Is Lyon worth an over nite stop?

Yes a brief stop,is nice. Go to the hill see the church enjoy the views from there make your way to the art museum below, see and enjoy.

Thanks for posting this; we've been considering the same thing. Our RS Eastern France tour ends in Aix-en-Provence, and we're thinking about flying home out of Paris. Someone suggested staying in Lyon for a night or two, then taking the train from there to the airport.

We stayed two nights in Lyon and enjoyed our time there. The Vieux Lyon (Old Town) and taking the funicular up to the hill to see the cathedral & view, seeing the wonderful Gallo-Roman museum that includes an amphitheater in that area, and walking back down through the medieval streets would be the top priority for your short time. Also, the traboules are so interesting - both visually and the history! We were able to stay in an apartment that was in one of the traboules - loved it!

I booked the apartment through Booking.com. The title is “Mon Hotel Particulier”, and we stayed in the rooms with the beautiful arched ancient ceiling and globe map partition. It was such a fun experience that my husband emailed a video of me walking to our room - from the thick street door up to our room and sent it to our adult children.

For me the Roman ruins were the attraction so I spent a day at Lyon's sights and another day to see Vienne and the medieval town of Perouges. Three nights in all and I didn't feel I was there too long.

I visited the Basilica on the hill. It's a pretty church but not old enough for my tastes (19th century).

I would have liked to have found a traditional bouchon and seen some of the passages - I didn't end up finding either. Next time.

Brad, for your search for a bouchen, we had a couple in the Vieux Lyon area on the Rue de Boeuf street.

Yes, for all the reasons above, Lyon is definitely worth an overnight stop and
I'm pretty sure you'll be wishing you had more time there.

Definitely worth an overnight stop (or more). But do some research before and decide what areas or things you want to see. There's an awful lot worth seeing in Lyon.

There's plenty to see--the argument against (which may not apply to you) is that you can't see much on an overnight (restaurants and hotels mostly) so is it worth fragmenting your trip or would you be better off adding the half day to Paris?

Not mentioned in the other posts is the Resistance Museum, Art Museum and Opera House,we spent four nights and returning in April.
Mike

Absolutely! You can go to the TI and sign up for one of the walking tours to learn about the hidden alleyways and traboules.

I would figure out which Michelin starred restaurant I want to visit and make a reservation. Lyon has the most of any city I believe. (And not all Michelin rated restaurants are overly expensive.)

Been to Lyon twice, usually 1-2 nights there, absolutely worth the stop, a nice walkable city, and some of the best food in France. The Bouchons are a great dining experience.

spend a full day in lyon, that is, two nites, the town center is full of character and visually interesting. nicholas

Lyon has the most of any city I believe.

While there is great dining in Lyon, it's dwarfed by Paris for Michelin starred restaurants, as well as by many other European and Asian cities. The best places to explore there are probably the bouchons.

You're trading off more time in Paris and maybe you can live with that. See also advice to and report from Mike Beebe last year:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/lyon-vs-chartres-one-day-destination-deathmatch

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/one-saturday-in-lyon-a-fool-and-his-itinerary

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/ode-to-a-mangosteen-adventures-in-paris-special-lyon-edition