Lyon travel guide: itinerary and where to stay
From the esplanade beside the Fourvière basilica, Lyon spreads out as a sea of terracotta roofs, cut through by two rivers: the slow, green Saône at the foot of the hill and the broad, faster Rhône beyond the peninsula. Down in Vieux Lyon, Renaissance houses in ochre and pink lean over narrow streets, and behind their doors vaulted passages run from one street to the next. At lunchtime the smell of the bouchons, Lyon's small traditional restaurants, drifts out onto the cobbles. This guide helps you divide your days between the hill, the old town and the peninsula, and suggests where to stay and what to do when it rains.
How Lyon fits together
Lyon is easiest to understand as two rivers and two hills. The Saône comes in from the north, the Rhône from the north-east, and between them lies the Presqu'île, a long, narrow peninsula that is the city's centre. The rivers meet at its southern tip, in the new Confluence district.
West of the Saône rises Fourvière, the hill of the basilica and the Roman theatres. At its foot, squeezed between the slope and the river, is Vieux Lyon with its three old quarters, Saint-Paul, Saint-Jean and Saint-Georges. North of the Presqu'île stands the second hill, Croix-Rousse, once the district of the silk weavers. Locals still call the pair "the hill that prays" and "the hill that works".
The Presqu'île runs from Place des Terreaux and the town hall in the north, through the shopping streets to Place Bellecour and on to Perrache station. East of the Rhône lies the modern city: the Part-Dieu station and business district, the Parc de la Tête d'Or and most of the residential areas. Everything between the two rivers and in Vieux Lyon is comfortably walkable; the metro, the trams and the two funiculars up Fourvière save your legs on the climbs and the longer distances.
How many days do you need in Lyon?
- Two days are enough for the heart of the city: one for Fourvière and Vieux Lyon, one for the Presqu'île, the Musée des Beaux-Arts and an evening on the river banks. Croix-Rousse and the Musée des Confluences will have to wait.
- Three days suit a first visit best. You can add the slopes of Croix-Rousse with their passageways and a morning in the Parc de la Tête d'Or, and still have an unhurried afternoon at the Musée des Confluences.
- Four days give you time for a day out of the city, to medieval Pérouges, Roman Vienne or the lake at Annecy, or simply for a long lunch in a bouchon and a slower pace.
Three days in Lyon: from the Roman hill to the river banks
Day one: Fourvière and Vieux Lyon
Take the funicular from Vieux Lyon station up to Fourvière and start at the basilica while the light over the city is still soft. A ten-minute walk downhill brings you to the Roman theatres and the Lugdunum museum next to them, which is closed on Mondays. From there the old Montée du Gourguillon lane drops steeply to Saint-Jean cathedral. Spend the afternoon in the streets of Vieux Lyon, slipping through the open traboules between Rue Saint-Jean and Rue du Bœuf, and end the day in one of the bouchons of the quarter.
Day two: the Presqu'île and the silk weavers' hill
Cross the Saône to Place Bellecour and walk north through the Grand Hôtel-Dieu, whose courtyards open early, to Place des Terreaux. Give the morning to the Musée des Beaux-Arts, which is closed on Tuesdays. After lunch climb the slopes of Croix-Rousse by stairways and passages to the Cour des Voraces, then on to the plateau, where the boulevard is lined with cafés once the morning market has packed up. Come back down to the Saône quays for the evening, when the lights come on along the river and the basilica glows white on its hill.
Day three: a park, a food hall and the meeting of the rivers
Spend the morning in the Parc de la Tête d'Or, around the lake and through the free zoo. Head south to Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, the covered food market, for oysters, cheese or a plate at one of the counters. In the afternoon take the tram to the Musée des Confluences at the tip of the peninsula; it is closed on Mondays and stays open late on the first Thursday of the month. Finish on the banks of the Rhône, where the riverside path and the moored barges fill up on warm evenings.
What to do when it rains in Lyon
Rain in Lyon falls on a few days every month, most often in May and October, and in summer it tends to come as a short afternoon thunderstorm. It rarely ruins a day, but it should change the order of things: keep the Fourvière view, the Roman theatres and the Parc de la Tête d'Or for the dry hours, because cloud on the hill takes away the very thing you climbed for.
The traboules help more than you would expect. These covered passages run through the buildings of Vieux Lyon and Croix-Rousse, so you can cross whole blocks with a roof over your head.
- Morning: the Lugdunum museum, built into the hillside next to the Roman theatres, or Saint-Jean cathedral and the traboules of Vieux Lyon.
- Afternoon: the Musée des Confluences, big enough for half a day, or the Musée des Beaux-Arts on Place des Terreaux.
- Evening: a long dinner in a bouchon, or a performance at the Opéra under Jean Nouvel's glass vault.
- Any time: Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse for lunch at a counter, or the Institut Lumière in Monplaisir, in the family villa next to the spot where the Lumière brothers filmed workers leaving their factory in 1895.
Where to stay in Lyon
- Presqu'île, between Bellecour and the Terreaux
- The most central base: shops, restaurants and two metro lines at the door, Vieux Lyon just across the Saône and the Beaux-Arts at the northern end. Busy by day and lively around the Terreaux at night.
- Vieux Lyon
- Renaissance houses, cobbles and the funicular to Fourvière on your doorstep. Rooms in old buildings are often small and have no lift, and the main street stays loud until late.
- Croix-Rousse
- A village feel on the plateau, with a morning market, local bistros and views from the slopes. Quieter in the evening; the centre is a few metro stops or a steep walk downhill.
- Part-Dieu
- The practical choice for a short stay or day trips: the main station, the airport tram and the food hall are close. The district is modern and businesslike, and the old town is a metro ride away.