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Travel guide
Lyon
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: April to June, September to October, and December
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Welcome
Lyon, in a few days
Two thousand years of history stacked between two rivers: Roman theatres on Fourvière hill, the Renaissance lanes of Vieux Lyon and the silk workers' hill of Croix-Rousse. France's food capital is best eaten in its small traditional bistros and at the Halles Paul Bocuse, and the centre is easy to cover on foot.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Vieux Lyon free · about 2 hOne of Europe's largest Renaissance quarters, between the Saône and Fourvière hill, with galleried courtyards and stair towers along Rue Saint-Jean and Rue du Bœuf.
- Afternoon · Fourvière Basilica free · about 1 h 30The white basilica crowning the hill since the late 19th century, lined inside with gold mosaics and marble, above a quieter crypt.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel des Artistes€120 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · The Presqu'île free · about 2 hThe strip of city between the Rhône and the Saône, linking Place Bellecour, Place des Terreaux with its Bartholdi fountain, and the Musée des Beaux-Arts.
- Afternoon · The Croix-Rousse passageways free · about 1 h 30Hidden passages cut through the silk workers' buildings down the hill; the Cour des Voraces, with its six-storey staircase, is the most striking.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel des Célestins€130 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Mur des Canuts free · a few minutesA 1,200 square metre trompe-l'oeil mural of daily life in the silk workers' district, repainted every few years so its characters grow older.
- Afternoon · Parc de la Tête d'Or free · half a dayA 105-hectare park in the city with a boating lake, a large rose garden, tropical glasshouses and a free zoo, enough for half a day.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Élysée Hôtel€120 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Halles Paul Bocuse · about 2 hLyon's covered food market, with around fifty traders selling cheese, quenelles, chocolate and oysters; at weekends, lunch at the counters is the thing to do.
- Afternoon · Musée des Confluences · 2 to 3 hA glass and steel museum at the meeting of the Rhône and Saône, covering origins and civilisations, from dinosaurs to Pacific collections.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Silky€150 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Baguette: the daily bread, bought fresh from the boulangerie. Ask for a "tradition", made with nothing but flour, water, salt and yeast.
- Croissant and pain au chocolat: breakfast pastries, best in the morning while still warm.
- The cheese course: served after the main dish and before dessert, from Comté to Camembert.
- Steak frites: the bistro standard. Order it "saignant" for rare or "à point" for medium.
- Galettes and crêpes: savoury buckwheat pancakes from Brittany filled with ham, egg and cheese, then sweet ones for pudding.
- House wine: ordered by the carafe or the "pichet" at lunch, and often better value than a bottle.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Say "bonjour" when you walk into a shop, a bakery or a café, and "au revoir" as you leave. Skipping it comes across as rude.
- Lunch runs from about noon to 2pm and dinner starts around 7.30pm. In between, most restaurant kitchens are closed.
- Most shops close on Sunday, and many small towns shut on Monday too. Bakeries and markets open on Sunday morning.
- Do not pay for bottled water at the table: ask for "une carafe d'eau", tap water that is served free with a meal.
- Around the big Paris sights, walk past anyone with a petition or a friendship bracelet. They are there to distract you while someone else takes your wallet.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ French
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Thank you | Merci |
| Please | S'il vous plaît |
| Yes | Oui |
| No | Non |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| Goodbye | Au revoir |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? |
| I don't understand | Je ne comprends pas |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes ? |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
| Help! | Au secours ! |
| Cheers! | Santé ! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €125 a day, mid-range
Best seasonApril to June, September to October, and December
PlugC/E · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingService is included by law, round up
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccination needed. Check that tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/lyon
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.