plenty of casual, inexpensive, dining places. La Pêcherie (right across from one of the hop off stops, serves a plate of Croque Monsieur cut into four rounds (very cute and delicious). The kids could probably share two orders, or even one if you're ordering another plate. Awesome terrace right on the river.

We really enjoyed the Ibis Lyon Centre Perrache. Very modern, large rooms (you'd probably have to book two rooms), excellent, friendly service. You'd have to book two rooms.

There's inexpensive parking next to the train station, an easy walk from the hotel. There's also lots of street parking. There were always spaces available while we were there. You'd want to check with the hotel for details.

http://www.q-park-resa.fr/en/car-park/lyon/Gare-Perrache-La-Confluence.html

Oh my goodness this is immensely helpful!! We will stay there on a Saturday and Sunday and depart for Paris on Monday ( we will try to be there on a Saturday morning great suggestion!) We typically have to stay in an Airbnb because we have so many little ones and it's more comfortable than booking two hotels which can also get very pricey. As I am looking for this I need to figure out which Arrondissement makes the most sense based on all of your wonderful suggestions?!

I lived in Lyon for three years. The 1st or 2nd arrondissments are where most tourists stay. Those are in the central part of Lyon and there are lots of sites to visit in the area. Vieux Lyon (old Lyon) is in the extreme eastern part of the 5th arrondissement across the Saône from the 2nd and is another tourist magnet.

Despite what another commenter suggested, I would not recommend staying near Gare Perrache with young children. While I love the area and lived there for a time, it's common to encounter prostitutes and drug dealers in the area.

If you have a car for your trip, you might consider a half day excursion to Pérouges near Lyon. It's a medieval village that is pretty cool to see, especially for little tykes if they were briefed beforehand on knights and musketeers, and so on. There have been three different musketeers movies filmed there between the 1920s and 1960s, and once you visit it's not hard to imagine why.