Traveling to Lyon

The most scenic areas are the "Vieux Lyon" area on the western bank of the river Saone and the Croix-Rousse area running up the steep hill of the same name between the two rivers.

The Beaux-Arts museum has a pretty good art collection. Specialist museums that are very good if you are interested in the subject are the Gallo-Roman museum and the nearby Roman theatre, the Lumiere Brothers museum of early cinema, one of the best Resistance and Deportation exhibits in France, and the Malartre car museum in Rochetaillee, a smaller town that can be reached by Lyon city buses.

Hi from Wisconsin,
FOOD. Lyon is the capital for food in France. It doesn't have to be Michellin. But do some on line searching for good, really good restaurants. Don't be fooled by much of Tripsdvisors recommendations.

You will have to eat no matter what. You are in France. Better yet you will be in Lyon. You might as well eat well. Lunch time, the meals are just as special and prices are often below 20 euros. Only downside is that they may only offer 2 or 3 specials. But we haven't been disappointed at the good restaurants.

Wayne iNWI

I wonder what your interests are, Carol.

Lyon has a lot to offer. It's a pretty diverse metropolitan area. Some additional information about what you find interesting would be very helpful; otherwise, folks would just be offering random advice that aligns with their interests but that may correlate not at all to your interests.

By the way, the last time I was in Steilacoom was for a project meeting at the Abitibi plant there. Long closed by now, I suspect. Nice location though.

The Lyon chapter of Rick Steves' France is rather succinct (no rambling walking tour or museum tour descriptions) but it does cover all the typical highlights (also summarized under At a Glance at https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/france/lyon).

Hello Carol,

If you list your interests people could be more specific, but -

1) Take the funicular to the top of Fourviere hill and check out the churches and the Roman theaters. If you have any interest the Roman theater museum is very good. There are many pleasant parklike walks at the the top and walking down is an interesting stroll - depending on your walking downhill tolerance - or take the metro back down.
2) Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse - the fancy food stores and eateries that bear the name of Lyon's most famous chef. The bus runs down there from the edge of old town but the walk isn't bad either.
3) There are many markets in town. The morning market that runs between Bonaparte and Maréchal-Juin along the riverfront is a fun wander - Marché Saint-Antoine. Fruits, veg, meats, flowers etc most days but textiles and other things Mondays.
4) Downtown Lyon - especially around Place des Célestins and towards Place Bellecour are absolutely packed with small and medium sized fashionable womens clothing stores and boutiques if you want to engage in the French pass time of 'window licking'.
5) Chase the Traboules - the old silk tunnels to investigate old Lyon.

Unless you're very interested in textiles - especially silk - and weaving Lyon doesn't have anything unique or really in-depth but is a great city. Check out the Lyon Pass - especially if you're going to be there more than one day - it covers all mass transit and most museums and sites. You can buy it at a discount before you go and pick it up there - it might be worth it.

Have a great trip!
=Tod

Bonjour!
This is kind of embarrassing but the two reasons I chose the city is because there is a chocolate factory there (Bernachon) that makes the most DIVINE chocolate bars (only sold there, in Japan and at L'Etoile d'Or in Paris) and someone on our last tour said it was a great place to visit. I am in transit to Paris from a Southern France yoga retreat and I am interested in bakeries, museums, good food in general for a decent price and just inhaling the city. I am staying at an Air BnB in Lyon Vieux, so that is a good start. I will not have a car, arriving by train, although renting for a day for a trip outside the city is not discounted. All of the replies so far have been most helpful and I appreciate them so-o-o much. Merci beaucoup.

Yes food. My experience was not every restaurant that labeled itself a Bouchon was really a Bouchon. I'd work with your lodging to get reservations at decent restaurants. There are a lot of excellent choices but the good ones are usually full, without reservations you may be disappointed.

I liked the old center (Vieux Lyon). I also really like the Roman theaters and museum. Be sure to take the funicular rather than try to walk up the hill (it's really steep, even for avid walkers) and make sure your lodging isn't on the slope. It's flat from the funicular to the river, my favorite area. Second favorite is immediately across the river from there (between rivers).

