I am planning a trip to Lyon from Chicago. I've never been there, but I'm intrigued by this city which seems like Paris without the tourists.
Could I please get recommendations for a budget hotel (under 70 euro a night preferred)? A basic place is fine as long as it's clean and centrally located with good transportation connections.
The best airfare options seem to be either from Paris with a connection to the Eurostar, or through Geneva. Anything I'm overlooking?
Thanks in advance!
Several airlines (Aer Lingus, United, American, British Airways) have one-stop flights ORD to Lyon which may be less expensive than a train connection. There are a couple of Ibis hotels that are well located and reasonably priced.
Thanks Jeff! I'll look into those flights and the Ibis hotels.
I can't speak of cheap hotels as we did a home exchange when we stayed in Lyon...(if you're interested in that, we belong to homeexchange.com and have had great success)
As far as a train transfer from Paris, the TGV does run directly from CDG, but make sure you leave yourself enough time to catch your train. We flew into CDG, then took the TGV into Lyon, but missed our connecting train because of a delayed flight. We ended up spending 5 very long, jet lagged hours in the train station waiting for the next available train. We also ended up having to purchase new tickets, which resulted in our spending more $ than it would have cost to fly directly to Lyon.
The city is beautiful. Metro is simple, Vieux Lyon is great, and the Parc de la Tete d'Or is a great place to spend a lazy afternoon!
Bon Voyage!
I agree with what has been said below; however, I'd like to add a recommendation. Skip the Saone river cruise. It's not cheap- -I'm remembering 9 euros --,
and it's the most boring I've ever been on. My husband actually fell asleep. The most interesting sight, the cathedral, can be seen just as well from the river bank. The rest of it was views of modern buildings, like a hotel where celebs stay, and places where something used to be but is no longer.
A real rip-off!
Thanks for the advice. Yes, if I'm continuing on by train from an airport, I don't like to buy my tickets in advance in case my plane is delayed. Hopefully I can get a cheap connecting flight.
Thanks Rosalyn--I'll avoid the cruise (I'm not big on cruises anyway).
The food is supposed to be fantastic in Lyon. I can't wait!
