Things to do in Lyon
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Lyon
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best overall window, mild walking weather, markets at their best, Pérouges and Vienne at their prettiest.
Hot and quieter with some closures in August, compensated by Annecy lake days and Miribel Jonage beaches.
Food and wine peak, Beaujolais harvest in September and October, game and mushroom menus, cooler walking.
Winter is quiet and cheap outside Fête des Lumières, cold and damp with museums emptiest in January and February.
What's on
- Les Nuits de Fourvière June-July
Music, dance and theatre in the Roman theatres on Fourvière hill, book tickets and hotels early.
- Biennale de la Danse September (in its years)
Dance and contemporary art biennales land in September in their years, check the calendar.
- Beaujolais Nouveau Day third Thursday of November (19 November in 2026)
Cellar and bar tastings across the city and region.
- Fête des Lumières around 8 December, 4 nights
World famous light festival across Presqu'île and Vieux Lyon, book months ahead or avoid if you dislike crowds.
Worth the trip for
Best things to do in Lyon
Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière
Gold mosaic basilica above Vieux Lyon with the panorama that orients the whole city, free to enter.
Traboules du Vieux Lyon
Hidden Renaissance passageways through courtyards, built for silk workers and unique to Lyon.
Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse
Covered food temple for cheese, saucisson, oysters and praline tarts at counters, not a formal room.
Parc de la Tête d'Or
Huge free park with a lake, rose garden, botanical garden and zoo, and the local weekend ritual.
Musée des Confluences
Science and anthropology museum in a striking building where the Rhone and Saone meet.
Lugdunum - Musée et Théâtres Romains
Roman theatres free to wander plus a museum built into Fourvière hill, Lyon as capital of Roman Gaul.
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon
One of France's richest fine arts collections in a former abbey, with a calm courtyard garden.
Fresque des Lyonnais
Building sized trompe l'oeil murals of famous Lyonnais, paired with the Mur des Canuts in Croix-Rousse.
Where to stay in Lyon
Presqu'île
first trip, best overall base
Between the Rhône and Saône, with the best restaurants and bars and a 10 minute walk to Vieux Lyon.
Vieux Lyon
most atmospheric
Renaissance old town with bouchons on the doorstep and the funicular to Fourvière, but busy and noisy at night.
Croix-Rousse / Pentes
most local, better value
Village feel silk weaver hill with markets, cafés and street art, with a hill climb home.
Brotteaux / 6th arrondissement
quiet, upscale, by the park
Handsome and residential beside Parc de la Tête d'Or, a short metro ride to the old town.
Confluence
modern option
Contemporary architecture and the Musée des Confluences with good tram links, but thin on classic Lyon charm.
Think twice about
- La Guillotière
Grittiest central district around Place Gabriel Péri and Guillotière metro, rough feeling at night with street dealing and loitering.
- Immediate Part-Dieu station blocks
Bland tower district and Lyon's most reported pickpocket setting for travellers with luggage. Use it for trains, not as a base.
- Outer 8th and 9th arrondissements and far Villeurbanne
Duchère, Vaise, Gorge de Loup, Vergoin and Montriboud are named for safety and distance, with long dull commutes.
- Vénissieux and other outer suburbs
Named on forums as hot areas and irrelevant to a visitor unless a cheap listing is sneakily located there.
Best restaurants in Lyon
Restaurant Paul Bocuse
The Bocuse pilgrimage north of Lyon, with truffle soup, chicken in bladder and the great cheese trolley.
Têtedoie
One-star contemporary Lyonnais cooking with a panoramic terrace over the city.
Prairial
Modern one star in the centre with creative, lighter cooking and chef's counter energy.
Rustique
Modern one star in the centre, the new era counterpoint to Bocuse on the critics' Lyon list.
Bouchon Tupin
Modernised classic bouchon with fixed menus, fully booked every day so call ahead.
Daniel et Denise
Chef Joseph Viola's bouchon, famous for world champion pâté en croûte and quenelles in crayfish sauce.
Le Bouchon des Filles
Women run bouchon with a generous shared set format and thoughtful vegetarian options.
Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse
Counter lunch of oysters, charcuterie, cheese and Beaujolais, the best cheap lunch standing up.
Outdoor things to do in Lyon
Beaujolais
Golden stone Pierres Dorées villages and cru Gamay cellars 45 minutes north, best in harvest light.
Annecy
Venice of the Alps day trip where in summer the lake swim and pedal boats are the activity.
Grand Parc Miribel Jonage
Lyon's outdoor playground with lake beaches, kayaking, paddle, cycle trails, tennis and golf.
ViaRhôna
Cycle the Rhône banks through the Tête d'Or to Miribel Jonage, or south toward Vienne for a bigger day.
Pérouges
Preserved medieval walled village of cobbles and stone houses, famous for its sugar crusted galette.
Vienne
Easiest day trip from Lyon, with a Roman theatre, temple and cathedral 15 to 25 minutes by train.
Lyon Salvagny Golf Club
The polished club golf round near Lyon, about 12km north west of the city.
Golf de Lyon Verger
Better value golf south of Lyon, with 18 holes plus a 9 hole course, open 7 days.
Best hotels in Lyon
Villa Maïa
Serene hotel above the old town with pool, spa and city views.
InterContinental Lyon - Hotel Dieu
Landmark former hospital on the Rhône with a grand dome, restaurant and spa.
Cour des Loges
Renaissance courtyards with indoor pool and spa in the heart of the old town.
Villa Florentine
Strong luxury alternative on Fourvière above Vieux Lyon, highly.
Republik Hotel
The repeatedly named mid range pick in Lyon where to stay round ups.
Hôtel Bayard Bellecour
Small, well loved hotel on Place Bellecour with an unusually high rank for its price band.
Hôtel Globe et Cecil
Classic first timer base on the Presqu'île.
Citadines Presqu'île Lyon
Self catering aparthotel option on the Presqu'île, named as the mid range apartment choice.
Is Lyon expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €70 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €155 a person |
| Splurge | €355 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière: a few days ahead
- Musée des Confluences: a few days ahead
- Restaurant Paul Bocuse: weeks ahead
- Têtedoie: weeks ahead
- Prairial: weeks ahead
- Rustique: weeks ahead
- Bouchon Tupin: a few days ahead
- Daniel et Denise: a few days ahead
- Paul Bocuse and Têtedoie weeks ahead, good bouchons days ahead for dinner.
- Fourvière rooftop, Confluences at weekends and Beaujolais tours in harvest season need booking ahead.
- Any hotel for Fête des Lumières months ahead.
- The Lyon City Card pays off if you do Confluences, Beaux-Arts and Lugdunum in 2 to 3 days.
- Many bouchons close Sunday and Monday and much of independent Lyon shuts in August.
Is Lyon safe?
- Keep phones and wallets zipped at Part-Dieu, in crowded metro cars and around the Confluences tram stop.
- Pickpocket groups using distraction and surrounding are the documented pattern, bag in front in crowds.
- Centre is generally safe, Guillotière at night, station surrounds and outer 8th and 9th districts are the exceptions.
- Check your government's current travel advice before you go.
Lyon travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Untitled authentic bouchon places on Rue Saint-Jean and Rue Mercière without the Bouchons Lyonnais label.
- Picture menu set dinners in Vieux Lyon and tourist priced Rue Mercière restaurants without a specific recommendation.
- Paying tour prices for the traboules before trying them free, self guided, in the morning.
- Place Bellecour is a square to cross, not a destination, and the Confluence shopping mall is just a mall.
Getting around Lyon: public transport and more
- Walk the centre, Presqu'île to Vieux Lyon is 10 minutes over the Saône bridges.
- TCL runs 4 metro lines, 2 funiculars, trams and buses, contactless and day passes are easiest.
- Vélo'v bike share stations are everywhere.
- From the airport, Rhônexpress to Part-Dieu is fastest but pricey, bus 47 plus metro is the budget route.
- Do not confuse Part-Dieu, most TGVs, with Perrache at the south end of Presqu'île.
Who Lyon suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Lyon your trip
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