I'll be spending two weeks in Lyon during the last half of May and taking French lessons in the mornings. Any recommendations for the best things to do and see in Lyon and its environs with the rest of my time?
Posted by
Eugene, Oregon...Formerly Ventura, CA
2261 posts
Wow, lucky you! It's a wonderful city that we would love to go back to. There's a lot to do, obviously, but I'll limit my to do suggestion to the Lumiere Brothers house and museum. The Lumiere brothers made the first motion picture, and the story is fascinating-beautiful home too.
On the food front, I would highly recommend Cafe des Federations for a traditional Lyonnaise meal-or two, or three..
Posted by
Berkeley CA
1307 posts
It's been about 12 years since I was in Lyon, but I particularly enjoyed "Old Lyon" and the covered passageways (Traboules.)
As I recall, we did a walking tour arranged through the tourist information office. This area has homes from as far back as the 1600s and was a place for the resistance fighters to hide during WW2. This would definitely be worth an afternoon!
Lyon also has an impressive (and chilling) Resistance and Deportation Museum.
Have a wonderful time!
Posted by
Florida (previously California)
3702 posts
I imagine that you will visit the Basilica Fourviere if that sort thing appeals to you and maybe the Roman ruins nearby. Head over to the Confluence. A museum was being built the last time I was there but maybe it is finished by now (18 months later). Think about spending an afternoon in Vienne. I don't know about train service because we drove -- BTW, parking was extremely scarce but that was in July. It's about 20 miles south of Lyon and has fantastic Roman ruins. In fact, there is a jazz festival held there in July with seating in the ruins of an amphitheatre. It's amazing because it is just a regular town with ruins in various locations and modern life goes on around them. Take a look at: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187273-d1527986-Reviews-Theatre_Romain_Antique-Vienne_Isere_Rhone_Alpes.html If you are into wine you could spend a weekend in the northern Cote du Rhone or head to Macon and the Beaujolais area.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thanks Dave, Sharyn and JHK ... great help, and I will try to visit or eat my way through these suggestions.
Posted by
northern CA
2464 posts
The Vienne TI offers walking tours that are great, esp. if you catch them on a slow day and/or request an English-speaking guide beforehand; contact them by email. In addition to the Roman and medieval periods, Vienne also has more recent items of interest, for example:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/André_Rivoire
There is a monument to M. Rivoire in a small park that has a seniors activity center not far from the TI.
Good hiking and running trails around the river as well.
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
If you or your travelling companions are interested, there's a pretty good vintage car museum at Rochetaillee (city bus routes 40 or 70 from different parts of the centre) north of the city.
Posted by
NH
219 posts
I will 3rd the recommenation for a trip to Vienne. They have english guide books/maps at the TI office. Another very nice day trip is to Perouges. Beautiful and only about 20 miles outside of Lyon, an easy train ride.
The Parc Tete D'or is a nice place to spend some time.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
I enjoyed the Textile Museum as well as the numerous fountains and water features. Rick's France guidebook has a useful chapter (30 pages). You might also enjoy these articles from the Guardian newspaper:
http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2014/may/27/top-10-restaurants-in-lyon-france
http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2011/feb/13/bill-buford-lyon-food-capital