Nearby the town of Perouges is almost too perfect of medieval town. The roads seem too wide to be authentic. I'm guessing they may have pulled some weeds to get it to the current configuration but it really is a perfectly beautiful medieval town.

Another choice is Oingt but I haven't been.

To the south is Vienne, which has a lot of Roman ruins and a Roman museum.

I agree that Rick's Lyon chapter is a good summary of what there is to see and do in the city. The one thing he missed that I enjoyed was the Parc de la Tête d'Or, a very nice park outside the center but easily accessible by transit. I went on a nice day, and there was a great variety of people enjoying it.

Hi Carol,

Since you're interested in Bernachon, which makes very good chocolate, you'll probably be visiting their store and café. They're located in my old neighborhood in the sixth arrondissement.

About a 10 minute walk from there is possibly the best bakery in town, tucked into a residential area. I used to live down the street from the bakery, and the lines outside were formidable, especially on Sunday mornings. In my humble opinion, their baguette tradition is the best baguette I've ever had in France, in North America, anywhere, really. Boulangerie Patisserie Cartellier is run by Philippe Cartellier and is located at 38 rue Crequi.

Insider tip: when busy, there are two lines: the one on the left is for the boulangerie and the one on the right is for the patisserie. Both are very good. Their seasonal closure is in August of each year (as with so many other establishments), but they usually re-open in either late August or early September, much to the relief of area residents. The other boulangeries/patisseries are poor substitutes.

Since you like museums, a few that you may want to consider are:

• The fine Musée des Beaux-Arts, which -- even if you don't pay an entrance fee to see the exhibits -- has a peaceful area beyond the security station with leafy trees, birds, benches, and sculptures. On a hot day, it's an excellent place to rest and retreat from the urban hustle outside. Note the recently refurbished bronze sculpture and fountain by Bartholdi in Place des Terreaux outside the museum

• Centre d'histoire de la résistance et de la déportation is one of the better WWII-themed museums I've visited in France.

• Musée Gallo-Roman on Fourvière Hill above Vieux Lyon has some very interesting artifacts from the Roman area. Lyon (Lugdunum) was the capital of Roman Gallic Province. There are Roman theaters there (still used for Lyon's annual music festival each summer) and the nearby beautiful Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière is one of the most richly-decorated churches I've ever seen. Don't miss the basement.

• If you're curious about the history of Lyon itself, the Musée Gadagne in Vieux Lyon is worth some time.

I hope your visit works out well for you.

Plenty of good advice here; maybe too much. I see someone mentioned the Tete d'Or Parc, which is one of my favorite places in Lyon.
I don't see any mention of how many days you'll be there, but if it's only a few, I wouldn't bother making any day trips outside the city. Not that there aren't any worthwhile places to visit, but it's just that there's so much to see and do in Lyon. And if you do decide to do a day trip, I wouldn't waste it on Perouges. I was a little disappointed in Perouges, but it was just a brief stop on our route. I wouldn't make it a destination, though.

Lyon is a great place to visit. I think that Rick hits the highlights but by all means consult another guidebook to find the things that speak to you.

The Lyon City card includes a walking tour and a boat ride and a metro pass and museum access and is one of the best deals in Europe.

Carol, please post a trip report after your visit. Lyon is on my list to visit in 2020. Bonne chance.

I thoroughly enjoyed a cup of chocolate chaud avec un pain au chocolate at the Bernachon Cafe.
Both were amazing. Worth all the calories.

There is also a great ice cream maker in Vieux Lyon. Can't remember the name but it's on the main street on a corner.

We also enjoyed the bouchon Cafe Jura - I ate there once solo and was very comfortable.

Great city! We walked the traboules which then allowed us to eat more great food.

Enjoy!

If you're looking for a wine bar check out MURAATO 7 Rue Charles Dullin, 69002 Lyon, France right near the Célestins Theater.

It's a little unusual in that actually mostly sell bottles so describe what you like in a wine and they will open a bottle that matches your tastes. They also have some light food like charcuterie but not a kitchen.

Run passionately by the Corsican owner - Guillaume I THINk - I thoroughly enjoyed my visits there.

=Tod