Lyon, France Recommendations 3 days (August)

You can do your own tour of the Traboules. We stayed in Vieux Lyon and it was easy to do.

I would also suggest taking the boat over to the Confluence area. It is very interesting.

We ate at La Prairal. It was near Vieux Lyon, but I think it has moved to Confluence.

My husband's parents live outside Lyon. We went to the Resistance museum last summer (we left early sadly - hope to return this summer). Everything is in french inside from what I remember - they do have audio guide and you cannot take backpacks inside the exhibits - however they do have a bag check which is very nice! Very reasonable price and they accept credit cards. My husband, who is french, wasn't impressed with the museum at all. I'm more into history so that is probably why I'd like to return.

Old Lyon is very beautiful. Make sure to try some praline brioche. Ride the funicular and visit Notre-Dame de Fourvière. They opened a brand new restaurant / cafe next door which has beautiful views looking out over Lyon.

Tete d'or is magical - be sure to try and see some red squirrels. Well worth exploring all the trails and visiting the zoo as well.

We had a great dinner at Cafe Terroir in Lyon. The chef is Jean-François Têtedoie (son of legendary Christian).

Try and spend some time walking around the new part of Lyon (Confluence). It's quite the contrast!

A couple of other museums in the area to look at:

Lumiere Museum: very interesting museum on early photography and cinema in the former home of the Lumiere brothers, pioneers of cinema in Europe.

If you're at all interested in motor cars, I'd recommend the Malartre Museum of vintage cars at Rochetaillee sur Saone, a smaller town outside the city with frequent buses to/from central Lyon.

To see several of the places on your list, there's a free walking tour (2-1/2 hours) which we've taken and would recommend: https://freetourcommunity.com/tours/lyon/

Our guide was excellent, and took us to 8-9 traboules - each with their own unique character - as well as thru Vieux Lyon, various churches and Roman structures. It meets at Terreaux Square, where the first history lesson shared is the plaza's focal-point, 'Chariot of Freedom', a sculpture/fountain by Bartholdi; his first work following Statue of Liberty.

We had two great meals while in Lyon over a weekend. One at Paul Becuse's Brasserie Le Sud, and another at Bouchon Les Lyonnais. Recommend them both over your three-day visit. Good travels!

If the visiter center is offering guided Traboule tours or if someone can recommend a guide I'd do that as many of the more beautiful Traboules closed during CovID and the residents are using that to block further visits. We did them on our own and it was fine (be sure to go to the ones on La Croix-Russe as they are singular and are definitely still open to visit). There are several beautiful ones open in old town but many of the beautiful ones you see in pictures are not accessible; some guides are able to visit.

You can visit the Roman ruins after taking the funicular to the Basilica. We did that and then walked back down to the Soane.

We don't like to pay the ridiculous cost of hotel breakfasts and found a coffee shop with good coffee (not a given in France where the coffee is often kind of terrible) on the street that led to the foot bridge over the Soane to old town. Also the bouchon Bouchon Lyonnaise just across the footbridge was very good. It was our best bouchon experience. good food and good service -- be sure to reserve everywhere you want to eat.

Hi All,
First time traveler, I'm learning the ropes! Based on this thread, I booked a "free" tour at the link Matt provided. My question is, obviously it is not really free. How much do you tip per person for this type of experience (range)? Even if the tour is poor, which I don't expect it to be, I would tip for their time. Thanks.

My question is, obviously it is not really free. How much do you tip
per person for this type of experience (range)? Even if the tour is
poor, which I don't expect it to be, I would tip for their time.

For the 2.5-hr tour in Lyon I gave our guide €25 (for two participants). There were about 9-10 folks in our group, not sure if what we gave was the 'going rate' but he seemed appreciative.

Be aware that the Resistance Museum is closed 2 days of the week. I think Monday and Tuesday.i didn't check and we missed it

If you get a Lyon City Card a free tour is included. We went straight to the TI on arrival to get our cards and book our tour. It was a good one hour tour and I think it included 3 traboules. No need to tip the guide although a few people gave modest tips. The card also gave free transportation and museum discounts. I think the website with info about the card is en.visiterlyon.com.

I would not recommend the Bocuse restaurants - overpriced for the mediocre food. Try some of the less well-known restaurants. We took a bus tour of the Traboules area and found it quite interesting. Peter