Three Days in Lyon, October 2023

Wednesday, October 4. Breakfast at the hotel was very good; the bread and cheese were particularly noteworthy. After breakfast we were off to the Musée des Beaux Arts, but we wandered a bit around our neighborhood first. Rue Victor-Hugo is a wide pedestrian street, with plenty of shops and eateries. We got there in a roundabout way, and were surprised, and a bit confused, to follow it back another time and realize it connects directly to Place Carnot!

We did tire of the shops, and hopped on the metro to Place Bellecour; from there we walked to the Fine Arts Museum. This place is huge, and wonderful. Paintings, sculpture, antiquities… it just goes on and on! I want to mention two favorite finds there, though: a wonderful sculpture called “The First Funeral,” by Barrias, I believe. It shows Adam and Eve holding the body of Abel, Eve kissing his face while a young and handsome Adam helps support the body. Beautiful.

My second favorite was actually a group of tiny wooden carvings wooden carvings from Egyptian tombs. They depict activities of daily life, including making beer, bathing, birthing calves, or loading pack animals. They were buried with the deceased, and were supposed to set the stage for life in the afterlife, a how-to, of sorts. Just delightful.

We finally decided we were never going to see everything this trip, and left the museum about 3:30. This is where we once again encountered the surprisingly rigid meal times in some French towns. 3:30 was too late for lunch, and too early for dinner. We stopped at one bistro where we saw someone appearing to be finishing a meal. We didn’t sit down, but I did take a look at a menu. A server came out and asked “Eat or drink?” “To eat,” I responded, and he snatched the menu out of my hand and barked, “Closed!” We had similar, but less unpleasant results at other eateries. We finally found a kebab place that was serving, and enjoyed good felafel and kefteh plates. This is not the first time kebab shops have come to our rescue! It seems they’re always serving, and the food is always good.

On the way home, we stopped at a small bar on the northeast corner of Place Carnot, where we enjoyed good cider and wine. I’m sorry I didn’t get the name of the establishment, because we stopped there several more times. We just called it “the cider place.” The bar itself is dark and small, but there’s plenty of room outside to sit and sip.

Our huge late lunch meant we didn’t want any dinner, but we did go back out later that evening for a stroll. And more cider.

Thursday, October 5. After another good breakfast, we headed out to the Fourviére area, up on the high up west of Vieux Lyon. Our goal was the Roman theatre and its museum. We did take the funicular up, rather than climb the steep hill. The Roman theatre is well worth seeing, and the museum is outstanding. This is the original Roman settlement of Lugdunum, and the museum is sometimes called Lugdunum, or the Gallo-Roman Museum. The museum itself seems quite modern, with beautifully arranged and interpreted exhibits. We once again spent hours, marveling not only at the artifacts, but how masterfully they were displayed.

Afterwards, we visited the nearby Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourviére, another sight well worth spending time at. I found the basilica itself very meaningful, in a spiritual way, and the setting is beautiful. There’s a wonderful panoramic view of Lyon from the basilica grounds. There’s also the Café Pigrot, where we enjoyed sandwiches and wine. There are more eateries on the premises, but one was closed, and the third was more expensive than we were comfortable with.

We took the funicular back down to earth, and walked back to our Place Carnot. We had dinner at (I think) Café Victor, on the north side of the square. I had okay fish and chips, and Stan had a surprisingly good chicken burger. Back to the other corner for more cider and relaxing, then back to the hotel. A full but lovely day.

Friday, October 6. We had realized that there was no way we were going to see as much of Lyon as we would have liked to, so I booked a 4 hour guided tour with “Lyon Like a Local.” Our guide was Zahra, an Iranian married to a Frenchman. She led us through some of the more obvious tourist areas, but spent more time in the quieter back streets, pointing out some cultural sights, but also bars and markets frequented by locals. We also visited quite a few churches, which interested her (a Muslim) as much as they did us.

Zahra also took us across the bridge to Vieux Lyon, pointing out a number of sights of historical and cultural interest. The streets were very crowded, though, making this a less pleasant part of the day. There were shoulder-to-shoulder tourists, and an extra helping of rugby fans. Yes, Lyon also was hosting matches for the Rugby World Cup.

After our time with Zahra, we found a place to eat that featured Lyonnaise specialties, Parlyon. The food was quite good: I had a local sausage in burgundy sauce with roast potatoes, and Stan had the salmon. There was no outdoor seating, though, and one table was filled with very loud rugby fans, who asked for “Another bottle of wine!” several times while we were there. I must say, though, that the two rugby fans sitting at the table closest to us, were as put off by the others as we were.

Back down to the Presq’ile, where we made a trial run to the train station from which we’d be leaving for Paris the next day. Then back to the hotel to pack. Our last dinner in Lyon was once again at Café Micheline, where I had an excellent gratin de ravioles, and Stan had a good tuna tataki. Wine, coffee, and chocolate cake, then back to our hotel. It had been a long, tiring day. Tomorrow we take the TGV to Paris.

Final thoughts? Not nearly enough time in Lyon. We only saw a few of the sights that were on my “want to see” list, and didn’t spend as much time as we had thought we would in the older section of town. But all the more reason to plan a return trip, n’est-ce pas?

Thanks for posting.

Way back in 2015, we changed trains at Lyon Part Deux - airport and train station combo. Watching the stream of river cruise passengers make their way to the various cruise lines' buses reminded me of a scene from the movie "Cocoon". Eight years later, I still remember that sight.

Another thing I remember is the amazing chicken sandwich I had while waiting for our train to Torino. Lyon has been on my radar ever since.

Now, I'm thinking that our next trip will be to France between Chamonix and Nice, which would necessitate a night or two in Lyon.

Bookmarking! Many thanks for this report Jane.

Thank you Jane! There is never enough time!

Thank you for this report. We were supposed to be in Lyon and the Dordogne last month but Covid interfered. We hope to get there next year. It helps to read what you were able to do in a day.

Jane, thank you for your continued reports! I always enjoy reading about what you all did, liked or didn't like and whether you'd go back!

Pam, I will always go back! I can't think of any place we've been that I wouldn't return to. Some more enthusiastically than others, of course. Lol

Thanks for this, Jane. I was in Lyon late in October, and went to some of the same places. I remember "The First Funeral" and other fine pieces in the Beaux Arts Museum, as well as the fountain sculpture across the square. I agree that the Gallo Roman Museum is very well designed, taking you downhill through the ages and spilling you out to the theaters. The Notre Dame Basilica was also very good, though my visit was abbreviated because it was Sunday and they were having services. The view west to the Alps was amazing. I too took the funicular up the hill, but walked down it and really appreciated the cathedral at the bottom. I agree that Vieux Lyon seemed over-touristed, perhaps because it was Sunday. The rugby fans were long gone.

I stayed at the Hotel des Artistes near the Celestins Theater, liked it very much, but entirely missed Place Carnot. I did take the bus down to the Confluence Museum and the tram back to Perrache, should have walked north from there through Carnot and other interesting streets, but instead took the Metro back to Bellecour. I wanted to see the Resistance Museum but it was closed for renovations. So another reason to return! Thanks again for all your informative posts.

Dick, I think the Hôtel des Artistes is one I tried to book, but it was full because of the rugby games. I'm glad you liked it; should we ever return, or rather when we return, I'll take another look at it.

And I loved your description of the layout of the Gallo-Roman museum:

the Gallo Roman Museum is very well designed, taking you downhill through the ages and spilling you out to the theaters.

What an apt description! I wish I had thought of it, Lol.

Yes, Lyon is definitely worth a return trip, and a longer stay.